ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Survey 2026 Q3
The ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Survey
The ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Survey is a nationally representative survey of U.S. job seekers that measures how optimistic or pessimistic they are about their ability to land their preferred jobs. Increased confidence is typically an indicator of future increases in employee turnover, wage growth, and labor force participation.
Data spotlight
Present Situation Index 
6.8
Job seekers’ assessments of current labor market conditions fell.
Preparedness Index 2.9
Job seekers’ confidence in navigating the job search process edged lower as AI changes job descriptions and work expectations.
Financial Wellbeing Index 7.6
Self-reported financial well-being declined as inflation rose and wage growth cooled.
Expectations Index 10.7
Expectations about future job availability fell as hiring slowed.
The ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Index eased 6.3 points in the third quarter of 2026, to 93.5. That’s a step back from Q1’s stronger reading, as hiring activity slowed and inflation ticked back up over recent months. Conflicting economic signals and movements from employers are leaving many job seekers more anxious about their prospects than in our last read. But job seekers aren’t standing still and accepting defeat: many are upskilling, sharpening their search strategies, and turning to AI tools to stay competitive in a market that keeps changing shape.
“Job seekers have navigated a lot of change over the past year and a half. Job growth may have cooled off in Q2 leading into Q3, but they are adapting quickly. The next step is to turn their newfound AI-enabled skillsets into marketable skills on their resumes to capture the attention of employers. In a job market where turnover remains low, using every resource and highlighting every skill can help open the door for job seekers to find their next role.”
Job seekers are recalibrating to a shifting market
With rapidly evolving technology and expectations, conflicting headlines about AI’s impact on the labor market, and fluctuating macroeconomic conditions, job seekers are losing confidence in how easy it will be for them to find a job they want. In Q3, 42% of job seekers did not believe that there are plentiful jobs they are interested in available in the market, up from 38% in Q1. Similarly, now only 51% of job seekers are somewhat or completely confident that it is easier to find a job than six months ago, down from 58% in Q1. With job growth slowing relative to the spring's robust pace, overall confidence among job seekers has waned, particularly as 55% feel employers currently hold the upper hand in the market.
With slower job growth and a return to hesitation from employers, employed workers have mainly stayed put, with the quits rate hovering at 2%. Wages for job switchers are rising, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to move the needle on employee turnover. The lack of turnover for existing workers means that those actively looking for work are more likely to be out of work entirely. In Q3, 51% of current job seekers were unemployed, up from 41% in Q1, and only 38% of current job seekers (who were previously employed) quit their last job by choice, down from 43% in Q1.
Almost a quarter, 23%, of current job seekers found themselves in the job search due to a layoff, but this is down from 25% in Q1, as layoffs remain low across the board. But the low turnover of existing workers and recent softening in employer hiring means that once a worker finds themselves out of work, the hurdles to jump back into employment are getting higher. Long-term unemployment is becoming a more persistent issue, and as a larger share of job seekers find themselves out of work, confidence in the current situation continues to soften.
Job seekers are still preparing for the search, but confidence is waning
Job seekers are feeling less confident about their preparedness than in Q1 as the market around them changes fast. Over two-thirds (69%) feel that employer expectations have shifted because of AI, impacting both the way they search and how they prepare for the work. Many are meeting that shift head-on by using these tools to help prepare them for the search:
Job search: 29% use AI to find job opportunities
Resumes: 25% use AI to draft resumes
Interview prep: 26% use AI to prepare for interviews
And some are adapting their career plans to prepare for changes to the work itself:
Change plans: 6.7% already changed their career due to AI
Upskilling: 17.1% started upskilling due to AI
Considering new field: 16.8% are considering a new career field due to AI
Future impact: 26.3% think AI will impact their career path in the future, but it hasn’t yet
No impact: 33.1% say AI does not influence their career path
While two-thirds (67%) of job seekers integrate AI into their routine work or daily tasks, the growing demand for these competencies highlights a crucial next step: showcasing them effectively on resumes. Although 43% of applicants indicate they list AI competencies, a mere 10% give them prominent visibility. With native-AI proficiency rapidly becoming a core requirement for employers, candidates can stand out more effectively by explicitly highlighting these capabilities.
The signal of AI-ability from job seekers is expected to shift quickly into higher productivity once at work. A third (33%) of job seekers see employers increasing productivity expectations, and 30% see employers looking for more technical and diverse skillsets.
Employers share this perspective: 57% report raising their baseline productivity expectations alongside the growing presence of AI in the workplace. Consequently, job seekers face a higher bar to succeed in today's labor market, where key opportunities depend on mastering these emerging skills and effectively showcasing them to prospective employers.
Although the Preparedness Index sits above its 2022 baseline at 101.0, its decline from Q1 indicates that job seekers are still adjusting to rapidly changing employer requirements, especially around AI. Recognizing an existing AI skill gap and the value attached to these capabilities, candidates are actively prioritizing AI upskilling, an effort they hope will pay off, especially as formalized workplace training for these new skills and tools is still catching up.
Pay is still the top influence on job decisions, but lower confidence in the market is changing behaviors
The drop in confidence from job seekers isn’t only stemming from the labor market; many are facing greater financial challenges than earlier this year. Two-thirds (67%) of job seekers feel financial pressure to accept the first job offer they receive, up from 63% in Q1. And due to slow turnover and the sense that employers are holding the upper hand, fewer job seekers are feeling ready to negotiate; 69% of job seekers are prepared to negotiate their offer to possibly get a better salary in Q3, down from 73% in Q1.
Despite a downtick in negotiation readiness, experienced job seekers are still expecting, or at least hoping, to see large pay gains when they do land a job. The median expected pay increase for job seekers is 27%, meaning the typical job seeker is expecting their next role to land them a 27% raise over their last job. While 27% might be a tad unrealistic (but in line with historical survey data on this question), wage gains for job switchers have been rising, albeit only at 4.4% year-over-year growth. As inflation outpaces wage gains overall, job seekers who are financially struggling (which is 40% of current job seekers) are keeping pay top of mind in their search, and their real financial struggles are influencing their perceptions of the job market.
Pay remains the deciding factor at every stage of the job search.
Accepting an offer: Pay is the number one reason job seekers say yes to a position (78%)
Rejecting an offer: When pay falls short, it's the top reason job seekers would say no (68%)
Leaving a job: For employed job seekers, pay is the top reason they're dissatisfied and looking elsewhere (73%)
As job growth and hiring slow, job seekers' expectations of future job availability fall
As AI changes the workplace (63% viewing AI as somewhat of a or a major or major threat to their skill set's value), job seekers are rising to the challenge and embracing technology as part of their search, resume, and interview preparation, and are preparing for the changing pace of the work itself. While some early indicators suggest AI may be expanding headcount overall rather than shrinking it, it is fundamentally altering roles and expectations.
Job seekers see the changes in the market around them, they see the recent slowdown in job growth and hiring, and they now have lower expectations about job availability in the near future. Looking ahead, job seekers hold cautious expectations:
More opportunities: 25% anticipate more jobs becoming available in the next six months, down from 30% in Q1
Steady state: 43% foresee market stability, flat from 43% in Q1
Fewer opportunities: 33% expect reduced opportunities, up from 27% in Q1
Conclusion
In summary, the third quarter of 2026 has been a period of adjustment for U.S. job seekers, reflected in shifts across all four confidence indices. Spiking inflation, a notable cooling in hiring activity, and the transformative pressure of AI have weighed on short-term sentiment. However, today’s job seekers aren’t counting themselves out just because the market is shifting; they are showing their adaptability and resilience. They are engaging with AI tools to help them prepare for the search and the hiring process, and next they must figure out how to translate those marketable skills to their resume. As more job seekers find themselves without the safety net of a job while searching, taking every opportunity to capture employers’ attention can help open doors to what’s next.
Methodology
The quarterly ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Survey is based on an online sample and conducted for ZipRecruiter by PureSpectrum. It is administered to a nationally representative sample of 1,500+ job seekers between July 25th and August 12th. Respondents may be employed, unemployed, or not currently in the labor force, but they must reside in the United States and plan to find a new job “in the next six months” in order to be included in the sample.
The ZipRecruiter Index
The overall ZipRecruiter Job Seeker Confidence Index comprises four subindices:
The Preparedness Index measures how confident job seekers feel about their job skills, education, and training, as well as about their job search skills—that is, their ability to find relevant positions, develop application materials, and interview effectively.
The Financial Wellbeing Index measures job seekers’ financial security—that is, whether they have peace of mind about their ability to meet their financial needs, or whether they are searching for work and negotiating job offers under financial pressure.
The Expectations Index captures job seekers’ short-term outlook for labor market conditions. It is based on questions about whether job seekers expect the number of available jobs to increase or decrease.
The Present Situation Index is based on job seekers’ assessment of current labor market conditions. It is based on questions about whether they expect to get interviews, find a job easily, and get the job they want, and how satisfied they are with their job search.