The go-go hiring days of 2022 and 2023, when there were nearly two job openings for every jobseeker, are in the rearview mirror. But there are plenty of jobs out there in 2025.
New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics telegraphs guarded optimism for an uptick in hiring in the months ahead. The economy added 256,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department reported on Friday, beating expectations. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1%.
While it’s early in the new year, confidence from business leaders could translate into a boost in hiring in the months ahead.
I reached out to a handful of experts for their insights on what this all means to job seekers and the best ways to navigate the hiring landscape.
“Landing a job today is likely noticeably more difficult and time-consuming than it was in 2022,” Cory Stahle, a labor economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, told Yahoo Finance. “But we're going into a job market where there are a lot of opportunities still available.”
Where the jobs are
Demand is high for healthcare, construction, government, and manufacturing workers, while white-collar positions in finance and tech — such as software development and data science, marketing, and professional services — are a tougher grind to land, Stahle said.
There are also hot jobs debuting that you might not have thought about. Six in 10 of LinkedIn’s “Jobs on the Rise” showcase “the evolving world of work and emerging opportunities that job seekers may not have considered before.” The list tracks the fastest-growing positions.
The positions include artificial intelligence engineer, artificial intelligence consultant, and physical therapist. Workforce development managers, who design and implement training programs to upskill employees, are in demand. Travel advisers are on the rise. Event coordinators, directors of development who run fundraising strategies, and sustainability specialists, who analyze a company’s environmental and social impacts and create strategies for resource efficiency, also made the cut.
Several engineering roles showed up for the first time on the list, including bridge engineer, nuclear engineer, and instrumentation and control engineer.
As a self-proclaimed bookworm and research nerd, I was pleased to discover that research librarians are back in vogue.
“Only about 30% of job seekers say they want to switch industries, but more than 50% of recently hired workers got their jobs in a new industry,” Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, the employment search site, told Yahoo Finance. “That suggests that workers who keep an open mind, expand their search, invest in new skills, and follow opportunity are disproportionately successful.”
Skills in demand
Some of the most in-demand skills, according to LinkedIn’s research: Customer service, project management, communication, leadership, teamwork, sales, and strategic planning.
For AI enthusiasts, the tide is moving in your direction.
“We've started to see a growing number of employers asking for integrative artificial intelligence skills,” Indeed’s Stahle said. “If you have these AI skills, 2025 could actually be a pretty good year for you to look.”
“Transferable skills can open doors to new roles, too," Amy Glaser, senior vice president at staffing agency Adecco, told Yahoo Finance. “Part-time roles also offer a valuable way to gain experience, build connections, and transition to full-time opportunities.
“Overall, adaptability and a willingness to learn are critical for workers looking to thrive in today’s multigenerational workforce.”