Layoff Fatigue: The Silent Burnout Haunting Today’s Workforce

• Layoff fatigue is deep emotional exhaustion from ongoing job cuts, fear of future job loss, and psychological strain of uncertainty.
• Driven by serial layoffs, economic instability, AI automation pressures, and increased workloads, it creates perpetual workplace anxiety.
• A January 2026 Careerminds survey of 1,000 workers revealed many feel pressured into side hustles for career insurance, leading to burnout.
• Causes include serial layoffs, economic instability, AI automation fears, and increased workloads for remaining employees.
• Impacts involve emotional exhaustion, hypervigilance, burnout from side hustles, lack of trust, low motivation, and long-term mental health risks.

Why It Matters: Layoff fatigue is a widespread emotional burnout caused by job insecurity, impacting mental health and productivity.