What is jobbing hugging? When you hate your job yet can't quit

After years in which changing jobs seemed like the only possible answer to frustration and precariousness, today something is shifting again. Alongside the season of the Great Resignation and job hopping (the tendency to frequently change jobs to obtain better growth opportunities, salary, or experience), an opposite trend is emerging: staying.

The job hugging trend reflects the return of stability as a value, but not necessarily as a conscious choice. Behind this phenomenon lies not only economic uncertainty or the fear of not finding another job, but also a shift in how people perceive their professional role, which no longer corresponds to climbing toward success, but rather to a river whose banks become interesting fields of possibility to ease frustration and anxiety about the future.

What is it about?

The job hugging, which translates as embracing one’s job, represents people’s tendency to remain in the same company or position for as long as possible, even if it does not provide full satisfaction or offer promising career prospects. According to the Global Talent Barometer report by Manpower Group, it is a fairly widespread trend in Italy: nearly 67% of Italian professionals plan to stay with the same employer in the coming months, yet 62% continue to monitor job opportunities.

This means that the desire to leave one’s job persists; opportunities, though limited, still exist, but at the same time something holds people back and pushes them to hold on tightly to their current job. One of the main reasons is economic uncertainty and a labor market that is becoming increasingly rigid.

Just consider the situation of precariousness among younger people leaving universities and vocational schools and entering a crisis-ridden context where entry-level positions are scarce or turn out to be dead ends. Another pressing issue facing the labor market - and all sectors more broadly - is the rise of AI technologies, which discourages not only senior employees but also beginners, who risk becoming redundant even when performing marginal tasks within a company.

Alongside fears of instability and insecurity about one’s skills, it’s important to note that a job hugger differs from a quiet quitter: they do their job well, achieve results, and don’t just “do the bare minimum,” but they have likely lost the enthusiasm and curiosity of a job hopper, who moves from job to job in search of new opportunities and higher pay. The job hugger seeks permanence, stability, and the absence of change - but at the core there is not conviction in what they do, rather fear of what might be found outside.

Rethinking careers as a river

A new perspective has emerged that radically rethinks work, shifting the paradigm from vertical to horizontal. This is where the contribution of Bridget Thoreson comes in - editor, audience specialist, and even a dream wrangler (a consultant who promises to turn dreams into reality), a title that is part of her official role within an organization dedicated to helping newsrooms strengthen the connection between journalism, community, and democracy. From this perspective comes the term career river. According to this view, the only way to address - and in part heal - phenomena such as burnout, stress, and anxiety about the future is to deeply change the way we think about work.

The career river is a metaphor born from the coach’s personal experience: a career is no longer a linear upward climb, but a river made up of winding paths, unpredictable currents, and branches. Therefore, a career becomes a dynamic journey, constantly in motion, where every deviation helps redefine the overall direction. This vision fits into a contemporary context marked by burnout, mass resignations, and a redefinition of forms of ambition, alongside a gradual deconstruction of the traditional concept of a dream job.

Will we continue to be dissatisfied?

This logic shows how the climb is increasingly perceived today as an outdated model, built primarily around the needs of companies rather than those of individuals. New generations tend to understand this quickly: they often begin with enthusiasm in highly demanding and stressful roles that, over time, can become draining. A growing awareness emerges that, despite education and accumulated experience, there is no linear and predictable trajectory.

This can generate frustration, but it also represents an important signal: the need to explore new possibilities and redefine one’s reference points. The river metaphor suggests that even deviations, pauses, and changes in direction hold intrinsic value, becoming essential elements of a more authentic and sustainable path.