US workers are now clinging to their current roles in a stagnating job market — but could ‘job hugging’ be keeping you stuck in a holding pattern?

The latest employee retention index by consulting firm Eagle Hill, released in July, signals U.S. employees are more likely to hold onto their jobs for the next six months. The data also indicates a sharp decline in perception of the job market, reflecting a growing sense of pessimism about job opportunities outside of employees’ workplaces.

Organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry noted the current job hugging trend is not just part of the normal peaks and valleys cycle of job markets.

“This time around, a sense of global events as unpredictable and unprecedented, combined with looming AI disruption, is making workers increasingly unsure — which can lead them to stay in holding patterns, rather than developing their skills and careers,” the firm stated in an article published Aug. 12.

Poor job prospects for workers

The job hugging trend represents a stark contrast from just four years ago and the beginning of the two-year “Great Resignation,” which saw millions of Americans quit their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this time, the quits rate — employees voluntarily leaving their job — remained elevated, hitting a record 3% on two occasions, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

But the quits rate has since steadied between 1.9 and 2.1 from May 2024 up until June. Levels haven’t been consistently within that range in a decade.

“There is this stagnation in the labor market, where the hires, quits and layoff rates are low,” Laura Ullrich, director of economic research in North America at the Indeed Hiring Lab, told CNBC in a story published Aug. 18. “There’s just not a lot of movement at all.”

Meanwhile, in June, the hiring rate dropped to 3.3%, while in July the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, according to the BLS. And if adding only 73,000 jobs in July wasn’t demoralizing enough, Bloomberg wrote on Aug. 1 that the revising down of previous spring job numbers means that “in the last three months, employment growth has averaged a paltry 35,000 — the worst since the pandemic.” (July’s job numbers have since been revised up 6,000, while employment in June went down 27,000.)

The numbers were so bad they cost BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer her job, with President Donald Trump firing her after baselessly calling the employment stats “rigged.” The president’s nominee to replace her has suggested possibly eliminating the monthly jobs report altogether — a troubling sign regarding transparency in the employment market that could further entrench those holding onto their jobs.

The good news, however, is that, for those desperate to find something new, there are ways to gain a hiring advantage — even in a stagnant job market.

How to find something better

Fortune highlighted one of the main pitfalls of job hugging — that it can “exacerbate employees feeling stuck, stoking resentment toward their employers.” They also spoke with one expert who believes growing discontent could lead to another Great Resignation down the line.

But you’re itching to switch jobs now, there are multiple ways to boost your chances of landing a new gig. One of the primary moves to make at the outset is to learn relevant new skills, or “upskilling.” As Forbes explains, that could include anything from technical skills like utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) tools to “soft skills” like improving communication or project management techniques. The primary goal is to boost your value as an employee.