Is the Job Market as Bad as it Seems?
Just curious if anyone else has noticed how bad everything is across IB/PE/corporate right now. Seems like every job has 1000+ applicants, recruiters don't have any promising mandates, and all jobs are being filled by top candidates that would have sneered at said job 2 years ago. Everyone moving down market, trading down, etc etc to get a job. Maybe just me but curious for other's takes.
its bad, I've been unemployed 8 months now had interviews in the beginning but couldn't seal the deal/better candidates with relev experience. Right now its impossible to get interviews. I've been spam messaging alumni on Linkedin. Not sure what else to do.
What jobs are you going for?
trading assistant/portfolio analyst type scopes. nothing fancy
Yup
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/jobs-unemployment-big…
Yes, it's pretty bad. Very competitive market for only a few open seats.
Is this a white collar recession? It feels like it if it's not just me struggling
Do you guys think there will be more opening throughout the year? Though deal flow was projected to pick up t
I think what is throwing things off from the narrative we were coming into 2025 with (i.e more jobs with inflation coming down...) is that Trump's new policies are throwing the rhythm off. While tariff talk was discussed when he was running, actually implementing them has caught the market off guard (which is kinda dumb when he literally said he would impose tariffs), his actions with Elon (and Elon's whole DOGE initiative) has added more fuel to the fire rather than "draining the swamp". All these paired, plus more daily noise that's common with this government, is throwing companies in a spiral. Consumer confidence is down, basic necessities and goods are either staying the same or rising, government agencies are getting slashed in half. It wouldn't surprise me if we end up having a pretty significant market correction in 2H25 heading into 2026. I'm not sure if this leads to just a "White Collar Recession" or a broader market correction, it's all kinda murky right now which never helps.
I think the biggest caveat I always mention to friends and family is opportunities are still present (perhaps LinkedIn isn't a good gauge to look at). You just have a limited number of openings that squeeze your ability to choose opportunities. I.e. if you're in IB perhaps those Corp Dev roles you were looking for aren't as popular, but there are still some openings....
Also just to be clear, I don't think this is a recession by any means. Correction seems to be what I'm favoring towards, but corrections are needed, especially in bull markets.
Bessent recently said that the economy is weaker than what the common metrics might suggest. It proves the point that sometimes data doesnt capture the true nature of the economy due to collection lag, extrapolation, and also some professions are doing better than others while headline numbers tend to focus on aggregate results.
It's real.
Firms are probably not rehiring as they seek to replace by AI
I think the finance market is bad right now however I am unsure as to what metrics should be used to explain it. Tariffs, trade, and public policy don't help with the lack of clarity. Perceived strength (or weakness) in the equity markets could mask regional trends in (un/under)employment to the degree that reporting hasn't caught up yet.
On an unrelated note, anecdotally I can say the number of openings I see for An1-Aso3 right now is filled with ghost job listings from chronic re-offenders. Best of luck monkeys.
it's brutal and I feel like I know firms you're talking about
Laid off exactly a year ago. I’ve had countless processes where I didn’t convert into FT for ER. It’s bad. Probably interviewed for 15-20 roles
Any thoughts of pivoting industries? Unfortunately a more niche role with less movement than IB / Consulting / AM
corp banking for sure
also wdym by less movement here?
job market still seems god awful.
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