Job seekers face long searches as AI dominates hiring process, creates swipe-like disposability

The American job market has become increasingly dysfunctional as both job seekers and employers rely heavily on AI tools, creating a cycle where millions of applications go unanswered despite low unemployment rates. Recent college graduate Harris applied to 200 jobs and received 200 rejections, illustrating how AI-powered hiring systems have transformed job searching into what experts describe as “Tinderized job-search hell.”

What you should know: The hiring process has stalled despite seemingly healthy economic indicators, with payrolls frozen for four months and hiring rates at their lowest since the Great Recession.

• The hiring rate has dropped from four or five workers per 100 employees monthly four years ago to just three workers today.
• Job seekers now spend an average of 10 weeks looking for work, two weeks longer than a few years ago.
• More than 10% of workers under 24 are currently searching for jobs.

How the AI cycle works: Job seekers use ChatGPT to craft applications while employers use AI to filter through thousands of submissions, creating a feedback loop that benefits neither party.

• Applicants send out thousands of AI-generated résumés to increase their chances.
• Companies receive countless ill-fitting applications mixed with a few quality ones.
• HR departments use AI to write job descriptions, assess candidates, schedule meetings, and evaluate applications.
• Some firms now use chatbots to conduct initial interviews, with algorithms analyzing keywords and tone from recorded sessions.

The big picture: What started as a “low-hire, low-fire equilibrium” appears to be deteriorating into a potential recession, with specific groups bearing the brunt of economic pressures.

• Black workers have experienced a dramatic surge in joblessness, partly due to Trump administration mass layoffs of federal employees.
• The 154,000 civil servants who accepted the White House’s “Fork in the Road” deferred-resignation offer will receive their last paycheck this month.
• The share of American workers quitting jobs has fallen to its lowest level in a decade due to concerns about rising prices and economic uncertainty.

What job seekers are experiencing: Many qualified candidates describe sending dozens of applications without receiving any human feedback, even rejections.

• Harris, a UC Davis graduate with strong credentials, would move anywhere on the West Coast and accept any position to build his environmental career.
• Martine, a paralegal with 10 years of experience, was laid off in April and has reached second rounds but never secured offers.
• “I would be happy if a person told me no at this point,” Martine said.

What experts recommend: Career specialists suggest returning to traditional networking methods as AI-dominated application systems fail to connect qualified candidates with employers.

• Priya Rathod from Indeed, a major job search platform, recommends asking recruiters out for coffee, attending in-person job events, and surveying friends and former employers for leads.
• While online platforms make it easier to find openings, they’ve made it significantly harder to secure positions.
• These strategies might work if employers begin hiring again, but millions could remain “pitching their CVs into the void” if the freeze continues.