BenefitHub Intelligence™ recently conducted a survey of more than 25,000 employees, and released the third edition of its Economic Well-Being of U.S. Employees including a mid-year 2026 update. The survey reveals that well over half (55%) of employees say they have an “anxious” relationship with money right now, and nearly one in five (19%) said they are “overwhelmed” or “mentally checked out” due to financial stress.

BenefitHub’s proprietary data shows employees are stretching their wallets by using their employee discounts and benefits to stretch their budgets keeping travel, dining, experiences, and other products at attainable price points.

Key findings include:

• Economic pessimism surged by 6 points to 57% since the prior year-end 2025 survey
• Nearly 8 in 10 employees point to inflation as the primary drive of the affordability squeeze
• Over 92% of employees now use discounts, cash back offers, or perks in some capacity.    
  

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