Why Americans' confidence in finding a new job is tanking even as the labor market is humming along - eviltoast
  • neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    83
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    I have no earthly clue what world economists are living in where the labor market is great.

    I’ve been looking for a job for over a year (in tech, over a dozen years as an SDE, a dozen more as a TPM, lead role in both titles). Whenever I can get an employer to actually respond to the hundreds of applications I send, their salary offerings are a joke.

    Are people just out there taking 20% - 30% haircuts on what they make?

    • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      50
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      6 months ago

      They’re measuring job offerings against unemployment claims rate. If there’s toilet scrubbing jobs out there and you don’t qualify for any benefits: that’s a humming labor market to an economist.

      • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        33
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        I remind people that the fastest way to “create a job” is to take a full time position with benefits, cut the hours in half and divide them amongst two new positions after removing the benefits and now you have a 100% increase in the supply of jobs.

        • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          6 months ago

          My first ‘legal’ job when I was a minor was working maintenance at a retirement facility. I was hired along with another high schooler at minimum wage.

          It was a summer gig and right before I quit to go back to school the main maintenance guy revealed that we had replaced a single person who was paid our combined wage.

          It is a long established strategy.

      • Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        6 months ago

        Haleon/GSK has almost exclusively started offering only coops/internships in upstate NY. Not a single non hourly/salaried position in the last 6 months. Laid off 40-50 in the last year, brought on a dozen students.

      • iopq@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        5
        ·
        6 months ago

        What does that mean? You can still claim unemployment if you don’t apply to toilet scrubbing jobs

    • nek0d3r@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      6 months ago

      I feel you. I lost my job in January and I’ve had literally not even a single callback or interview. It’s insane.

      • neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        6 months ago

        That sucks too – but do stick with it, find a good consultant who can help you polish up your resume and socials. You and me both will find something soon enough. :)

      • Cosmicomical@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        6 months ago

        Don’t lose hope, it’s a matter of numbers. Keep pushing. I’ve recently been through it and it’s been very hard

    • Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      6 months ago

      What industry? I’m more of less in the same boat as you. I’m in tech, and this articles assessment seems pretty spot on from my perspective.

      • neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        35
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        6 months ago

        Yeah, tech. Updated my original comment to clarify.

        Honestly, the bit from the article that rang most accurate was this:

        Lastly, it’s possible that many Americans think the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s job opening figures are overstated. For example, some job seekers have reported encountering “ghost jobs” — listings on job platforms that companies are no longer actively hiring for.

        I’ve been keeping track of the roles I’ve gone after (well within qualification for) and I’m seeing a lot of re-listings for roles that closed out my application (with no outreach) and just relisted the req after a few weeks, over and over again.

        I’m not saying the listings are fake, but if they were fake, this is pretty much what it would look like from the outside.

        • aleph@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          21
          ·
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          I’m seeing exactly the same thing. Certain companies re-listing the same position for months on end, despite hundreds of people applying.

          According to this article I read recently, some companies are either doing it to give the illusion that they’re thriving and planning to take on more staff, or just to keep a pool of potential applicants on the back burner just in case.

          It sucks. I’ve been looking to make a career change for over a year, and have only had two interviews despite sending out literally hundreds of applications.

        • degen@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          10
          ·
          6 months ago

          Been in the same situation, with closer to mid-level experience. A plethora of companies, constantly hiring for the same positions while rejecting hundreds of applicants, week after week. Makes total sense. I can only hope there’s something illegal about it.

    • yarr@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      I have no earthly clue what world economists are living in where the labor market is great.

      100% of employed economists writing these reports are employed, so from their perspective everything is great.

    • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      Once again, we see how insular tech is.

      Tech sector has a market correction, and you people think the sky is falling because the only people you ever talk to are other tech people.

    • GBU_28@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      27
      ·
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      Take a gig and keep applying. Unfortunately the algorithm smells blood and currently you’ve got none.

      I guarantee as soon as you’re employed you’ll be getting recruiters and connects, and you’ll be in a far better bargaining spot than you are now

      Downvotes from people who can’t strategize their own lives at a basic level