Now that 2025 is soon coming to a close, do you guys think that the job market will improve or get worse in 2026?

13 Comments

1. AnonymousDecember 22,2025 at 3:36AM UTC

   I think it will begin to look different. More contractors, more consultants and more control in the hands of those savvy enough to make that shift. Everyone else will be relegated to lower paid burnout positions with little to no control over their work life.

2. AnonymousDecember 22,2025 at 1:48PM UTC

   Worse, at least in the corporate world. The fast push to AI is going to kill the middle level desk jobs as well as the low paying entry jobs. Meanwhile, the whole economy is going to crap and it's only going to get worse until we get the current administration and their destructive policies out of office, assuming we can.

   So unless you like doing jobs that are along the lines of cleaning bathrooms, picking food, working at meat packing plants plan for there not being anything.

3. AnonymousDecember 22,2025 at 3:15PM UTC

   It depends on many factors right now. Unfortunately, small businesses are being squeezed out and have been for a long time. This is the life blood of our economy. Sectors that are still hiring and paying adequately have been overtaken by what I call hiring prevention committees. These new recruitment standards that are stupid for the company and bad for the prospective candidates but have been sold to companies to supposedly improve their margins. They don’t but it will take a while and management changes to get this massive failure out of our corporations. I’m interested in seeing what the Supreme Court decides on the Tarriffs and if there will be some serious consequences for the administration’s actions on tarriffs. At times like these it’s best to get creative , also start learning a bunch of new things that really interest you. There’s so much online that’s free and if you’re looking for work, learning a new skill and being proud of your accomplishments generates some good juju for you. 2026 will be crazy and the job market will continue to be weird. So let’s not keep doing the same things over and over expecting

   different results.

4. AnonymousDecember 25,2025 at 3:01AM UTC

   Hiring prevention committees? Yes, confirms what I've been thinking all along. Companies don't REALLY want to hire any candidates. Not interested in having enough staff to get the product/service out the door quickly, without overworking their existing people, are they?

   But for my part, as you suggested, I am embarking on learning new things, such as AI and looking at freelance work, such as Data Annotation or Prompt Engineering.

5. Coach Nancie Kay ShumanDecember 23,2025 at 5:35PM UTC

   Not to be a nay sayer, but at the moment, all signs point to an economic crash (or strong downward adjustment) coming in 2026. This is generally not good for the job market.

6. AnonymousDecember 23,2025 at 5:58PM UTC

   Perhaps in Q2 after folks reassess their value after Xmas bonuses and after companies do year end and realize whether they need to grow or shrink. Typically Q1 is slow.

7. AnonymousDecember 24,2025 at 3:15AM UTC

   I actually found two local positions to apply for near me with my skillset and salary requirements (healthcare c-suite), so I am hopeful. Unemployed since March with 4 interviews but none panned out.

   I am hopeful because alrhough I am past retirement age, I am not at all ready to retire!

8. AnonymousDecember 25,2025 at 2:53AM UTC

   Oh, I so hope you are right! This job market has been stagnant for far too long now. We desperately need more movement in order to get the hiring momentum going again.

9. GirlBossanova934974December 25,2025 at 4:20PM UTC

   There is a tremendous amount of pent up demand to leave many companies. Once the first or second employee walks out, the ball is going to start rolling very quickly.

10. AnonymousDecember 26,2025 at 2:55PM UTC

    strange as this may sound (and not to get into politics)- but I think the market will calm down a bit and opportunities will increase. Why??? Because most of us (and most industries) have been holding our breaths since DJT came into office (think: tariffs, proposed wars- you name it). Now, we are all getting accustomed to the political chaos and nerves are less jangled. Just my two cents.

11. AnonymousDecember 28,2025 at 1:22PM UTC

    It’s hard to say. The idea of replacing head count with AI has proven problematic in a number of instances so that may have an effect on the hiring process. In some industries there is just not enough work coming in the door as the industry/project life cycles have grounded to a halt due to the chaos of the current administration.

12. AnonymousJanuary 4,2026 at 2:40PM UTC

    I think it will get worse because of the President’s tariffs which have caused economic hardships on small and medium businesses. Also cutting all these federal government jobs at the same time corporations and businesses leaders have plans to replace almost of their workforce with artificial intelligence software leads to job losses. My outlook is bleak because the republicans party has horrible policies that destroy the middle class.

13. PatriciaJanuary 14,2026 at 8:59AM UTC

    Things like GDP growth, inflation rates, consumer spending, and business investment all influence hiring. Economists are watching these closely and many forecasts suggest moderate growth rather than a steep downturn. That often means the job market stays steady or improves slowly.

    Not all sectors behave the same way. For example:
    *Tech hiring has been soft but may rebound as companies invest in new projects.
    *Healthcare and education tend to stay resilient because demand is ongoing
    *Manufacturing and energy can fluctuate with broader economic shifts.

    If interest rates stay relatively stable, businesses may feel more confident about expanding and taking on new staff. If rates rise again, that can slow hiring. Look at a few respected sources, such as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs reports, Federal Reserve commentary, and surveys from recruiting firms. These give a broader picture than just headlines.

    Most forecasts I’ve seen suggest the job market will be stable or improve a bit in 2026, but there’s still some uncertainty. It’s worth keeping skills up to date, networking, and watching key economic reports so you can spot changes early.