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| Job seekers who spoke with Business Insider said they were unsurprised to see July's weaker hiring numbers. skynesher/Getty Images |
For months, job seekers across the country have been voicing frustration and fatigue: too many applications, too few interviews, and too little progress. Now, with the release of July’s jobs report, those sentiments are no longer just anecdotal they’re backed by the numbers.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. added just 73,000 jobs in July, well below the forecasted 106,000. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%, a slight increase from 4.1% in June. But what really stood out in the report were the larger-than-expected downward revisions to job growth in May and June indicating that hiring had been even weaker than initially reported in those months.
These findings confirm what many job seekers have already felt: that the market isn’t just cooling it’s becoming increasingly discouraging.
Job Seekers Were Already Feeling the Strain
Stephanie O’Neill, a seasoned tech professional based in Los Angeles, has been on the hunt for 10 months. She says the market felt mildly promising a few months ago but now, that momentum has faded again.
“A couple months ago, it seemed like things were picking up,” O’Neill told Truth Sider. “But it appears to be slowing down again.”
O’Neill isn’t alone. Damon Duncan, 49, who was laid off from a sales engineering role in 2021, said he’s been underemployed for nearly four years. Despite applying for thousands of jobs, he’s now working a cold-calling sales job a far cry from his experience level, and one that puts him alongside co-workers fresh out of college.
“This has been a continuous battle,” Duncan said. “I’ve applied to roles that perfectly match my background and I still get passed over.”
The Numbers Reflect a Slowing Labor Market
Laura Ullrich, director of economic research at Indeed’s Hiring Lab, said the July report “reinforced” her recent observations that the labor market is softening considerably. Ullrich emphasized that one of the primary problems is a skills mismatch: the types of jobs that are open, and the skill sets of those applying, often don’t align.
She pointed to the healthcare and social assistance sector as an example. While that area has been adding jobs consistently, many of those roles require specialized degrees, certifications, or training that not all job seekers possess.
At the same time, the volume of available jobs has shrunk dramatically. In March 2022, job openings peaked at over 12 million. As of June, that number had dropped to 7.4 million. Meanwhile, the “quit rate” a hallmark of the Great Resignation has fallen, indicating that fewer people are voluntarily switching jobs. This suggests a market where employers are hiring less and workers are holding onto what they have.
Application Volume is High, Results Are Not
Job seekers say the sheer volume of applications they’ve submitted is staggering and often fruitless.
Joseph Leemon, who has been job hunting in Michigan for nearly three years, said he’s applied to approximately 2,000 jobs and received just four interview requests. What’s more frustrating, he says, is that he’s not even aiming high he’s targeting entry-level roles in customer support and operations.
“I’m not applying for CEO roles,” Leemon said. “I’m just trying to land something stable. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Similarly, Paul Lambert, recently laid off from an IT support management job, has applied to about 100 positions in the two months since he re-entered the job market. He’s only received three interviews in return.
“It’s not easy to even be seen in this market,” Lambert said.
Lambert is no stranger to long job hunts. After being laid off in 2023, it took him over a year to find a role that met his needs. In the meantime, he had to accept a low-paying job to help support his family. Now, facing a similar scenario, he worries that his window for securing meaningful employment could close quickly.
Concerns About Q4 and Hiring Freezes
Looking ahead, job seekers like Lambert worry that companies will tighten hiring even further as the year progresses.
“As Q4 approaches, I’m concerned,” he said. “Once budgets are spent, many companies stop hiring. If I don’t find something soon, it might be months before any serious openings pop up again.”
This pattern is common. In many industries, end-of-year hiring freezes are a regular part of budgeting cycles. But in a market already struggling to regain momentum, these freezes could worsen what’s already proving to be a highly competitive and stagnant environment.
A Shift from Confidence to Crisis
The current mood represents a sharp turn from the optimism of the Great Resignation, when job seekers were confident, recruiters were aggressive, and wages were rising across industries. At that time, demand for workers far outpaced supply. Now, that dynamic has reversed.
“There’s a disconnect between job availability and job seekers’ skill sets,” Ullrich noted. “And it’s leaving many qualified people in roles they’re overqualified for or out of work entirely.”
Even job seekers with decades of experience, like O’Neill and Duncan, are now contemplating career pivots or alternative paths, such as teaching or freelance work, simply because corporate roles aren’t materializing.
What’s Next for the Labor Market?
The coming months will be telling. With tariff uncertainty, rising interest rates, and potential budget tightening by Q4, the job market could continue to deteriorate. Still, there’s hope that certain sectors especially healthcare, AI, education, and logistics may offer opportunities to those willing or able to reskill or relocate.
For now, though, the reality is stark. The job market is tightening, employers are being cautious, and many job seekers feel they’re shouting into a void.
As Duncan put it, “I’m not looking for anything outrageous. I just want to work in a role that fits my background. But right now, it feels like the system is broken.”
