Aussie Workers Embrace ‘Job Hugging’ Over ‘Quiet Quitting’

Job security is back in fashion for Australian workers.

Commuters move through Central railway station in Sydney, Australia on Jan. 15, 2025. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Economic uncertainty and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) are key reasons Australians are choosing to stay in their current jobs, according to a study commissioned by professional networking platform LinkedIn.

Of the 2,000 Australian adults surveyed by Censuswide, 51 percent said they intended to look for a new job in 2026, down from 59 percent in 2025.

Over two-thirds of respondents said finding employment had become more challenging over the past year, while four out of five felt unprepared to search for a new role.

LinkedIn career expert Brendan Wong said these factors were driving what he described as a “job-hugging” trend.

“Now, because of the way the job market is, people prefer stability, so they’re retaining their jobs, not because they particularly like them,” he told AAP.

“It’s definitely replaced what we saw a year or two ago when there was quiet-quitting.”

Quiet quitting refers to employees doing only the minimum required work, without going above and beyond their job duties.

Government figures show Australia’s job market has cooled, even though the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3 percent.

In November, the number of full-time jobs fell by 57,000, while an increase in part-time work only partly made up for the loss.

This helps explain why many workers are choosing to stay in their current roles rather than look for new jobs.