What do you think of the current job market? It feels as if it is going through an identity crisis. What once felt like a safe path of education and hard work now feels like a slippery slope of rejections and layoffs. If you’ve felt the professional ground beneath your feet shake lately, you’re not alone.
Let’s try to understand what’s really going on in the job market in 2025, why today’s employees are more stressed than ever, and what the possible solutions are.
The Tsunami of Layoffs
Once considered rare and newsworthy, layoffs have now become almost routine. Be it any industry– manufacturing, media, banking or technology, organisations are making brutal cuts. Recently, Procter & Gamble announced that it would lay off 7,000 workers. Citigroup is eliminating 3,500 roles. Volvo, Nissan, Burberry, Disney, and even promising startups are all laying off employees.
The technology sector, which once used to be the golden goose of global employment, is firing the most. As per data from Layoffs.fri, over 61,000 workers have been laid off in the tech sector. What is more concerning is that we are only halfway through the year. This has led to deep uncertainty among tech professionals around the world. Unlike past recessions, this is not happening because of the financial situations of companies. It’s all because of a shift in priorities, artificial intelligence and automation.
The Hiring Freeze is Real
Thousands of people are losing their jobs, and the search for new ones seems like walking through a desert; long and frustrating. Youth unemployment has climbed to 13% globally, and in some places like the United States and the United Kingdom, it’s even worse. New graduates are either taking up delivery jobs or sitting idle at home due to the lack of opportunities.
Recruitment has drastically slowed down. College placements are vanishing. Many companies are pausing hiring altogether, and the ones that are hiring want 5 years of experience for a junior role, which seems impractical in most cases. We are witnessing a new kind of professional bottleneck, where even the most qualified candidates can’t find a seat at the table.
Now, The Salary Stagnation Part
Let’s say you become one of those lucky people who finally find a job. What would be your next logical hope? To get a raise, right? But in this market, salary increments are crawling. While India’s average salary hike is expected to be around 9%, it’s the slowest in three years, and we all know it’s barely enough to keep up with rising costs of living.
Even top performers are being told to “wait for next quarter” or “settle for gratitude”. Employers are squeezing their existing workforce and expecting more productivity and output against the same salary. Over time, this only leads to burnout, disappointment and disillusionment.
Artificial Intelligence Is Taking Over Your Desk
If layoffs weren’t enough, there’s a new entry in the room– Artificial intelligence. AI is writing code, creating marketing plans, writing reports, drafting legal documents, screening resumes, preparing Excel sheets and managing customer service. The World Economic Forum 2025 Report on the Future of Jobs found that as many as 41% of employers were planning on downsizing their workforce due to AI. This not only cuts costs but also due to the fact that AI tools don’t take coffee breaks, argue about raises or go on leave.
From ChatGPT handling customer queries to generative AI designing entire ad campaigns, entire teams are being replaced by a few lines of code. It’s not just the factory floor at risk anymore. Even white-collar professionals like analysts, designers, marketers, and writers are feeling the heat. The question is no longer “Will AI take my job?” but is “How soon?”
What’s the Solution?
There’s no point in sugarcoating– the situation is quite tough. The one solution that is in our hands is upskilling and learning. It’s the only way to stay in the game.
Since 2015, job skills have changed by 25%, and by 2027, they’ll change by another 50%. That means the degree you earned in 2020 may no longer be relevant by 2030. But the good news is that there are many sources to learn new skills. Be it free YouTube tutorials, LinkedIn Learning or courses on Udemy, Coursera, you don’t have to wait for your company to train you. You can search for what’s best for you. Whether it’s AI literacy, data fluency, people management, or creativity, you can look at them as the survival tools of this new job jungle.
Upskill Yourself, Be Ready to Pivot
This is not the job market we were promised in school. Today’s workplace is leaner, meaner and powered by machines. Therefore, instead of resisting the change, we need to ride the wave. Upskilling is the only solution. You need to stay curious, open to learn new things and ready to pivot. The jobs may be fewer, but opportunities still exist, just in different shapes, and often in unexpected places.
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