A new study from isolved highlights a striking contradiction in today’s workforce: employees may be satisfied in their roles, but many are still preparing to move on. The company’s 2026–2027 Voice of the Workforce report reveals that 58% of employees plan to apply for new jobs within the next year, even as 90% report being happy in their current positions.
The findings, based on a survey of over 1,300 full-time U.S. workers, suggest a shift in employee behavior. Rather than leaving due to dissatisfaction, workers are increasingly exploring opportunities proactively. This trend is particularly evident among newer hires, with 86% of employees in roles for less than a year already applying elsewhere.
“On paper, things look stable,” said Heidi Barnett, President of isolved Talent Acquisition. “Employees are reporting high satisfaction, and most aren’t rushing to leave but that doesn’t mean they’re happily staying. Some employers read that as loyalty, but it’s not. People are just being more selective about what they do next.”
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The report identifies “stagnation fatigue” as an important reason behind this behavior. Nevertheless, 74% of respondents were satisfied with their salaries, whereas several were looking for better career growth and promotion opportunities. Apart from higher compensation, 51% of employees, who were looking for new jobs, considered limited career progression as the reason which motivated them to apply.
“Though this shows employees want bigger paychecks, it also demonstrates just how close other factors come to rivaling pay,” said Amy Mosher, Chief People Officer of isolved. “Financial compensation alone is simply not enough to retain top talent. Employees want forward momentum, skill development and long-term career mobility. If they sense that their current employer is not offering enough in each category, they’re going to look for what else is out there.”
Operational inefficiencies are also one of the main reasons. According to the employees, payroll mistakes, scheduling problems, and time wasted due to the use of inefficient systems are some of the sources of getting exhausted and thinking about quitting the job. On the other hand, communication is also communication is
Clearly, only 25% of the employees believe that their organization communicates well. In fact, many of the workers pointed to unclear expectations and career paths as some of the reasons why they were thinking of quitting. The report points out that employers, if they want to keep their staff, will somehow have to rethink their strategies of retention. That means not focusing solely on the pay but also on the development, clearness and daily working environments or experiences of employees.
