Stagnation Anxiety: The Hidden Insecurities of “Good Jobs”

In an age of insecurity, what is it like to hold a secure job with a single employer? While extensive research documents the challenges of job insecurity, the experiences of the stably employed have gone largely unexamined. Drawing on interviews with 126 white-collar workers in highly secure positions at large firms in Korea, I find that job security is devalued . These jobs are viewed not as a privilege but as an obstacle to embodying a “culture of enterprise,” which idealizes self-responsibility, flexibility, and mobility. Interviewees highlighted the social risks tied to staying in their jobs, citing the lack of “growth,” meaning the development of marketable skills and experiences that are portable across organizations. I term this fear of failing to meet the prevailing cultural ideal of self-entrepreneurship stagnation anxiety . This led some to quit and pursue alternative careers better aligned with enterprise culture, while others stayed but struggled with feelings of inadequacy. Only a small minority rejected enterprise culture in favor of even more secure employment. These findings reveal that shifting understandings of what constitutes a successful career has created new dilemmas even for those in highly secure employment.