New Survey from Expert Platform JustAnswer Reveals 45% of the US Workforce Are Worried About Getting Laid Off, and 21% of Americans Have Been Laid Off Without Any Severance Pay

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May 02, 2023, 08:44 ET

JustAnswer launches "Unemployment Unwrapped" – a free guide to navigating layoffs, severance pay and other sticky employment law dilemmas

SAN FRANCISCO, May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With widespread layoffs being announced daily in 2023, JustAnswer has seen a record number of questions this year for its employment law experts. In fact, questions around severance pay, wrongful termination and unemployment benefits have risen 31% YOY to date. For severance pay specifically, questions have spiked by 139%.

In order to get a handle on current consumer sentiment about the job market, layoffs and workplace situations that are prompting people to seek expert legal help, JustAnswer recently commissioned a *survey by YouGov of 1,202 U.S. adults on these topics. Here are some of the key findings:

45% of employed Americans are concerned about losing their current job – and the number climbs to 64% when looking at GenZ employees (26 and under) specifically. In comparison, 47% of Millennials and 46% of GenXers are worried about future layoffs.
21% of Americans have ever been laid off from a job without receiving any kind of severance pay or package. However, of the people who did receive a severance package from their most recent layoff, less than half (42%) actually negotiated that package.
More than a third of Americans who have ever been employed said they have experienced (19%) or witnessed (21%) something at work that they believe warranted legal action against an employer. However, 56% of those respondents – more than half – never took any legal action about what they experienced or witnessed.
Gen Z & Millennials were much more likely than older respondents to have sought legal recourse after experiencing or witnessing something they believe to warrant legal action at work

63% of Gen Zers and 50% of Millennials who have ever experienced or witnessed something took legal action in at least one instance, compared to only 15% of Seniors+Boomers (59+) and only 34% of Gen Xers.
More men than women have taken legal action after witnessing or experiencing something troubling at work – 46% vs. 30%

Nearly a quarter of Americans (22%) admitted they have at least once signed a contract from an employer (e.g., nondisclosure agreement, non-compete agreement, etc.) – without reading it carefully.

For more detailed results diving deeper into varying responses according to age group, gender, racial identity and industry, please visit https://www.justanswer.com/press to download the full report.

Expert Help from Employment Experts Now Available in Special JustAnswer Guide

As a way to meet surging demand from the current turbulent job market, JustAnswer has launched a new hub for articles offering expert help in navigating employment dilemmas and legal issues related to job loss. The new "Unemployment Unwrapped" guide at https://www.justanswer.com/employment/unemployment offers articles focused on comprehensive advice from JustAnswer employment law experts on the most common questions they receive about wrongful termination, severance, employee rights and more.

About JustAnswer
JustAnswer is an online platform that connects people with live Doctors, Lawyers, Veterinarians, Mechanics and other verified and vetted Experts for real-time, personalized assistance and answers to just about any question or problem 24/7. With more than 12,000 experts across 150 categories, JustAnswer is the leading destination for accessing affordable professional help on-demand when and from wherever you need it.

Media Contact:
Aimee Grove for JustAnswer: [email protected]; phone: 415-706-1906

*Survey Methodology:
This survey has been conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov Plc panel of individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys. Total sample size was 1,202 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st - 22nd March 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

SOURCE JustAnswer