A majority of those expecting a holiday bonus this year are planning to check out once the check clears.
According to a recent survey of 2,000 American workers by AI job application assistant JobHire AI, 59% are “maybe” or “definitely” expecting a bonus this year. Among them, 48% are already job hunting or planning to quit after their bonus is paid, and another 20% are considering leaving in the new year.
The job market often sees a lot of activity following the holiday lull, as many spend the break reflecting on the previous year and setting goals for the next.
This year, however, may see even more aggressive job -hopping, as many workers have become more financially dependent on their year-end bonus—meaning more are hanging on to a job they don’t want until after it’s been paid out.
From Bonus to Baseline
According to the survey, 27% of workers say their annual bonus is “essential” for their household finances and another 42% say it “helps a lot.”
“The survey highlighted that something that was previously used as a retention tool became more like a way to delay resignations,” says JobHire AI’s CEO Artem Zakharov. “Workers have come to view the bonus as a financial lifeline, but not a reason to stay.”
Overall, 68% of survey respondents admit to having stayed at a job longer than they wanted just to collect their bonus before leaving in the past, and many say they’re planning to do the same this year.
“When you expect to receive a huge part of your compensation package in one quarter, once that transaction is complete, there is no more incentive to stay,” Zakharov says.
In a survey conducted earlier this year by online job platform Monster, 95% of American workers said their wages haven’t kept up with rising costs, and 56% were actively searching for a higher-paying job just to keep up. At the same time, 69% struggled to find work in a slow job market.
“With a new year usually comes new budgets,” explains Monster career expert Vicki Salemi. “Companies may have frozen their headcount until year-end, so January opens up new budgets, and they may start posting new opportunities.”
Will there be jobs to hop into in 2026?
Workers also demonstrated a lot of interest in changing roles this time last year, but struggled to find work due a slowdown in the market, and the situation hasn’t improved much since.
“We saw ‘job hugging’ this year, where people were less likely to leave their full-time job because they were concerned about job security,” Salemi says, adding that new hires are often the first to get let go in what’s referred to as “last-in, first-out.” “Even if they were unhappy there was trepidation, because if they went to a new job they could be in the first round of layoffs, so that created a holding pattern across the ecosystem.”
Though it’s been a slow year for the job market overall, there are some pockets that are trending in the opposite direction.
“It’s been a tale of two markets,” says Laura Ullrich, the director of economic research for online job platform Indeed. “From a macro point of view, it’s a low-hire, low-fire environment, but if you look under the hood, some sectors like healthcare and leisure and hospitality remain relatively strong.”
Outside of those sectors, Ullrich warns, the desire to find a new employer in 2026 might be high, but the opportunities remain limited.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployed job seekers are taking an average of 27 weeks to land a new full time role, up from 25 weeks last year.
“People may have the desire to switch jobs, but I doubt we’re going to see a big increase in quits if hiring isn’t increasing at the same time,” she says. “With the level of uncertainty we have in the economy, it’s unlikely people will leave their job without another job lined up.”
Job-Hoppers Will Need to Get Creative in 2026
Those looking for a new job once their annual bonus arrives may find few opportunities in this market, but there are ways to tilt the odds in their favor.
For example, Ullrich says those desperate for a new gig in 2026 may want to pivot their careers toward one of those booming sectors.
For example, tech firms may not be hiring as many software developers, but there is a need for tech skills in the healthcare sector.
“Because some sectors are doing well and others aren’t hiring as much, think about how the skills that you have can be applied to a wider array of sectors,” she says. “Applying them in new ways could be very valuable in this labor market.”
Those who know they want a new job in the new year might also want to start their search now, even before receiving their year-end bonus.
“This is a great time for job seekers to start looking, rather than waiting until the first quarter, because there are significantly less applications so there’s less competition,” says Monster’s Salemi. “Some companies also have fiscal year budgets that end in January, and if they don’t fill this job the budget goes away, so there are many companies eager to hire right now.”
Though it could mean forgoing the annual bonus, Salemi says it may be worth making the move now, rather than risk getting stuck for another year.