Is this a bad time to look for a job? Companies can wait to hire, but would-be employees can't.

• It's taking longer to fill job postings than a few years ago.
• Meanwhile, job seekers are settling for roles out of necessity.
• Economist Cory Stahle expects the low-hire, low-fire job market to continue this year.

You may be desperate to quickly get a job, but hiring managers aren't feeling the same pressure.

It's easier to apply to jobs, but employers are taking longer to fill openings. From sales positions to tech jobs, the lengthier hiring process is across the board. The reward from job switching has also been waning; wage growth has slowed as employers aren't as worried about finding talent.

Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, said the job market is in limbo as unemployment inches up, job postings are around pre-pandemic levels, and year-over-year growth in advertised wages on the job-search platform has cooled to over a five-year low.

More people are job searching than there are openings. People waiting for a dream role may have to settle or shift their perspective.

"Longer hiring times, paired with muted overall hiring activity, suggest that finding a job may prove difficult for many job seekers in 2026," Stahle said.

Employers are taking their time in filling jobs

Stahle said macroeconomic conditions affect how long it takes to hire. Uncertainty, less urgency than in the pandemic recovery and Great Resignation years, and a qualifications mismatch could be why it's taking longer.

Stahle said many people voluntarily quit their roles in 2021 and 2022, likely leading employers to create job postings to backfill those gigs. The quits rate dropped from 3% in March 2022 to 2% this past November, suggesting workers are less confident about finding something new.

When employers aren't desperate to fill a spot, hiring decisions could take longer. Stahle said employers can "wait for the 'perfect' candidate" when they're looking to expand their head count, rather than just backfill.

The average time it takes for a posting to become a hire climbed to 49 days in August, the highest since early 2019. Stahle said the rise in the spring and summer could've been due to continued uncertainty, such as with trade policies.

"Some of that uncertainty has waned since, but hiring timelines remain longer than they were at the start of 2025," he added.

While employers can wait for their dream employee, job seekers might not have time to find their ideal role.

"Any offer is much harder to come by in this environment versus a couple of years ago, when there was a lot more power in the hands of the worker," Nicole Bachaud, an economist at ZipRecruiter, said.

It's taking about two months for tech postings to become a hire

Indeed's data showed the average time for a posting to turn into a hire varies by job group, but it's taking longer than it did a few years ago across the board.

For tech occupations, the three-month moving average has increased from 42 days in March 2021 to about 57 days this past November. For food and beverage jobs, the average number of days surged in 2025, from about a month to about 51 days in September and October.

Healthcare has been prominent in job market data because of its job growth. Indeed's data showed healthcare postings are taking longer to become a hire than a few years ago. These gigs can require specific skills and education, which Stahle said could make it harder for employers to find what they're looking for and employees to get hired.

Meanwhile, Stahle said there could be more applicants than jobs actually being filled for occupations with weak hiring.

"In that case, it's reasonable to assume that time-to-hire may increase further as employers take more time to weed through a larger pool of candidates and may feel like they can take their time in the process," he said.

What to do if you're looking to get a job

Stahle doesn't see the cooling job market stopping soon, given economic uncertainty.

Unemployed job seekers may need to take a role that doesn't cater to all their ambitions.

"A job with lower pay is better than no job with no pay," Bachaud said. "We're seeing a lot of drive from necessity."

That doesn't mean you have to take a job you hate. Bachaud said to find a job where you think you would be comfortable with the day-to-day routine and who you work with.

"There still are opportunities to find places that offer meaningful work and offer consistent and good work-life balance and benefits, and those things that workers are really driven toward," Bachaud said.

Talking to your network or developing one can be helpful when many people are trying to get hired. Lisa Simon, the chief economist at Revelio Labs, said to lean on connections like a referral since so many people will tailor their application materials to the job posting, with or without the help of AI.

"The thing that is going to get you to the front of the line when jobs are scarce is interpersonal relationships with people who are willing to go above and beyond and expend political capital to help you," communication coach Dorie Clark previously told Business Insider.