Job Market Pessimism Soars Among Americans, Reversing Post-Pandemic Optimism

A recent Gallup survey indicates a significant increase in pessimism among Americans regarding the job market, despite a low unemployment rate. Only 28% of workers surveyed in late 2025 believed it was a "good time" to find a quality job, while 72% considered it a "bad time." This represents a dramatic reversal from mid-2022, when 70% viewed it as a good time.

This shift contributes to a broader bleak economic outlook among Americans, contrasting with some positive headline economic indicators.

Key Survey Findings

Education-Based Disparity

Pessimism is more pronounced among college graduates. The survey revealed that only 19% of workers with a college degree felt it was a good time to find a quality job, compared to 35% of those without a degree. This gap in optimism between educational levels is the widest since Gallup began tracking this metric in 2001.

Generational Differences

About 20% of workers aged 18-34 believe it is a good time to find a job, whereas approximately 40% of workers aged 65 and older share this view. Younger workers (Gen Z and Millennials) are also more likely to be actively seeking or watching for new job opportunities than older workers (Baby Boomers).

Low-Hire, Low-Fire Market

The survey aligns with the "low-hire, low-fire" job market characterized by businesses retaining existing employees while new hiring remains sluggish.

This environment provides job security for older workers but makes it challenging for younger individuals to enter the workforce or secure permanent positions.

Broader Economic Indicators

Government data supports the observed sentiment, showing that the overall hiring rate in the U.S. fell to 3.2% in November, the lowest since March 2013. This rate was 3.9% before the pandemic.

For context, a 3.2% hiring rate was previously seen in 2013 when the unemployment rate was 7.5%, suggesting current job searching conditions are more difficult than the present unemployment rate might indicate.

Additionally, there are more unemployed individuals (7.4 million) than available jobs (6.9 million), a reversal from the immediate post-pandemic period.

Furthermore, Gallup's survey indicated that workers' evaluations of their current life and future prospects are at their lowest point since 2009. The Conference Board's consumer confidence survey registered 91.2 in February, near pandemic lows and significantly down from pre-pandemic levels. While more individuals perceive jobs as "easy to get" rather than "hard to find" in the Conference Board's survey, this gap has consistently narrowed.

Survey Methodology

The Gallup poll of 22,368 U.S. adults working full-time and part-time was conducted Oct. 30-Nov. 13, 2025, using a probability-based panel, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.0 percentage points.