Anyone else worried about the terrible job market?

[Sorryagain]

I’ve been self employed throughout my professional life - over 30 years. I was in one profession, then broadened out and added more skills and generated a lot of work in another industry.

Both industries are fucked. Tons of redundancies, no hires. Barely any contract work. Lots of people looking. LinkedIn is a cesspit.

I am used to the hustle - but I’ve never known it so hard, nigh on impossible, to get work.

Ive been applying for permanent roles I think I could do - but even with my tons of transferrable skills, such is the market that there are enough people who perfectly fit the job description that I don’t get a look in.

Im lucky in that I have a partner who works - but I want to work. I’m seriously terrified of how bad things are - it’s never been like this for me, ever.

I just wanted to see if others are facing this?

And because I think it’s a combo of AI and cost of living/economics, I can’t see how things will improve.

Maybe it's ageism but it is a lot harder now IME than 2009/10
Back then I was contracting but was not.out of work longer than 6 weeks. Maybe not the exact work I wanted, but I was in work.

Now gaps of 3-6 months between contracts are expected. Usually the contract market is easier than perm as less people want to do it. Now everyone is scrabbling about desperate for anything.

I agree.

A lot of the jobs that are available are in lower paid sectors (care, retail, hospitality...).

It seems to be harder if you are fairly senior in your profession to get something really quickly.

And I guess it is about to get much harder if the government gets rids of some civil servants and force some people on benefits to take up work.

I also think employers have given rather unreasonable with endless job requirements that are not reflected in the salary offered.

I looked at retraining but again it is not feasible financially to pay ridiculously high tuition fees.

Bleak.

What industry are you in, please?

I hear you OP. I've been self-employed since September and it's brutal. I can't say I have less stress than in my previous role. I don't want to get into why I ended up leaving but let's say I'm not a fan of my last employer... I keep seeing posts on LinkedIn (mostly from owners of small companies who have managed to carve their niche) telling the rest of us to embrace the brave new world of freedom that is self-employment. To rethink what work means. To constantly reinvent ourselves. Ha! I don't think they realise how smug it sounds. The reality is that - at least in my industry- you have to turn into a one-person orchestra with at least a dozen talents (critical one being self-promotion) and it's so very draining. Not to mention the fact that some companies downright take the piss with their contractors. In just a few months, I've had great experiences and abysmal ones. It's not for the faint-hearted.

It would be so much more helpful if people would state their field of work? Must make a massive difference surely?

I think it very much depends on the type of jobs we're talking about here. I think skilled trades are definitely in a shortage situation. There are many things we need as a country that we aren't getting because not enough people want to get into it, or have the necessary training. It'll take time to fix. But you can't just fancy yourself a competent mechanic, nurse or engineer overnight.
I suspect most of us on this thread are thinking of so-called white collar jobs. Knowledge based in a very broad sense. Services or creative industries (which is a huge one for the UK). That is being battered right now, especially the jobs in the mid-range in terms of salaries. It's a whole 'class' (for want of a better word) being wiped out at great speed. AI will accelerate this process across the board.

The government (Labour!) has brought in a MASSIVE hike in employers’ NI.
They are also pushing through an employment bill that gives employees full rights from Day 1 of employment.

No company worth its salt would be out there employing right now, unless not doing so would threaten their business.

Self-employment is the only way to go now.

This is what we all voted for.

Myself and lots of other people have been made redundant due to the increase in NI payments. So I’m not really sure how this is going to benefit the government. Instead of getting more taxes they’ll end up with people loosing their jobs, paying zero NI and some then claiming benefits!

Well, they’re sorting the benefits thing out later today, apparently!

Yes same here. Sector is public sector consultancy - but tiny projects, from 1k upwards.

My pipeline is looking very bleak. Also I'm expecting that if a lot of NHSE people and other public sector employees come into the freelance market, it will be even harder.

For those asking about sectors (which is an important point because some sectors are indeed thriving), I work in a field that is construction-adjacent. Specifically in the planning stage of projects as a consultant.

If there isn’t any work in the front end of construction (concept, feasibility etc) then there won’t be anything to build in 5 years time and this dry phase will hit those working on site actually building stuff

Same boat here, science sector. Soul destroying.

Yep. I may be made redundant soon, we know there is big change coming but I will hopefully not be one of the ones affected. But there is just nothing else out there that pays even close and wouldn’t require an excessive commute.

It’s all quite frightening. Single parent, huge mortgage, DD only two years off uni.

My employer is tightening its belt, so to speak. We’ve a lovely contractor who only wants temp contracts, and we’d love to renew their contract for another part year, but we just can’t get that past finance.

We’ve looked for other roles internally, as we would benefit hugely from hanging on to them - but every department is reorganising roles rather than taking on new.

Growth has stalled in the UK.

Sectors that are doing badly at the moment, according to my own and my friends' experience:
TV / film camera work - has been bad for a couple of years but may be about to pick up a bit
University teaching - lots of redundancies and prospects are depressing
Weddings - weddings are fewer in number and smaller with lower budget, lots of venues and photographers having a v bad year
Publishing English language teaching materials - was booming through all previous downturns in other industries but has been shrinking since Covid and particularly bad this last year. May be about to pick up slightly.

My Background is marketing/comms tech/creative and I also know a lot of people in these kinds of roles. The outlook feels extremely bleak.

I know a number of people who’ve been made redundant in the last 6 months (7 people off the top of my head, not including the many who were made redundant by my own employer). Someone I know was made redundant twice within 3 months!

Most of them have struggled to find work, and are now facing taking a huge pay cut, or taking completely different work e.g. retail/hospitality to pay the bills.

The huge acceleration of AI will only make things more difficult. I am seriously considering retraining in something more future-proof but I have no idea what, and I also can’t afford to take time out to retrain. I don’t know what the answer is but it feels like work as we know it is on the cusp of an enormous shift - particularly office-based roles.

Services or creative industries (which is a huge one for the UK). That is being battered right now, especially the jobs in the mid-range in terms of salaries.

100% agree. Self-employed work in that sector is drying up or has already dried up due to AI. I have 1 big client left with month-to-month rolling contract who is paying well and I'm scared. For my type of job roles there are always over 100 applications on LinkedIn. Why bother.

The huge acceleration of AI will only make things more difficult. I am seriously considering retraining in something more future-proof but I have no idea what

If it comes to a head, I'm thinking of baking cakes from home. AI will not replace that, LOL.

I think it's been bad for ages.
There always seem to be loads of applicants for one job.
Employers can be choosy.

Yet the government keep wanting people into work. They never say where the jobs are coming from?

I don’t work in this area but keep getting sent roles off various job sites about marketing and comms roles, I have to say some want a lot of skill for not much money.

Yes and about my own future. I work in health and social care, so low pay, and want to move into something that pays more but I don't know what. I can't afford to retrain and really want to leave the precariousness and hell of the private rental system to get my own place. The march of AI I also find very worrying and although I have an OK amount saved (£60K) I''m leaning towards buying outright a one bedroom flat rather than a two bed place with a small mortgage because I'm fearful I'll be out of work within the next decade and won't be able to pay my mortgage. I'm single, so everything's on me.

Construction professional.

My job is white collar, well paid. We can’t get anyone at qualified or senior level. Plenty of trainees and junior staff available.

A lot of video editing work tied into the wedding scene atm, does he have contacts there

Weird, I have a lot of friends who are wedding photographers and they're all saying they're getting way more interest than the previous couple of years. They aren't low budget either!