Essentials: A Hiring Market That’s Tough to Master

Job openings are near a five-year low, and more employers are taking their time to make decisions on applicants. Millions of people say they want a different job, but aren’t looking because they’ve heard—or experienced—the horror stories. Even people who’ve been offered a new role may find that their prospective new employer isn’t particularly willing to negotiate salary or benefits.

It’s not so easy for talent professionals, either. They’re being inundated with hundreds, even thousands of applications for a handful of open roles. Plus, the same new technology that should make résumés easier to sort through can also make them easier to, well, embellish. In many cases, managers are under pressure to limit the number of new hires. Indeed, 42% of executives tell Korn Ferry that they expect their total head count to remain about the same in 2026.

In this Essentials, Korn Ferry looks at why this market was so frustrating in 2025, and how both candidates and HR pros can best navigate it in the New Year.

The Application Avalanche

Job applications on LinkedIn surged 45 percent, overwhelming firms and frustrating candidates. What’s the solution?

Always the Hire, Never the Fire (and It’s Okay to Be a Little Jealous)

Even in one of the toughest job markets in years, a batch of career darlings is able to leap from one great role to the next. The question is, how?

The Rise of ‘Best and Final’ Pay Offers

In a job market tilted toward employers, more firms are trying to stop salary negotiations before they start. Will that backfire?

Briefings Podcast: The New Era of Job Hiring

Networking has always been critical to landing a job, but recently it’s become much more complicated.  We talk to an expert with 3 million LinkedIn followers.

5 Ways to Self-Improve While Unemployed 

Job hunters should expect long waits to find a role—and they should use that time to do more than search.

6 Questions to Ask the Job Interviewer

Being curious about a potential employer not only can improve your chances of landing the role, but can also help you decide whether or not to take it.

Click out all the stories in The 2025 Essentials.