‘The Big Money Show’ panel discusses newly released data indicating a troubling trend: Gen Z employment is on the decline while older workers are extending their time in the workforce.
A recent Gallup poll highlights that many individuals are feeling increased pressure in their lives. In fact, a larger portion of the population feels they are struggling rather than thriving.
Gallup shared this information on a Tuesday. The company’s Life evaluation index has tracked personal assessments of life since 2008, asking participants to score their current and anticipated future lives on a 10-point scale and categorize themselves as “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering.”
In the fourth quarter of 2025, Gallup’s survey of U.S. workers revealed a decline in the percentage of employees feeling positive growth, dropping to 46% from 50% the previous year. Meanwhile, those categorized as struggling rose from 46% to 49%.
“For the first time since we started measuring life ratings for American workers, the share of those struggling to make ends meet (49%) exceeds those doing well (46%),” the research firm noted. Additionally, 5% of those surveyed identified as “suffering.”
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According to Gallup, the percentage of workers assessed as struggling has overtaken those thriving. This is a sharp shift compared to the data from 2022 and 2023 when the percentage of U.S. workers identifying as “prosperous” was in the low to mid-50s—a sign of resilience following the economic struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the last decade, more people had been classified as thriving, with Gallup’s index stabilizing between 57% and 60% from 2009 to 2019.
Although thriving rates dipped to 55% in 2020 and rebounded in 2021, they have generally been on a downward trend since that year.
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In the third quarter of 2022, the thriving percentage reached a peak of 55%, contrasted with 41% struggling. That 14-point gap was the most significant since 2022.
“The decline in labor force participation has been gradual, with no sustained improvement or consecutive quarterly increases observed since early 2024,” Gallup stated.
Workers categorized as struggling can also create challenges for employers, particularly through issues like absenteeism or turnover.
“Since employee well-being has a measurable effect on an organization’s bottom line, its significance for businesses and the economy is undeniable. Our research indicates that those who aren’t thriving are more likely to miss work due to health issues and to be seeking new employment,” the firm elaborated.
“Thriving employees are 53% less likely to miss work due to health problems and 32% less likely to actively look for a new job,” Gallup added. “So, as prosperity declines, organizational performance risks rise.”
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As reported, all significant U.S. workforce groups are expected to face worsening life prospects beginning in 2022. However, Gallup pointed out that federal employees are seeing a more rapid and severe decline in their outlook compared to other groups.
Initially, in 2022, federal employees were more successful than the average U.S. worker, recording a success rate of 60%. This was 6 points above the national average and 4 points greater than that of state and local government workers.
By late 2025, their prosperity rate had plummeted 12 points to just 48%, significantly overshadowing the average U.S. worker’s decline of 6 points to 48% and the 6-point decline to 50% for state and local government employees.
