"Today's labor market may be stagnating, but it's also uncertain. Candidates aren't behaving as many leaders would expect. The dynamic is trending towards an employer's market. As a result, employers expect that candidates will increase their job searches, accept lower pay increases, and accept new roles more eagerly. But in reality, job searching has actually declined, pay expectations remain high, and candidates are reluctant to move."
"29% of candidates spent more than five hours per week on active job searches in the second quarter of 2025. That's down from 49% in the first quarter of 2023. Additionally, in a 2025 Gartner survey of nearly 3,000 candidates, 53% identified higher compensation as their top reason for accepting a job offer. Acceptances are also significantly down with 51% of candidates reporting they accepted their most recent offer in the second quarter of 2025, down from 75% in the first quarter of 2025."
Labor market conditions are stagnant yet uncertain, producing candidate behavior that contradicts employer assumptions. Employers expect more active searches, lower pay demands, and quicker acceptances, but job searching hours have declined and acceptance rates have fallen. Compensation remains the primary motivator for many candidates, and candidates are willing to wait for roles that meet higher expectations. Recruiters face increased pressure to understand candidate priorities and to build deeper relationships with targeted talent. Organizations must adopt hiring approaches suited to a fluid market, focus selectively on critical roles, and enable HR to guide leaders in narrowing hiring focus.
Read at Fast Company
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