American workers have grown increasingly pessimistic about job prospects, with only 28% saying it is a good time to find quality employment, according to a quarterly Gallup survey conducted in late 2025. This marks a sharp reversal from mid-2022, when 70% of workers expressed optimism about job opportunities.

The survey reveals a stark divide by education level, with college graduates showing particularly negative views. Only 19% of workers with college degrees believe now is a good time to find quality work, compared to 35% of workers without degrees. College graduates' job market optimism has reached its lowest level since 2013, according to a separate Gallup survey.

Young workers face especially challenging conditions, with only about 20% of workers aged 18-34 viewing the current job market favorably, compared to 40% of workers 65 and older. The hiring slowdown has particularly affected white-collar professions including software, customer service, and advertising over the past two years.

Government data supports these perceptions, showing hiring rates at their weakest level in more than a decade. The Labor Department's hiring rate fell to 3.2% in November 2025, down from 3.9% before the pandemic and the lowest since March 2013. Additionally, unemployed Americans now outnumber available job openings, with 7.4 million people seeking work compared to 6.9 million job vacancies.

Economists describe the current environment as a "low-hire, low-fire" job market, where businesses retain existing workers while limiting new hiring. This dynamic provides job security for older, established workers but creates barriers for younger workers seeking to enter the workforce or change positions. Most Gen Z and Millennial workers report actively looking for new opportunities or watching for openings, while three-quarters of baby boomers say they are not job searching.

The pessimistic job market views align with broader economic sentiment measures. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index registered 91.2 in February, near pandemic-era lows and significantly below pre-pandemic levels of nearly 130. Gallup also found that workers express dimmer views of their current life and future prospects than at any point since the firm began tracking workforce evaluations in 2009.