U.S. · Associated Press Technology
It's a bad time to hunt for new jobs, most US workers say in new Gallup poll
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WASHINGTON, Americans’ outlook on the job market has turned increasingly pessimistic, a surprisingly negative shift given the low unemployment rate but one that likely reflects an ongoing hiring drought.
Key facts
- A hiring rate at that 3.2% is low: When it was last reached in March 2013, the unemployment rate was 7.5%, as millions of Americans were still struggling to find work after the 2008-2009 Great
- The Gallup poll of 22,368 U.S. adults who are working full-time and part-time for organizations in the U.S. was conducted Oct. 30-Nov
- About 2 in 10 workers ages 18-34 think now is a good time to find a job, compared to about 4 in 10 workers ages 65 and older who say the same
- The hiring rate dropped to 3.2% last November, around when Gallup conducted its survey, the lowest since March 2013
Summary
WASHINGTON, Americans’ outlook on the job market has turned increasingly pessimistic, a surprisingly negative shift given the low unemployment rate but one that likely reflects an ongoing hiring drought. 28% of workers in a quarterly Gallup survey conducted late last year said now is a “good time” to find a quality job, with 72% saying it is a bad time. Americans have quickly gotten more pessimistic: As recently as late 2024, under half of workers still said it was a good time to search for a job. The figures help explain other surveys that show Americans have a largely bleak view of the economy, even as many headline measures suggest it has been growing and job losses are low. The survey found a split based on education levels, with 19% of workers with a college degree thinking that now is a good time to find a quality job, while 35% of workers without a college degree are optimistic.