Marta Lavandier/Associated Press
- Hiring sometimes picks up during the fall. This year, economic worries could cut into that.Even if it's not a blockbuster fall, you shouldn't give up on your search, a career coach said.If you do apply for a role, don't wait for an employer to contact you, she said.
As fall approaches, a chill sharp enough to ruin your PSL is sweeping through the labor market.
In 2023 and 2024, boosts in fall hiring gave job seekers more options going into the final stretch of the year. Yet in 2025, if you're awaiting a bumper crop of jobs, you might be disappointed.
"Traditionally, there is more hiring in the fall, but that's not always true," Ruth Sternberg, a career coach in Rochester, New York, told Business Insider. After summer vacations and with room left in the budget before the end of the year, some companies step up hiring in the fall.
This year, hiring in many areas is slowing, and job seekers are spending longer trying to land roles, as employers face worries about the health of the economy. This means that a hoped-for boost in autumn hiring could fizzle before it starts.
"There's not a lot of dynamism in the labor market," Andrew Flowers, chief economist at the recruiting-technology firm Appcast, told Business Insider. He said that low levels of hiring and firing are two indicators that the job market appears stuck in neutral.
Flowers said employers have concerns about the impact of tariffs, the potential fragility of all-important consumer spending in the face of higher prices, and immigration restrictions cutting into the labor pool. Add it all up, he said, and it's likely there will be a lower peak of hiring than in the last couple of falls.
A white-collar 'recession'
Flowers also said that a "recession" for white-collar workers, which he said has been going on for about two and a half years, will likely continue. Without strength in the healthcare industry, the overall job market picture would look worse, he said.
"If you take out healthcare, you basically have flat or even negative job growth over the last few months," Flowers said.
Various economic readings signal that US workers could be heading for a lackluster autumn: Excluding a plunge at the start of the pandemic, the nation's economy added the fewest jobs in the first eight months of 2025 since 2010, according to data from the Indeed Hiring Lab.
Labor Department figures also show that the number of people who have been looking for work for more than six months — putting them in the category of long-term unemployed — has reached the highest level since the end of the pandemic.
On top of that, many workers appear worried about getting cut. In a newly released survey, 53% of workers reported being fearful that they would get laid off. A whopping nine in 10 said they weren't prepared to hunt for a new role, according to the findings from the research firm Workplace Intelligence and INTOO, a career development and outplacement company.
The online survey of 2,200 full-time employees and HR leaders in five countries, including the US, took place from mid-March to early April.
How to find a job anyway
Sternberg, the career coach, said that while the job market might be slowing, if you're looking for work, it's not the time to give up.
"There are no magic bullets to getting a job," she said. "Everybody wants that right now, when times are like this."
Sternberg said she often hears from more clients in the fall — especially people who are looking to make a change. She'll remind them that employers tend to hire throughout the year and that even if loads of jobs aren't popping up, there are still opportunities.
If you're looking for a role, Sternberg said, work to understand what you want, who you are, and what value you bring to your field. Then, craft assets like a résumé and LinkedIn profile, for example, that clearly communicate these ideas, she said.
Most importantly, Sternberg said, after you apply for a role, don't wait for an employer to contact you. If you can, talk to the recruiter or, ideally, the hiring manager.
"Say, 'I see that you have this role available. I know your company well. I understand the kinds of challenges that you are up against, and I've been doing this work for a while. I would like to set up a chat,'" Sternberg said.
While she said it won't always work, taking steps to network is a good way to manage your career, rather than only doing so when you need a job.
Sternberg tells clients that even if hiring isn't as strong in the fall as they might like, opportunities are still out there.
"It's not a bad thing to know what the climate is like, but I don't think that it's a good idea to let it affect your mindset," she said.
Do you have a story to share about your job search? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.
