Postings for desk-based jobs have decreased year on year, “creating bottlenecks of qualified talent competing for a shrinking number of roles”, a new report has advised.
Employ Inc released the latest Job Seeker National report on May 14, which collected survey responses from 1,500+ U.S. adults, who were a mix of people employed full-time, part-time, or actively-seeking work.
It compared insights on AI usage, trust in the hiring process, and candidate communication preferences in 2025, compared to 2024.
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- Executive Director, Office of Legislative Management, Hartford
- Director – Congressional Affairs, Council for Opportunity in Education, Washington
- Senior Policy Specialist, Arnold & Porter, Washington D.C.
- Senior Education Policy Counsel/Education Policy Advisor, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington D.C.
- Associate Attorney – Federal Energy Regulatory Practice, Larson Maddox, Washington
Stagnation station
While the economy remains pretty stable for the moment, optimism is not in the air. Some 82 percent of respondents foresee a “white-collar recession”, and 66 percent feel burnt-out by a stagnant market.
The report sets the scene for these grim stats by highlighting that brutal rounds of tech layoffs are not so far in the rearview mirror, while tens of thousands of federal and public sector workers have faced layoffs since January.
Only a third of survey respondents say they would feel comfortable quitting a job without having another lined up.
Currently, job seekers are less hopeful about finding new positions than last year, and are more concerned about developing new skills to remain competitive.
Operation upskill
However, most job seekers are being proactive, and strategic.
In seeking new skills to stay competitive, 81 percent said it’s important to be trained in new technologies, like AI, to secure a job this year.
While 89 percent agreed that being able to address skills gaps can improve their odds of moving into a new role in 2025.
Interestingly, those working in government and software/technology/IT sectors are more likely to stress the value of training in new technologies — with an impressive 94 percent to 100 percent.
“In a market that rewards adaptability over tenure, the edge belongs to those who treat learning like a job requirement, not an option,” says Stephanie Manzelli, CHRO of Employ. “Closing the skills gap isn’t just about getting hired — it’s about staying relevant in a world that’s rewriting the rules in real time.”
What’s your motivation?
Respondents pointed to a number of different factors when asked “What motivates you to start looking for a new job?”
A new one for 2025 was “a decrease in compensation/pay cut” (31 percent), while all other indicators profiled in detail decreased from 2024.
In this year’s survey, burnout in a current role reduced from 53 percent to 31 percent cent, stress about the economy declined from 47 percent to 26 percent, “concerns about layoffs or my position being eliminated” dropped from 40 percent to 21 percent, and lastly, concerns about employer’s financial future fell from 38 percent to 20 percent.
Thankfully, these motivations are being heard. Recruiters and talent acquisition professionals are now using AI tools to understand and address job seeker frustrations.
AI-powered tools like Robin and Dash can analyze preferences, patterns and behaviours throughout the application process, and link job seekers to roles and companies better suited to what candidates are looking for.
For example, if you’re energised by career advancement or greater flexibility, Robin can recommend roles aligned to these priorities.
The report also reveals the leading motivators for voluntarily leaving a job, and these include better company leadership (33 percent, up 8 percent year on year), greater work flexibility or remote work opportunities (32 percent, also an 8-point increase), career advancement (31 percent), change in location or geography (27 percent), and a better company culture (26 percent).
Reasons for declining job offers were also examined. Nearly 40 percent cited limited career advancement or poor location/geography as the reason, while about one-third said they turned down an offer due to lack of flexibility to work remotely.
On the flip side, around 20 percent rejected offers due to limited opportunities to work on-site.
New this year was a poor interview experience (11 percent) as reason to reject an offer, while concerns about layoffs more than doubled from 6 per in 2024 to 14 percent in 2025.
Over a third (36 percent) reported leaving a job in the first 90 days due to a “mismatch in the hiring process”, or a disconnect between what the job was advertised as, and what it ended up being.
Application frustrations
If you’ve filled out repetitive online application forms for roles, where you essentially reformat your resume, it won’t surprise you that one of the key findings of the report is that candidates have little tolerance for time-consuming applications.
Some 35 percent of respondents stated they would drop an application if it took too long, particularly if they had to re-enter information already on their resume (32 percent), join a talent network (22 percent), or register to apply (19 percent).
Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of respondents expect the application process to take less than 30 minutes.
Conversational search is changing the game here, as forward-focused talent acquisition professionals are utilizing AI tools like Robin to collect CVs and direct candidates to suitable roles, and are also using it to respond to candidates promptly, and consistently.
Of applicants, 66 percent who engaged with a chatbot during the hiring process thought it improved their experience somewhat or significantly.
Strong recruiter contact (including timely feedback and follow-ups), a simple application process, and flexible interview schedule were cited by more than half of respondents as the three main elements that most influence a favourable candidate experience (51%). The good news for job seekers is that recruiters seem to be listening, and are making changes to improve the candidate experience.
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