Yvette Berman had long believed that her professional journey would end exactly where it had so comfortably continued for years—at the IT consulting firm that had become almost synonymous with her identity and career. Approaching the final stretch before retirement, she envisioned a gradual, peaceful winding down of her working life. Yet, toward the close of 2023, that expectation collapsed abruptly when she was laid off, a dismissal that struck not only as a professional blow but also as a deeply personal disruption. The timing could scarcely have been worse: her husband, himself in the midst of career uncertainty, had already lost his position just a few months before. This dual setback left the household in a period of pronounced vulnerability, financially and emotionally.
Now in her fifties, Berman carries both experience and apprehension into a job market that feels increasingly remote. The discouragement she admits to feeling isn’t born merely of her own struggles, but of the widespread hardship she witnesses among peers navigating similar circumstances. One friend, a fellow veteran job seeker, has decided to abandon traditional employment searches altogether, turning instead toward entrepreneurship—an attempt to carve a new path when existing roads appear closed. Meanwhile, Berman’s husband has temporarily steadied their situation with contract work secured after an extended search, but neither stability nor permanence seems guaranteed. Berman herself has been methodically networking, attending professional events and pursuing openings, yet her efforts have yielded only a scant few interviews. “I thought a year ago the job market was difficult,” she reflected, “but I believe it’s even tougher now.”
Her perception aligns with a broader shift unfolding across the United States labor landscape. Conditions in the job market have evolved considerably since Berman and countless others first began seeking new employment opportunities over a year ago. Workers who currently have jobs are showing an increased tendency to remain where they are, contributing to stagnation in job mobility and fewer openings overall. For those who, through layoffs or corporate downsizing, now find themselves on the outside looking in, reentry has become a steep and exhausting climb. Buried beneath the surface of headline statistics is a sobering reality: a quiet but significant rise in long-term unemployment. By August, more than one-quarter of unemployed Americans had been out of work for at least 27 weeks—the highest proportion recorded since early 2022—indicating a deepening structural challenge.
For individuals enduring these extended searches, the experience transcends the logistical hurdles of résumé revisions and applications; it becomes an act of introspection. Many job seekers are engaging in what can only be described as soul-searching—reassessing their value, recalibrating strategies, and attempting to fill perceived experience gaps while sustaining morale after repeated rejections. The process demands resilience, flexibility, and imagination. Over time, employers themselves may need to adapt, learning to view résumés with sizable employment gaps not as red flags, but as reflections of persistence amid turbulent conditions. The evolving market may need to accept that professional journeys now include periods of reinvention and temporary redirection.
Job seekers interviewed by Business Insider describe not only the emotional strain but also the systemic challenges inherent in today’s searches. Many cite age-related bias, misleading or “ghost” job listings that yield no responses, and misaligned salary expectations as major obstacles. These conditions have intersected in a labor environment where applying can feel less like a meritocratic endeavor and more like navigating a series of opaque, bureaucratic hurdles.
Take the example of Bryce Celotto, who entered unemployment during the summer of 2024 fully expecting to secure a full-time position within a few months. December came and went, yet he remains without permanent employment, subsisting on short-term and contractual opportunities to stay afloat. Celotto expressed his frustration candidly: in today’s job market, applicants are often required to endure countless, repetitive assessments only to obtain what he calls “the bare minimum”—an indication of how disproportionately demanding the hiring process has become. Adding to his challenges, Celotto explained that in several interviews, employers told him he was “overqualified,” while others seemed uncertain about how to engage with him during interviews. As a Black, trans, and autistic candidate, he noted that some hiring committees seemed genuinely unsure of how to perceive his qualifications and identity, leaving him caught between overqualification and unfamiliarity.
Yet even amidst such frustration, there remains a glimmer of practicality and hope for those unemployed for extended periods. Experts advise that in a low-turnover job market—one simultaneously hesitant to hire and reluctant to fire—adaptability is paramount. Job searches may need to evolve continuously, embracing contract work, hybrid roles, and adjacent industries as legitimate paths forward rather than as compromises. Priya Rathod, the workplace trends editor at Indeed, encourages flexibility: accepting temporary or part-time positions is not “settling,” she says, but a strategic move. These experiences, even when not ideal, provide momentum, sustain professional networks, and keep skill sets active—all essential advantages when a more permanent role eventually emerges.
Brad White’s journey illustrates this adaptive approach. After the end of a contract in late 2023, he sought new opportunities and took up various forms of work to bolster his résumé, including an unpaid role at a job-search startup. There, as a community manager, he organized discussions, guided others through the emotional highs and lows of job hunting, and fostered collaboration through a Discord network where members shared strategies and encouragement. When that engagement concluded, he founded a smaller online community of his own, determined to preserve the mutual support that had helped him persevere. He credits this continued engagement with buffering him against isolation, emphasizing that community involvement can transform the job-search experience from solitary frustration into collective progress. In August, he interviewed for another opportunity, one that offered modest pay—just enough, he quipped, to afford a babysitter so he could allocate more time to pursuing his ambitions. The interview took place at three o’clock in the morning because of time zone differences, a vivid symbol of the lengths to which job seekers now go. Despite advancing through several rounds, he did not receive an offer. “It’s pretty tough knowing November will mark two full years,” he admitted, expressing both weariness and longing for the satisfying work he once loved.
For many, such lengthy gaps on résumés historically represented a professional liability, signifying stagnation or perceived unreliability. However, this stigma appears to be waning. Natalie Schreffler, Assistant Director of Graduate Career Services at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, notes that employers are becoming more understanding about employment interruptions, recognizing the extraordinary conditions that have defined recent years. She explains that workers once felt compelled to conceal gaps, often rearranging timelines or exaggerating volunteer ventures to disguise periods without formal employment—strategies that, ironically, often hindered their credibility more than helped it. Today, however, recruiters are beginning to view transparency as strength. As Schreffler puts it, “The gap used to be this big red flag. But now, we are seeing much greater understanding of the realities in the job market.”
Rathod echoes that sentiment, recommending that job seekers proactively acknowledge employment gaps while demonstrating how they’ve used that time constructively—whether by pursuing professional certifications, refining technical expertise, or engaging in community and freelance projects. Such activities signal ongoing growth rather than inactivity. Berman herself has embodied that advice, obtaining two professional certifications during her search as she continues applying for chief of staff roles. Nonetheless, she acknowledges that the uncertainty remains daunting. Her husband’s contract, currently the household’s primary income, is expected to end soon. “It’s stressful knowing we don’t have permanent, full-time employment,” she confides, summarizing the mix of anxiety and determination shared by many in her position.
As countless professionals like Berman, Celotto, and White demonstrate, the modern job search extends far beyond merely updating LinkedIn profiles or sending out automated applications. It has become a psychological, financial, and emotional odyssey—one that tests resilience yet also reveals an evolving notion of what it means to work, to adapt, and to sustain hope amid uncertainty.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/cant-get-job-long-term-unemployed-job-seekers-2025-11
