Employ Inc., a leader in intelligent hiring solutions, has released the 2025 edition of its annual Job Seeker Nation report, titled “Job Market Truths—What’s Driving Candidates in 2025.” Drawing insights from 1,500+ U.S. adults across employment types, the report uncovers how candidates perceive the job market, use AI, prioritize work preferences, and evaluate compensation in a changing employment landscape.
Findings:
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Market Perception and Confidence Drop
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Only 44% of respondents now say it’s easy to find a job, down from 50% in 2024.
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Confidence in landing a job within three months has declined from 61% to 56%.
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While 56% believe the market still favors candidates, 82% worry about a “white-collar recession.”
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AI in the Job Search: Growing Usage, Conditional Trust
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31% of job seekers now use AI tools, up from 24% last year.
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AI adoption is higher in white-collar sectors like IT (50%) and finance (47%).
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Despite AI’s growing role, 58% trust HR professionals more than AI for guidance.
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61% believe AI can help reduce bias in hiring processes.
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Burnout Persists, But Workers Stay Open to Change
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66% of job seekers report burnout.
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85% of employed respondents are open to new opportunities; 42% are actively looking.
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Top motivators for switching jobs include higher pay (unsurprisingly), career growth (53%), and flexibility (46%).
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Flexibility and Career Growth Matter Most
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20% of respondents would reject a job that requires full-time, on-site work.
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63% say remote work is somewhat or very important when evaluating offers.
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Career stagnation and poor company culture are major deal-breakers.
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Nearly 40% declined offers in the past year due to lack of advancement or poor job location.
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Misalignment in Hiring Leads to Early Attrition
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36% of respondents quit jobs within the first 90 days due to disconnects between hiring expectations and job reality.
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Transparent hiring processes remain crucial to reducing early turnover.
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Candidate Experience Shapes Employer Brand
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71% expect applications to take under 30 minutes; 35% will abandon lengthy forms.
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66% of candidates had positive experiences interacting with recruitment chatbots.
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The #1 impression-making factor during hiring is a simple, fast application process (43%).
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Salary Perceptions and Negotiation Trends
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80% of respondents said their most recent salary met or exceeded expectations.
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48% noticed higher salaries for roles similar to theirs.
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37% negotiated for higher pay; nearly 80% succeeded—two-thirds receiving increases between 5–10%.
Expert Commentary:
“The hiring landscape remains volatile, and today’s talent environment demands more agility and insight than ever before,” said Stephanie Manzelli, CHRO at Employ. “The 2025 Job Seeker Nation report offers critical intelligence into candidate sentiment—equipping hiring teams with the data they need to engage smarter, act faster, and deliver stronger outcomes.”
Tim Sackett, TA Analyst at HRU Technical Resources, added: “Every hiring manager is looking for something different. Instead of reshaping candidates to fit expectations, focus on what they’re great at. That’s how you align talent with opportunity.”
The 2025 Job Seeker Nation report highlights an evolving job market where AI, candidate trust, compensation expectations, and human-centered hiring practices are converging. As workers face economic uncertainty and increasing burnout, organizations must adapt by improving transparency, simplifying applications, offering remote options, and creating meaningful career paths. Hiring with empathy and data is not just a strategy—it’s the new standard.
