Stagnation Anxiety: The Hidden Costs of Security in a Culture of Enterprise

In an age of insecurity, what does it mean to have a stable, long-term career with a single employer? While prior research often portrays secure employment as a desirable means of navigating the precarious labor market, it remains unclear whether workers themselves share this perspective. Drawing on 126 interviews with white-collar workers in highly secure employment at large bureaucratic 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” that idealizes self-responsibility, flexibility, and mobility. Interviewees highlighted the social risks and unease tied to staying in their secure jobs, citing the lack of “growth,” meaning the development of marketable skills and experiences that are portable across organizations. I term this fear and distress of failing to meet the prevailing cultural ideal of self-entrepreneurship stagnation anxiety. This led some to leave their jobs 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. I argue that stagnation anxiety captures the emerging labor market insecurities experienced by workers in today’s fast-changing economy.