At the end of 2025, there were nearly 1 million more unemployed people than available jobs. Not counting the pandemic, it’s the biggest gap since 2017. Unsurprisingly, it’s fueling a level of uncertainty many workers haven’t experienced before. “I’ve been doing this work for 33 years, and this is the most volatile and unpredictable job market I’ve experienced,” says Matt Berndt, a senior career strategist at Indeed and the senior program manager of Indeed’s Job Search Academy.Employers, however, are more optimistic. According to a recent Indeed survey of U.S. employers and both passive and active job seekers conducted by YouGov, a majority of employers say they are confident they understand their employees and expect job market conditions to improve in 2026 — even as visibility into what comes next remains limited.To better understand this disconnect, we asked workers to respond to some of the survey’s key findings about how employers view work and hiring in the year ahead. We also asked Berndt to respond directly to those sentiments and offer advice and guidance for job seekers who feel stuck in this unpredictable market.
Read More: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/job-market-disconnect-employers-workers