In Europe almost 50% of people aged 45-70 feel insecure in their jobs. I'm guessing the percentage of young people feeling that is not much lower.
There is a TON of stuff you can do to address that, of course: up skill, network, etc. The internet is packed with strategies.
But that’s just dealing with symptoms, not the cause.
Job insecurity is not about getting and holding a job per se. We know that there is no job security, really. It’s more of an anxiety about one's place in the world, about identity.
The more senior you are in your leadership, the more likely you are to have identified with your professional role. The job becomes a fundamental part of who you are, not just what you do.
Anxiety about your job challenges the very sense of self you created.
Your routine and predictable environments give you ease. Your job comes with prestige and social capital. The idea that you could lose it is a threat towards your perceived place in society and your social relationships.
Not to mention that the higher the role, the more you can attach a sense of purpose and contribution to it so any shred of insecurity can lead you to question your value and the very meaning of your life.
All the above is how you relate to your job. Over-identifying with it, feeling the pressure to perform and put in 16 hours a day and finding it difficult to admit you’re feeling vulnerable and insecure. So you bury all that as far down as you can, fuelling your anxiety even more.
So instead of doing more (networking, up skilling, working harder) to address the symptoms, consider going to the root cause.
Like nurturing aspects of identity beyond your professional role, such as hobbies, volunteering, strengthening family relationships.
Like reminding yourself uncertainty is a natural part of existence, not something to fight against.
Like reframing purpose as a way of being in the word: be loving, generous, etc- rather than something you do.
If you need help with this, get in touch with me using the form below.