Job seeker insights are recruiting gold. Understanding what candidates need, anticipate, and worth most can degree up each a part of your hiring sport—from clearer job descriptions to higher interviews to stronger retention methods. However getting sincere, unfiltered suggestions from candidates? That’s simpler stated than completed.
That’s why we go straight to the supply. For our 2025 Job Seeker Nation Report, we surveyed greater than 1,500 US employees to uncover how they really feel all through the hiring course of, why they’re contemplating new alternatives, and what makes them say sure to a task.
From candidate motivations to AI perceptions, this 12 months’s report reveals key shifts throughout the complete hiring journey. However on this weblog, we’re breaking down one massive theme: how job seekers are navigating at the moment’s market circumstances—and what meaning for expertise groups.
Responding to Market Uncertainty
The job market in 2025 is hard to learn. On paper, employment is up—however job seekers are nonetheless uneasy. Excessive-profile layoffs, particularly within the public and tech sectors, have rattled confidence. And talks of a “white-collar recession” solely gas nervousness about the place the market is headed subsequent.
That rigidity exhibits up clearly on this 12 months’s report: 82% of respondents say the market feels stagnant, and confidence in touchdown a task has dipped 12 months over 12 months. Solely 44% imagine it’s straightforward to discover a job (down from 50% final 12 months) and simply over half suppose they may land one thing inside three months.
However regardless of all that, candidates aren’t giving up. They’re responding to market uncertainty by investing of their future by means of upskilling. On this 12 months’s survey, 89% of respondents stated that addressing expertise gaps might enhance their possibilities of touchdown a brand new function, and 81% imagine coaching in rising tech (like AI) is crucial to staying aggressive.
This development is a sign to employers: Candidates are prioritizing growth—they usually anticipate firms to do the identical with actual instruments and help. They’re additionally on the lookout for a transparent path to make the most of these new expertise, and it’s as much as hiring groups to offer them one.
TA Takeaway: Use your employer model and candidate touchpoints to spotlight the way you help skill-building—whether or not by means of studying stipends, mentorship, or on-the-job growth. Plus, convey a skills-based method into your hiring course of with clear job descriptions and behavioral-based interviews that validate expertise and paint a clearer image of success within the function. Candidates are investing in themselves, they usually need to work for firms that acknowledge that funding and match it.
Supporting Development from Inside
Whereas its clear at the moment’s candidates are craving progress, that doesn’t at all times imply touchdown a brand new function. Fifty-eight % of job seekers have appeared for a brand new alternative inside their present firm—an indication that inside mobility is prime of thoughts.
And if progress alternatives aren’t accessible, your expertise received’t wait round. Profession growth was one of many prime causes respondents stated they’d exit a task, even when they have been in any other case glad. At present’s workers aren’t simply seeking to construct expertise—they need to apply them someplace that issues.
This places stress on TA and HR groups to create seen, structured paths for inside motion. It additionally means treating inside expertise just like the high-potential candidates they’re—as a result of when you don’t, another person will.
TA Takeaway: Assist inside mobility by making it straightforward for workers to search out open roles, flagging inside candidates in your ATS, and giving recruiters clear steerage on methods to interact them. Make profession growth a part of the method—not only a perk.
Reconsidering What Candidates Need
Inside progress could also be a precedence, however many candidates are nonetheless keeping track of what’s subsequent. Whereas 83% say they’re glad of their present function, 85% are open to new alternatives—and almost half say they’re very open.
So, what’s fueling that openness?
It’s not simply compensation. Whereas pay nonetheless issues, candidates cite profession development and adaptability as prime motivators, adopted carefully by stronger management, higher tradition, and confidence of their firm’s future. Job seekers are evaluating extra than simply roles—they’re evaluating the surroundings, the folks, and the long-term match.
This broader set of expectations means candidates are elevating the bar. They’re not simply on the lookout for the following step, they’re on the lookout for the proper step. Even these actively exploring new roles are transferring with intention—evaluating whether or not employers can provide long-term alternative and stability, not simply short-term perks.
TA Takeaway: Candidates are prepared to maneuver—however provided that it’s well worth the leap. Present them precisely how your organization invests in progress, champions flexibility, and builds a tradition folks need to rally behind. It’s not simply concerning the function; it’s about the entire package deal.
Decreasing Burnout for Higher Engagement
At present’s job seekers aren’t simply selective—they’re exhausted. Sixty-six % say they’re feeling burned out by the job search, and it’s straightforward to see why. Clunky functions, imprecise timelines, countless interviews, and ghosting all chip away at candidate confidence—and persistence.
And that fatigue doesn’t simply have an effect on job seekers. Burnout results in actual fallout for recruiters, too. Candidates usually tend to abandon functions, disengage in-process, or drop out after the provide. Worse, a irritating expertise doesn’t keep quiet—it sticks. It shapes how candidates view your model lengthy after the method ends.
However there’s excellent news: Burnout isn’t inevitable—it’s fixable. If you put candidate expertise first—with easy functions, clear communication, and structured interviews—you assist candidates really feel revered, supported, and extra prone to keep engaged.
TA Takeaway: A contemporary ATS doesn’t simply observe candidates—it helps you create a quicker and extra clear expertise. Use automation to get rid of guide steps, customized workflows to maintain candidates transferring, and AI interview tech to enhance consistency and collaboration throughout groups. The smoother the expertise, the extra probably candidates are to remain engaged—and the quicker your workforce can rent.
Prioritizing Readability, Belief, and Stability
At present’s job seekers are navigating a fancy panorama. Layoffs, financial uncertainty, and fears of a white-collar recession have made them extra cautious about what comes subsequent. However that doesn’t imply they’re standing nonetheless. Candidates are open to new roles—they’re simply extra selective, extra intentional, and extra targeted on discovering long-term stability.
On the similar time, the method of getting employed has turn into a supply of stress. Job search burnout is excessive, and candidates received’t waste power on experiences that really feel drawn out, unclear, or impersonal.
For TA and HR groups, this second is an opportunity to step up. Which means going past filling roles—and specializing in what makes your organization the correct subsequent step. Lead with transparency, simplify processes, and create a journey that feels human from begin to end.
Need extra insights like these? Obtain the total 2025 Job Seeker Nation Report to discover what at the moment’s candidates anticipate—and the way your hiring technique can rise to satisfy them.
