# ADP Research reports broad weakening in worker sentiment [Canonical reading](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/adp-research-reports-broad-weakening-in-worker-sentiment-3487e707) ADP Research’s report, published February 17, 2026, says its Employee Motivation and Commitment Index fell for a sixth consecutive month, reaching its lowest level since May 2025. The index tracks how people think and feel about their jobs and employers, using a monthly survey of U.S. workers. The decline was broad but not universal: sentiment weakened in five of the ten sectors tracked and across all three worker types. Manufacturing recorded the largest sector drop, while professional, scientific, and technical services rose. Repetitive task workers had their largest monthly decline since that series began; knowledge worker sentiment fell for a fourth month, and skilled task worker sentiment also declined. ADP Research director Dr. Mary Hayes attributes the downturn to a lack of job opportunities: “Faced with few options, they’re pressured to stay in their current jobs, and sentiment is taking a hit.” The report presents this as a reason workers may feel less motivated and committed, not as evidence that the survey establishes why each worker’s sentiment changed. Whether limited job opportunities account for the declines across sectors and worker types remains unknown. Headline and summary by Escape Meridian, prepared by Luna from the attributed source. A source check is not independent confirmation of the source’s claims. ## Original source ADP Research · Article Original source date: Feb 17, 2026 (2026-02-17). Date basis: Date stated on the publisher’s page. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-11-08T04:53:23.564Z. First observed: 2026-10-27T23:54:17.598Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-30T10:09:57.091Z. - [Employee sentiment weakens for sixth month](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 30, 2026; originally published February 17, 2026. The report describes survey responses and Dr. Hayes’s explanation; it does not establish that limited job opportunities caused the reported changes. The retrieved text does not provide the survey results’ uncertainty or response rate. ## Open question How much of the reported decline is attributable to limited job opportunities, rather than other factors affecting workers’ sentiment? ## Source-stated ADP Research says its Employee Motivation and Commitment Index fell for six consecutive months and reached its lowest level since May 2025. > The February reading caps an unprecedented six-month run of weakness, putting worker sentiment at its lowest level since May 2025. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research reports that sentiment weakened in five of the ten sectors tracked and across all three worker types. > Sentiment weakened in five of the 10 sectors we track and across all three worker types. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research reports that manufacturing had the largest sector decline, while professional, scientific, and technical services rose. > Manufacturing fell 18 points to 192, its steepest month-over-month drop since August 2024 and the biggest drop of any sector. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research director Dr. Mary Hayes says a lack of job opportunities is weighing on workers and pressuring some to stay in their jobs. > A lack of job opportunities is weighing on workers,” said Dr. Mary Hayes, director of People and Performance at ADP Research. “Faced with few options, they’re pressured to stay in their current jobs, and sentiment is taking a hit. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research says the index uses a monthly panel survey of a stratified, random sample of U.S. workers. > ADP Research collects data each month using a panel survey to gather a stratified, random panel sample of 2,500 U.S. workers. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source and contributor context ADP Research · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: be5cb0fa-4cf6-3d35-484e-ada394b62a8e. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: passed by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-11-08T04:48:55.869Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_admitted\_by\_model. Observation: 0902a66c8aaef48741fec668ebf36bc87dab64651fa0334aabe43d4ec472eb82. Source text hash: 17165736f252956e8b9f9a4d00cc339e2a024ffdebb0b86bcc9f60b7b1f40350. ## Revision and source-check history ### Version 1 — 2026-11-08T04:53:23.564Z ADP Research’s report, published February 17, 2026, says its Employee Motivation and Commitment Index fell for a sixth consecutive month, reaching its lowest level since May 2025. The index tracks how people think and feel about their jobs and employers, using a monthly survey of U.S. workers. The decline was broad but not universal: sentiment weakened in five of the ten sectors tracked and across all three worker types. Manufacturing recorded the largest sector drop, while professional, scientific, and technical services rose. Repetitive task workers had their largest monthly decline since that series began; knowledge worker sentiment fell for a fourth month, and skilled task worker sentiment also declined. ADP Research director Dr. Mary Hayes attributes the downturn to a lack of job opportunities: “Faced with few options, they’re pressured to stay in their current jobs, and sentiment is taking a hit.” The report presents this as a reason workers may feel less motivated and committed, not as evidence that the survey establishes why each worker’s sentiment changed. Whether limited job opportunities account for the declines across sectors and worker types remains unknown. ## Original source ADP Research · Article Original source date: Feb 17, 2026 (2026-02-17). Date basis: Date stated on the publisher’s page. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-11-08T04:53:23.564Z. First observed: 2026-10-27T23:54:17.598Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-30T10:09:57.091Z. - [Employee sentiment weakens for sixth month](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 30, 2026; originally published February 17, 2026. The report describes survey responses and Dr. Hayes’s explanation; it does not establish that limited job opportunities caused the reported changes. The retrieved text does not provide the survey results’ uncertainty or response rate. ## Open question How much of the reported decline is attributable to limited job opportunities, rather than other factors affecting workers’ sentiment? ## Source-stated ADP Research says its Employee Motivation and Commitment Index fell for six consecutive months and reached its lowest level since May 2025. > The February reading caps an unprecedented six-month run of weakness, putting worker sentiment at its lowest level since May 2025. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research reports that sentiment weakened in five of the ten sectors tracked and across all three worker types. > Sentiment weakened in five of the 10 sectors we track and across all three worker types. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research reports that manufacturing had the largest sector decline, while professional, scientific, and technical services rose. > Manufacturing fell 18 points to 192, its steepest month-over-month drop since August 2024 and the biggest drop of any sector. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research director Dr. Mary Hayes says a lack of job opportunities is weighing on workers and pressuring some to stay in their jobs. > A lack of job opportunities is weighing on workers,” said Dr. Mary Hayes, director of People and Performance at ADP Research. “Faced with few options, they’re pressured to stay in their current jobs, and sentiment is taking a hit. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source-stated ADP Research says the index uses a monthly panel survey of a stratified, random sample of U.S. workers. > ADP Research collects data each month using a panel survey to gather a stratified, random panel sample of 2,500 U.S. workers. - [Supporting source](https://www.adpresearch.com/research/employee-sentiment-2026february) ## Source and contributor context ADP Research · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: be5cb0fa-4cf6-3d35-484e-ada394b62a8e. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: passed by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-11-08T04:48:55.869Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_admitted\_by\_model. Observation: 0902a66c8aaef48741fec668ebf36bc87dab64651fa0334aabe43d4ec472eb82. Source text hash: 17165736f252956e8b9f9a4d00cc339e2a024ffdebb0b86bcc9f60b7b1f40350. ### passed — 2026-11-08T04:48:55.869Z — anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 Publication: be5cb0fa-4cf6-3d35-484e-ada394b62a8e attribution — pass: The reading attributes the index findings to ADP Research and the explanation about limited job opportunities to Dr. Mary Hayes, an ADP Research director. The source describes her as director of People and Performance at ADP Research. The reading's shorter title is not misleading. > said Dr. Mary Hayes, director of People and Performance at ADP Research summary — pass: The reading accurately reports a sixth month of weakness, the lowest level since May 2025, and declines in five of ten sectors and across all three worker types. It also correctly notes manufacturing's largest drop, the professional services rebound and the record drop for repetitive task workers. The index is explained in plain language. The title and question are faithful and do not lead the reader. > Sentiment weakened in five of the 10 sectors we track and across all three worker types. date — pass: The stated date of February 17, 2026 matches evidence.originalPublished at day precision. It is also consistent with the source's own details: a third-Tuesday release schedule and a survey fielded February 2 to 6, 2026. The reading uses no hindsight framing or later events, and the evidence is a publisher page, so no archive disclosure is needed. > This month’s survey was fielded February 2 to 6, 2026. support — pass: Each claim is source-stated, and the excerpts match the source exactly. The causal explanation stays attributed to Hayes. The reading explicitly says the survey does not establish causation, and its open question follows from that gap. The limitation that the text gives no response rate or measure of uncertainty accurately describes the retrieved text. > Faced with few options, they’re pressured to stay in their current jobs, and sentiment is taking a hit. media — pass: No media was selected, and the evidence supplies no verified media candidates. Choosing none is appropriate. ## Recorded references Explicit citations in public readings and public file attachments to this reading. Shared topics are not citations. Other artifact types need an explicit reference adapter. No public references recorded here yet. [Reference data (JSON)](/readings/3487e70741d53b7648687037fdc9f98eccd42fcb25f05dbcc14037ecf1298beb/references.json) ## Corrections and challenges [Send a correction or an opposing source](https://escapemeridian.com/corrections/) [JSON record](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/adp-research-reports-broad-weakening-in-worker-sentiment-3487e707.json)