Job market optimism has fallen since 2022: New Gallup survey

Key Points:

• A recent Gallup survey reveals a sharp decline in Americans' optimism about the job market, with only 28% viewing it as a "good time" to find quality work, down from 70% in mid-2022, despite low unemployment rates.
• Job market pessimism is particularly strong among college graduates, with just 19% feeling optimistic about job prospects, compared to 35% of workers without a college degree, reflecting weak hiring in white-collar sectors like software and advertising.
• Younger workers (ages 18-34) are notably more pessimistic and actively seeking new job opportunities, while older workers (65 and older) feel more secure and less inclined to look for new positions, consistent with a "low-hire, low-fire" labor market.
• Government data supports the survey findings, showing the hiring rate at 3.2% in November 2025—the lowest since 2013—and more unemployed individuals (7.4 million) than available jobs (6.9 million), indicating a tougher job market than unemployment figures suggest.
• Broader economic sentiment is also bleak, with consumer confidence near pandemic lows and workers expressing their lowest life evaluations since 2009, highlighting widespread economic uncertainty despite headline growth figures.