Business loves new trends and terms to describe them. Some are just re-workings of previous situations and some have evolved to meet a current situation. Recently, I have been hearing the phrase “job hugging” more often, writes Mike Hurst, of the recruitment consultancy HJA Consult.
This is the workplace phenomenon in which employees cling tightly to their current roles, even if they are unhappy or feel stuck and is brought about, in the main, due to fear or uncertainty about the economy, layoffs, or the job market. This behaviour contrasts with job hopping, switching jobs frequently for career advancement, better pay etc. Job hugging arises typically when workers feel that staying put is safer than looking for new opportunities, especially during times of economic instability or a cooling job market. This has happened before of course, but it is interesting to see it talked about in this way.
Causes of job hugging
Economic downturns, widespread layoffs, or fears about job security make switching jobs seem too risky. Uncertain job prospects and low hiring rates, or concerns about being replaced by new technology such as AI, can reinforce reluctance to leave a current position.
Accenture 11,000 staff in 2025, Amazon is cutting 1,500 jobs (about 15 per cent of its HR division); Salesforce 4,000; Klarna 40pc; and Nestlé are cutting 16,000 jobs by 2027, blaming automation and AI as key cost-saving measures. Major tech firms like Microsoft, Oracle, Intel, Meta, and Google have also enacted large-scale layoffs in 2025, with routine roles among the hardest hit and British Telecom has announced plans to cut 55,000 jobs by 2030, about 10,000 down to AI and automation.
- Declining trust in institutions and organisations can heighten the desire for stability over ambition.
- Impact on Employees and Organisations
- Can lead to reduced creativity, motivation, and professional development as workers stagnate in roles they’ve outgrown.
- Potential decrease in workplace performance and engagement, even if turnover rates appear low on the surface.
How could the security profession be affected?
- Physical security, guarding, monitoring, and security operations centres (GSOCs) could all be affected.
- AI-enabled video analytics, remote monitoring, and robotic patrol solutions may mean fewer human security officers are needed for surveillance and perimeter security.
- AI-powered systems can identify threats, anomalies, and even initiate basic responses, replacing traditional monitoring staff for lower-risk environments.
- This is also a reason why we need better trained and certified frontline security professionals.
- Job displacement in back-office and patrol: Routine patrol, incident reporting, and access control tasks are increasingly being automated. Reception security, data entry, and alarm verification could be especially vulnerable.
- Human security professionals will shift away from repetitive tasks and focus on complex threat assessment, crisis response, strategic planning, and interacting with police or clients. Adaptability, soft skills, decision-making, will become more valued.
- Increasingly, Global Security Operations Centres (GSOCs) are using AI for incident detection and workflow automation. Fewer operators are needed; remaining staff oversee multiple sites and respond only to credible alerts that AI highlights.
Risks and challenges
- Over-reliance on AI can result in a lack of context or failure during technical outages, making human oversight essential.
- AI-powered surveillance and facial recognition will require careful regulatory compliance and human review to address concerns over privacy and bias.
- Integration and training complexities, especially with legacy or hybrid environments, mean human expertise will remain important for the foreseeable future.
Summary
The security profession is likely to experience job losses and restructuring, especially in manual roles, but also create opportunities for skilled professionals who can work alongside AI and manage advanced systems. The industry will need to invest in significant retraining, upskilling, and rethink job designs to adapt to the new reality shaped by AI.
