Depleted leaders are also job hugging: What this means for HR

This is much lower than the 40% of highly stressed leaders in DDI’s report in 2025, who said they had considered leaving their roles to protect their wellbeing.

The findings reflect the job-hugging trend happening in workplaces, where employees are choosing to stay in their current workplace instead of moving elsewhere amid the lack of confidence in the job market.

Leaders, as the report revealed, are feeling the same concerns.

“With economic uncertainty, a cooler hiring market, rising costs of living, and AI reshaping what roles will even look like, many leaders are holding tight to the jobs they have,” the report read.

“Staying may feel like the safer choice, even when leaders are running on empty.”