According to a new study, 48% of Americans are “career cushioning” — exploring what backup options they have if their current job doesn’t meet their expectations.
uncertain
job → accord → expectations
The new poll of 2,000 American office workers found 77% of them have started to prepare for their backup career, just in case something happens in their current career.
asserted
something → find → career
Workers said they’d be motivated to pursue their backup career if it allowed them to do something they actually enjoy (29%), allowed for a better lifestyle or less stress, even at the same pay (29%), or if they lost their current job (29%).
asserted
they → say → %
Meanwhile, 52% of respondents haven’t considered a backup career, with many of them stating they feel held back by not having the time (27%), worries over being too old to start over (26%), and fears about having to start at an entry-level position again (20%).
asserted
they → consider → position
Although workers believe in preparing for a second career, the study commissioned by TripleTen and conducted by Talker Research revealed that 91% have stayed in their current job for the past two years.
asserted
% → believe → years
Workers said they feel optimistic (27%), calm (20%), excited (19%), and hopeful (18%) about the stability of their jobs.
asserted
they → say → jobs
And 54% believe there’s low or no risk of them losing their current job or needing to find a new one within the next two years.
asserted
them → believe → years
However, nearly half of those who have stayed put (46%) said their responsibilities and duties have significantly changed over the past two years.
asserted
responsibilities → stay → years
Those changes include learning new technologies (36%), facing economic shifts (24%), picking up extra work for peers (20%), and even layoffs (18%).
asserted
changes → include → %
“Today’s workforce is changing quickly, and the ability to adapt has become an increasingly valuable career asset,” explains Victor Menin, Ed.D., Vice President of Enrollment at TripleTen.
asserted
Menin → change → TripleTen
“Developing skills beyond the immediate requirements of your current position can create opportunities and provide a path forward when circumstances change.
asserted
circumstances → develop → path
You don’t have to be planning a career change today to benefit from having skills that can open doors to one tomorrow.
asserted
that → have → one
The poll found 79% have learned new skills for their current job that they didn’t previously know — from using AI chatbots for everyday work tasks (34%) to using AI features built into their work software (33%) and keeping up with new technology and business lingo (30%).
asserted
they → find → %
As a result, many of them believe the skills they recently learned have given them more confidence (44%), a better sense of job security (36%), and led them to teach peers the same new skills (30%).
asserted
they → believe → skills
And most of those who learned new skills (87%) believe the skills will still be relevant two years from now.
asserted
skills → learn → skills
To learn new work-related skills, respondents said they were provided training by their employer (47%), took online courses (32%), turned to free tutorials (30%), used an AI chatbot as a tutor (27%) or had a colleague teach them (21%).
asserted
colleague → learn → %
Of those polled, 48% said they work in management positions.
asserted
they → poll → positions
According to them, 82% would rather train their current employees to learn new skills for their job than hire someone new.
uncertain
% → accord → someone
Similarly, 87% believe their organization would play a role in paying for their employee to retrain in a new role in the organization — 52% willing to fully fund it.
asserted
% → believe → it
“The people moving fastest are learning from every direction — a course for the foundations, a colleague for the shortcuts, the AI itself for everyday work,” says Ana Riabova, AI Strategy and Enablement Lead at TripleTen.
asserted
Riabova → move → TripleTen
“Instead of quiet quitting, I’m seeing quiet delegating: routine tasks go to AI, and workers keep the parts that need their judgment.
asserted
that → see → judgment
And the AI fluency they build that way makes the next move easier — whether it’s a bigger role or a new one.”
asserted
it → build → ?
Research methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American full-time workers who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by TripleTen and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Sept. 4 and Sept. 11, 2026.
asserted
survey → survey → Sept.
The Aporia
