How Are You Dealing With the Rough Job Market in 2025?
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Even if you're not currently job hunting, you probably know a lot of people are finding it incredibly difficult to find a new position. It's a perfect storm of factors: the DOGE-victim federal workers now competing for jobs with everyone else, hiring freezes at many companies (as well as the federal government), too many highly educated workers seeking jobs, the AI replacement of some entry-level positions, as well as persistent inflation and the new tariffs.
Readers, please share: If you're unemployed and job hunting, or in a job you want to leave for a new one, how are you dealing with the rough job market?
Before we kick off the discussion, here are some recent sobering stats (which could also serve as ammunition for relatives nagging you about not finding a job yet):
[In NYC], fewer than 1,000 private-sector jobs were added [in the first half of 2025], the slowest growth in the labor market outside a recession and the pandemic since 2003. — The New York Times [gift link], 8/13/25
[E]mployers not only hired fewer people than expected last month, but the government revised its jobs data sharply downward for the prior two months. With the revisions, the U.S. added 19,000 jobs in May and 14,000 in June, reflecting “paltry” employment growth during those months. — CBS News, 8/4/25
The share of unemployed Americans who are long-term unemployed — meaning they’ve been out of work for more than six months — has increased to nearly 25% from 21.6% since July 2024. — CNBC, 8/1/25
The unemployment rate among recent graduates has been increasing this year to an average of 5.3%, compared to around 4% for the labor force as a whole, making it one of the toughest job markets for recent graduates since 2015. — NBC News, 8/2/25
Here are some questions for a discussion today:
- If you're job searching, how is it going? How long have you been looking? How optimistic/pessimistic are you about being hired soon?
- Does the job situation in your particular field seem better or worse than in other careers?
- How often do you get ghosted by potential employers, even after multiple rounds of interviews?
- How much do you use AI to help you apply to jobs, e.g., for revising your resume or writing cover letters?
- If you recently got hired, what's your advice for other readers who are job hunting right now?
Stock photo via Pexels / Ron Lach.
it is my anecdotal observation that recent grads aren’t working because they aren’t equipped or don’t want to. My current employer has an entry level HR position, a kind of general “college grad” job that requires a college degree but not much else and while the pay isn’t huge includes benefits and health insurance. the four people i know who bemoan their recent graduates lack of prospects were not interested when i passed the job along… their kids are not interested in HR, need to make more money, don’t want to be in an office….
Well, that’s certainly a take!
obviously it’s not everyone but i keep hearing about recent grads who decline interviews that require them to get up early or feel strongly that entry level jobs aren’t interesting enough….
I hear stories about them, but I’ve never met one in person myself. I think they’re exceedingly uncommon.
I feel like every generation gets labelled with “kids these days have no work ethic!” I remember when that was said about my generation. I’m sad to see it now applying to younger generations. So forgive me if I use a grain of salt here, especially for admittedly “anecdotal” evidence.
i recently applied for a job. ran the listing and a general version of my resume (specifics removed) through AI and asked questions like “how do i emphasize my skills to be better suited for this job” and “write me a cover letter based on my skills for this job listing. I didn’t use any of it as it but definitely helped tweak everything.
i’m a reasonably senior person with very solid credentials but honestly i think if you want a job and are strategic and proactive there are jobs to be had. it’s amazing how many poeple i know just apply to job postings. some of them come through but you’re much better off working your network, reaching out to people directly, etc.
I’m hunkering down and trying to ride it out in a job I’d prefer to leave. I have put some feelers out there, but have already gotten back an “after evaluating our needs, we’ve decided to put hiring on hold” email after applying for a position. I live in a small city, and this employer is one of the few options here unless I change industries altogether, so that was a reality check.
Been looking for 1.5 years. Senior position, so fewer jobs in general. Have been networking like crazy and have some great contacts and irons in the fire but no dice yet. I have also been just applying to postings and from those I had 6 interviews last year and only 1 this year.
My current role is being phased out in a re-org. There’s a lateralish move available to me – same level, worse title, more responsibilities – which I have applied for after being told it’s mine to accept or decline. I also applied for a new internal role which the lateral move would report to, but have had no feedback since I interviewed in June. I would love to go elsewhere, but within my network, there are no jobs at my level currently. So I feel like I’m going to end up just sucking it up for the worse job because it’s better than a layoff.