Rising job insecurity among employees is reshaping how Americans are approaching vacations this summer, as nearly one in three (29%) workers say recent layoffs or fear of job loss have made them reluctant to take time off for fun in the sun, according to a new report.
The 2025 PTO Trends report from LiveCareer, a career service specializing in resume building, includes survey responses from 1,007 U.S. workers currently employed and explored their experiences with burnout, upcoming vacation plans, feelings on the economy and labor market, and barriers to taking vacation.
The report found that labor market uncertainty has caused the workforce to be more hesitant to use their earned vacation:
- 29% say layoffs and the poor job market are making them more hesitant to take time off this summer.
- An additional 23% are also concerned about layoffs but apprehensively moving forward with vacation plans.
While layoff anxiety is a leading concern, financial pressures are also shaping PTO plans:
- Among those hesitant to take time off, 73% cite financial concerns.
- 48% report feeling more cautious about PTO due to a weakening economy.
Overall, nearly half (47%) of U.S. workers polled are unsure or not planning to take a vacation this summer.
Despite these fears, the data shows that burnout is widespread and workers are in real need of rest. A staggering 86% report experiencing some level of stress or burnout, and more than a quarter (26%) say they feel emotionally drained multiple times per week. Other key data on the topic of burnout and stress includes:
- 30% report moderate-to-severe burnout.
- 77% feel stressed at work on a regular basis.
- 28% feel emotionally drained multiple times a week or more.
Burnout, layoff fears, and pressure to stay productive are preventing employees from fully stepping away from work—even during their time off.
When asked how confident they are in completely unplugging during vacation, only half of workers said they feel they’ll be able to disconnect.
The rest expect to stay at least somewhat connected to work:
- 34% are somewhat confident but expect to check emails occasionally.
- 12% aren’t very confident and anticipate doing some work.
- 5% aren’t confident at all and say they’ll definitely work while on PTO.
This means nearly one in two employees are likely to stay connected to work while on vacation—undermining the restorative benefits of time off.
“Fear of layoffs and job insecurity is at an all-time high, and these concerns are influencing the workforce to deprioritize their overall wellbeing,” Jasmine Escalera, career expert for LiveCareer, said in a statement. “When employees hesitate to take the PTO they’ve earned, it can seriously impact their mental health, productivity, and overall engagement at work.”
Methodology
The findings presented in this report are based on a nationally representative survey conducted by LiveCareer using Pollfish on May 7, 2025. The survey collected responses from 1,007 U.S. workers currently employed and explored their experiences with burnout, upcoming vacation plans, feelings on the economy and labor market and barriers to taking vacation. They answered different types of questions, including yes/no, open-ended, scale-based questions where respondents indicated their level of agreement with statements, and multiple-choice where they could select from a list of provided options. Participants represented a broad cross-section of the working population in terms of gender and age. The sample included 53.62% male respondents (540) and 45.98% female respondents (463). Age-wise, the distribution was also balanced: 18.87% were aged 18-27 (Gen Z), 27.21% were aged 28-43 (millennials), 27.11% were aged 44-60 (Gen X), and 26.81% were aged 61-79 (baby boomers). All participants were screened to ensure they were currently residing in the U.S. and actively employed at the time of the survey. The data collection adhered to Pollfish’s quality control standards to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results.
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Tags: burnout, employees, Human Resources, layoffs, paid time off, Payroll, PTO, summer vacations
