WASHINGTON, D.C.: A growing share of Americans believe it is a bad time to look for a new job, highlighting a disconnect between low unemployment and weakening hiring conditions.

A quarterly Gallup survey conducted in late 2025 found that just 28 percent of workers say now is a "good time" to find a quality job, while 72 percent say it is a bad time. That marks a sharp reversal from mid-2022, when 70 percent of workers viewed the job market positively.

The shift has been rapid. As recently as late 2024, nearly half of workers still felt optimistic about job prospects. The latest survey was conducted before the Iran war, which has since added further economic uncertainty by driving up fuel costs.

The findings help explain why broader sentiment about the economy remains subdued, even as headline indicators such as low unemployment suggest resilience.

Pessimism is particularly pronounced among college-educated workers. Just 19 percent of those with a degree say it is a good time to find a job, compared with 35 percent of workers without a college degree.

A separate Gallup survey of U.S. adults found that optimism among college graduates is at its lowest level since 2013. The gap in sentiment between those with and without a degree is also the widest since Gallup began tracking the measure in 2001.

Younger workers are especially downbeat. Only about 2 in 10 workers aged 18 to 34 say it is a good time to find a job, compared with roughly 4 in 10 among those aged 65 and older.

Economists describe the current environment as a "low-hire, low-fire" job market. Layoffs remain limited, and many older workers feel secure in their positions, but hiring activity has slowed significantly, making it harder for younger workers and job seekers to find opportunities.

The survey also found that younger workers are more actively searching for jobs or keeping an eye out for new opportunities, while most older workers are not looking.

Government data supports the view that the hiring environment is sluggish. The Labor Department's hiring rate fell to 3.2 percent in November, the lowest level since March 2013. Before the pandemic, the rate stood at 3.9 percent.

At the same time, there are now more unemployed people — about 7.4 million — than available job openings, which total around 6.9 million. This marks a reversal from the period following the pandemic, when job vacancies outnumbered job seekers.

Gallup also found that workers' overall assessment of their lives and prospects has weakened, reaching its lowest level since 2009.

Other measures reflect similar concerns. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index stood at 91.2 in February, well below pre-pandemic levels of nearly 130.

While more people still say jobs are "easy to get" than "hard to find," that gap has narrowed steadily in recent years.

Taken together, the data suggests that despite a relatively stable labour market, Americans are increasingly wary about their job prospects as hiring slows and economic uncertainty grows.