A recent UKG survey reveals that 65% of U.S. frontline workers feel nervous about job security due to tariff-related unknowns.
President Trump’s 90-day tariff pause has increased uncertainty, with workers feeling more apprehensive about future trade policies.
Gen Z workers are particularly affected, with the majority fearing job loss due to tariffs, compared to fewer than a thurd of Baby Boomers.
While geopolitical trade strategies continue to shift, frontline employees are already feeling the direct squeeze of tariff-related uncertainty. A new survey from UKG reveals widespread anxiety about job security and earnings, suggesting “Main Street” is bracing for impact.
Unease takes root: The report finds that changes in U.S. trade policy have contributed to a growing sentiment of unease and insecurity among frontline workers, identifying these roles as particularly sensitive to market fluctuations and price increases. Consequently, over half of all workers admit to feeling nervous, stressed, and angry, about the potential impact tariffs will have on their jobs, and believe they are at risk of being laid off due to trade policies.
Policy adds confusion: The administration’s recent 90-day pause on most new tariffs, announced by President Trump in early April, has paradoxically amplified worker apprehension rather than calming it. According to the UKG findings, 75% of frontline workers said this pause “has created more uncertainty because they don’t know what the future will bring”
Adapting to survive: These anxieties are translating into tangible actions, as some companies reportedly link job cuts to tariff concerns, with UPS, for instance, planning to slash 20,000 jobs, citing macroeconomic uncertainty and potential tariff impacts. In response, “general uncertainty has caused 72% of frontline workers to change workplace behavior in some way, including working harder to prove their value” the survey found.
Gen Z bears brunt: Younger workers, particularly Gen Z, appear to be feeling the pressure most acutely, with two-thirds of Gen Z workers fearing that tariffs will cost them their jobs and that they will be laid off, compared to less than a third of Baby Boomers sharing the same fear.
Wider economic concerns: Widespread worker fears are mirrored by economic forecasts. A Goldman Sachs analysis reportedly found that such tariffs could lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses across the U.S. workforce. Beyond logistics, sectors like automotive (with Stellantis trimming headcount and Volvo cutting U.S. jobs), and U.S. agricultural exporters facing what they term a “full-blown crisis,” are already signaling distress.
A recent UKG survey reveals that 65% of U.S. frontline workers feel nervous about job security due to tariff-related unknowns.
President Trump’s 90-day tariff pause has increased uncertainty, with workers feeling more apprehensive about future trade policies.
Gen Z workers are particularly affected, with the majority fearing job loss due to tariffs, compared to fewer than a thurd of Baby Boomers.
While geopolitical trade strategies continue to shift, frontline employees are already feeling the direct squeeze of tariff-related uncertainty. A new survey from UKG reveals widespread anxiety about job security and earnings, suggesting “Main Street” is bracing for impact.
Unease takes root: The report finds that changes in U.S. trade policy have contributed to a growing sentiment of unease and insecurity among frontline workers, identifying these roles as particularly sensitive to market fluctuations and price increases. Consequently, over half of all workers admit to feeling nervous, stressed, and angry, about the potential impact tariffs will have on their jobs, and believe they are at risk of being laid off due to trade policies.
Policy adds confusion: The administration’s recent 90-day pause on most new tariffs, announced by President Trump in early April, has paradoxically amplified worker apprehension rather than calming it. According to the UKG findings, 75% of frontline workers said this pause “has created more uncertainty because they don’t know what the future will bring”
Adapting to survive: These anxieties are translating into tangible actions, as some companies reportedly link job cuts to tariff concerns, with UPS, for instance, planning to slash 20,000 jobs, citing macroeconomic uncertainty and potential tariff impacts. In response, “general uncertainty has caused 72% of frontline workers to change workplace behavior in some way, including working harder to prove their value” the survey found.
Gen Z bears brunt: Younger workers, particularly Gen Z, appear to be feeling the pressure most acutely, with two-thirds of Gen Z workers fearing that tariffs will cost them their jobs and that they will be laid off, compared to less than a third of Baby Boomers sharing the same fear.
Wider economic concerns: Widespread worker fears are mirrored by economic forecasts. A Goldman Sachs analysis reportedly found that such tariffs could lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses across the U.S. workforce. Beyond logistics, sectors like automotive (with Stellantis trimming headcount and Volvo cutting U.S. jobs), and U.S. agricultural exporters facing what they term a “full-blown crisis,” are already signaling distress.
© 2025 Bamboo HR LLC. All Rights Reserved. BambooHR® is a registered trademark of Bamboo HR LLC
