How to land a job in a ‘low firing, low hiring’ market: economist

By Finance News On May 9, 2025

Job seekers at a job fair hosted by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to support federal workers looking for new career opportunities, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on April 25, 2025.

Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

These days, job hunting may feel like something of a paradox: Even though the overall market is strong, it can be tough for jobseekers to find a new gig, according to economists.

Unemployment was relatively low in April, at 4.2%, and job growth exceeded expectations. The layoff rate is historically low, meaning those with jobs are holding onto them.

Yet it has gotten harder to find new work.

Businesses are hiring at their slowest pace since 2014. Nearly 1 in 4 jobless workers, 23.5%, are long-term unemployed — meaning they’ve been out of work for more than six months — up from 19.6% a year ago.

Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, called it a “low firing, low hiring trend” in a note on Friday.

There’s a “growing divide” in the labor market between those out of work and those who are employed, Stahle wrote.

The changing market conditions may feel jarring for job seekers, given that a few years ago there were record-high job openings and workers were quitting at record levels amid ample opportunity.

“This is just how it is right now: Companies are not hiring,” said Mandi Woodruff-Santos, a career coach and personal finance expert. “If they are, it’s very infrequent.”

Economic headwinds like trade wars and tumbling consumer confidence may make job-finding more difficult in coming months, economists said.

“The market can’t escape the consequences of rapidly souring business and consumer confidence forever,” Stahle wrote.

How job seekers can stand out in a tough market

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Even in this “low firing, low hiring” market, there are ways for jobseekers to stand out, experts said.

“When the market changes, the way you search for a job may also have to be adjusted,” Jennifer Herrity, a career trends expert at Indeed, wrote in an e-mail.

1. Be ‘creative’ with networking

Job seekers will likely have to lean on personal relationships more than in the recent past, experts said.

Most jobs come through referrals or internal candidates, meaning people need to be “creative” and “strategic” about networking possibilities, Woodruff-Santos said.

“Instead of waiting for someone to pick your resume from a pile, you have to make it undeniable: Put yourself in front of them,” she said.

“Creating space for human connections and creating relationships will give you a little something extra,” she added.

Don’t just look for obvious networking events like job fairs or expos heavily attended by other job seekers, Woodruff-Santos said.

She recommends seeking…