Job searching in 2024 has been eye-opening. Whether you’re employed and looking to switch or unemployed and searching, the market has thrown plenty of curveballs. Take AI, for example. Everyone’s using it now, from entry-level workers to CEOs. Yet while headlines scream about AI stealing jobs, the reality is different: people who learn to use AI are advancing their careers, while those who fear it are getting left behind.
The current job market varies dramatically by industry. Workers with in-demand skills in growing sectors can often pick their next role, while those in cooling industries need to get creative about applying their skills elsewhere. Though the market is tougher than last year overall, understanding what’s coming in 2025 can help you get ahead.
The Real State of Jobs
The numbers tell a clear story: October 2024’s unemployment rate jumped 3% compared to last year. Companies laid off workers while betting on AI to pick up the slack, but the layoffs haven’t stopped.
What Makes a Market “Challenging”?
What makes a job market challenging isn’t as straightforward as headlines suggest. While the media focuses on unemployment rates and mass layoffs, individual job seekers face a more complex reality. Many professionals want to leverage specific skills they’ve developed, but find themselves caught between their aspirations and market demands. The very definition of a “challenging market” shifts constantly, shaped by media narratives, economic indicators, and changing industry dynamics.
Here’s what this looks like on the ground:
Ghost jobs: Many job postings never close and have suspiciously vague descriptions. These “ghost jobs” often mean the company isn’t actually hiring – they’re just collecting resumes. Always check the company’s own website to verify if the job is real.
Strategic layoffs: Since 2023, most layoff announcements have been from highly visible tech companies. Many job seekers interpret reports of mass layoffs in one industry as happening in all sectors. The reality is in 2024, industries such as healthcare and construction are actually desperate for workers.. Many layoff casualties include those who refused to comply with their company’s return-to-office (RTO) mandate.
Nervous employers: Economic uncertainty makes companies jumpy. At the first whisper of recession or inflation, they often make preemptive cuts. This year, many slashed HR teams and recruiters, believing AI could fill the gap – a strategy that proved premature.
Shortage of skilled labor: The cybersecurity field perfectly illustrates today’s skills mismatch: millions of open jobs sit unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. The opportunities exist for those with the right skills, and if those candidates aren’t found, the industry suffers.
What Are the Career Trends for Growth in 2025?
The job market is shifting, but the signs of where it’s heading are clear if you know where to look. Here are the strategies that will matter most in 2025.
Looking Beyond Your Current Industry
Your skills might be valuable in places you haven’t considered. Data analysis and cybersecurity expertise, for instance, are needed everywhere from hospitality to healthcare. Start by taking inventory of your skills, then explore industries you might not have considered. Even AI can help here – try asking it, “Which industries could use someone with my experience in X, Y, and Z?”
Here are a few ways to figure out your options for other industries:
Network: Gain insider knowledge from those before you. Many of your peers are advancing in your career ahead of you. Instead of being envious of them, have an informal conversation about their professional development strategy.
Research: Use LinkedIn to look at the backgrounds of other industry professionals you can emulate. Many people don’t need to follow their degree’s linear path to an ideal career. People who create their successes are perpetual learners. To be one too, look for patterns in how they navigated industry changes.
Volunteer: ”Try before you buy” is a great way to preview other industries, allowing you to test the waters before you commit.
Continuous Upskilling
Technology evolves constantly across all industries. Don’t make the mistake of relying solely on your employer for professional development. When companies cut budgets, training is often the first thing to go. Take control of your career growth – some professionals even negotiate career development as part of their compensation package.
To stay ahead:
Join your industry organization(s): Industry groups offer the most relevant opportunities and insider knowledge. They often know about job openings before they’re advertised, and you’ll see firsthand how others are applying new skills.
Teach what you know: Learning by teaching is an active way to grow, learn from experience, and embrace constructive criticism. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and makes learning stick through real experience. Try mentoring or tutoring in areas where you’re still growing. When you let others give feedback, it becomes a memorable part of your learning experience.
Networking Through Service
Many job seekers struggle with networking because they focus on what they can get rather than what they can give. But the most successful networkers flip this approach: they start by helping others. Whether it’s sharing industry knowledge, making introductions, or offering expertise, they prove their value before asking for anything in return.
This service-first approach works because it solves the biggest challenges of networking: figuring out who to connect with, starting conversations naturally, and building genuine relationships. When you help others, you demonstrate your skills and character in a way that no resume or LinkedIn profile ever could.
Here are two ways you can network in the service of others and spurt career growth for yourself:
Share job leads with others while unemployed: Whether on LinkedIn or through offline contacts, sharing job leads and making introductions has a way of coming back to benefit the sharer. People pay attention to those who help others unselfishly. This creates a positive ecosystem where everyone benefits, including those who give the most.
Foster collaborations: People naturally gravitate toward connectors and community builders because these individuals are givers at heart. The key is finding ways for everyone to win – whether through joint projects at conferences, podcasts, articles, or online initiatives that help others.
Embracing AI as a Path to Growth
The AI revolution isn’t slowing down. Those thriving in tech aren’t the ones worrying about AI replacing them – they’re the ones figuring out how to use AI to solve problems in new ways.
Smart professionals watch how their companies deploy AI, looking for opportunities to bridge the gap between what AI can do and what businesses actually need.
Want to stay ahead of the curve? Try these approaches:
Pay attention: Watch how your company uses AI. Which tasks get automated? Which still need a human touch? The sweet spot for career growth often lies in connecting these two areas – using AI to handle routine work while applying human judgment to the complex decisions AI can’t make.
Stay relevant: You don’t need to become a programmer, but understanding how AI tools work in your field gives you an edge. Follow the developments that matter to your role. If you work in marketing, for instance, learn how AI is changing content creation and customer analysis. If you’re in operations, watch how AI is reshaping workflow automation.
Looking Forward: How to Make Your Move in 2025
Today’s hiring managers are drowning in AI-generated applications. They’re looking for people who stand out by showing real-world problem-solving abilities and adaptability. The future belongs to professionals who understand their industry’s direction and actively develop the skills employers need.
Career growth happens when you help your whole professional community move forward. By solving problems that matter and bringing people together to tackle challenges, you build the kind of reputation that opens doors.
Ready to take your career to the next level in 2025? Sign up for Lensa and prepare to MAKE YOUR MOVE today.
