Latest Release: 2025 Q3The ZipRecruiter Survey of New Hires
The ZipRecruiter Survey of New Hires is a quarterly survey of U.S. residents who started their current jobs within the past six months. New hires are the leading edge of the labor market—the first to experience changes in the urgency and intensity with which employers are recruiting workers, and the terms of employment on offer. Indicators tracked in this survey—such as how long it took workers to find their jobs, and what share received signing bonuses or healthcare benefits upon hire—can help gauge the quantity and quality of jobs available in the U.S. economy.
Latest Release
Q3 2025
The latest findings from ZipRecruiter’s Q3 2025 New Hires Survey suggest that workers are getting more comfortable with the uncertainty in the labor market. To keep up with the slower flow of new jobs and hesitancy on both sides of the labor market that are driving “job hugging” behaviors, new hires appear to be taking a more cautious and strategic approach to their career moves.
Job growth has slowed to a trickle in recent months, and wage growth has come down from its post-pandemic peak, so new hires in today’s market face steeper competition and fewer chances to hop to something bigger and better compared to their peers in the past few years. Instead of focusing on short-term gains and expecting to move along quickly, as was the case during the post-pandemic hiring frenzy, new hires in today’s market are taking their time to find jobs that meets their long-term needs, like culture fit, flexibility, and better benefits.
With the long-term lens in place, new hires are planning to hunker down in their new roles to find more stability in a rocky labor market. Fewer new hires are continuing to look for other opportunities with 54.4% stopping their job search after landing a new role (up from 48.1%). Job hopping is slowing with 51.6% of new hires changing jobs only once in the past 2 years (up from 42.7%). And tenure is set to increase – 45.9% are planning on staying for at least three years (up from 44.1%).
"Today’s new hires are coming in ready to stay put. With uncertainty on the mind of both workers and employers, stability appears to be the winning strategy in today’s labor market."
– Nicole Bachaud, ZipRecruiter Economist
Data Spotlight
59%
Previous: 60%
say their job search went well
91%
Previous: 89%
are glad they took their current job
found their job within one month
49%
Previous: 40%
received a response within 3 days
52%
Previous: 45%
24
Previous: 30
median number of applications submitted
The current labor market appears to be driving a re-leveling of expectations among new hires. Facing sustained challenges to secure a new job, new hires are increasingly applying for roles that are a better fit for their current experience and needs rather than holding out for an "ideal" position. This behavioral shift seems to be paying off, as fewer new hires are landing their dream job, but more are happy with their new role. The result is a better alignment between applicants and opportunities, which is also reflected in faster job searches and quicker employer response times.
Dream jobs are on the decline. 38.7% of new hires reported landing their “dream job,” down from 44.5%.
But job satisfaction is on the rise. 91.4% are happy they took their role, up from 88.7%.
Searches are speeding up. 48.8% found a job within one month, up from 40.5%.
Response times are improving. 52% heard back from a recruiter or hiring manager within 3 days,up from 44.7%.
The need to mass-apply is on its way out. Median applications submitted dropped from 30 to 24 this quarter.
Highlights of the Q3 2025 Survey:
Pay Matters, but is Not the Only Thing On New Hires’ Minds
ZipRecruiter’s latest quarterly survey of new hires shows that pay is the top reason new hires accepted their new position. With inflation remaining elevated, the cost of living has stretched many household budgets to the limit as inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, putting compensation top of mind for many new hires.
Pay leads job switching. 40.1% of switchers moved for better pay—above better management (31.4%) and less stress (28.1%)—up from 35.8% last quarter, signaling that salary remains a decisive lever for mobility.
Higher pay often means better benefits. New hires who moved into higher-paying jobs were far more likely to report better benefits (39.4% vs. 20.6%) and greater opportunities for advancement (23.7% vs. 11.5%) than those who accepted lower-paying roles. In short, higher pay tends to come bundled with stronger benefits and career prospects—not just a bigger paycheck today.
This is especially true for new hires in the South - where most states default to the federal minimum wage that hasn’t seen a change in 16 years, leading to more workers with stuck wages. And for workers in the West where prices and rents soar.
New hires in the West and South are more likely to accept a job with higher pay (60.5% and 59% respectively) than new hires in the Midwest and Northeast (57.1% and 54.5% respectively).
Counterintuitively, the share of new hires who have accepted a job with less pay than their previous position is rising. Some of this is due to new hires accepting the difficult nature of the job market, and taking a lower paying position for security instead of holding out for something better. Other top factors playing into the decision to accept a lower paying job were schedule flexibility and lower stress.
Necessity leads. Willingness to accept pay cuts continued to rise, with one in four new hires accepting lower pay. Among new hires who took a pay cut, 52.8% say they did so because they were unemployed and needed the job (up from 50.9%). When income is zero, people prioritize restarting paychecks and benefits even if the starting wage is lower, a pattern consistent with tighter household budgets and economic uncertainty.
Longer searches raise the odds. Pay cuts are more common when searches drag on. 10.7% of new hires who accepted lower pay had searched for 6+ months, nearly double the share among those who got a raise (5.4%). Extended searches often sap bargaining power—while a few candidates hold out for an ideal fit, many face skill mismatches and shrinking options.
Trading pay for quality-of-life. Nearly one in three (32.1%) who accepted lower pay did so for schedule flexibility, and one in four (26.0%) cited lower stress. For a growing share, control over time and workload outweighs a smaller paycheck—meaning employers can compete with flexibility and manageable roles, not just salary.
For Women, Culture and Job Security Outweigh Pay
The gender wage gap has narrowed slightly in recent years, but is still far off from parity. Data from the New Hire Survey uncovers some of the underlying factors that could be contributing to the gap’s persistence. For starters, women are more likely than men to accept lower pay in a new role.
Lower pay isn’t a dealbreaker for many women: nearly 3 in 10 (29.7%) accepted a lower-pay offer, compared with 18.6% of men. That’s an 11.1-point gap—significantly wider than last quarter’s 6.9-point gap—driven primarily by a rise in women willing to accept lower pay (26.3% last quarter).
But the “why” matters as much as the “what.” For many women who accepted lower pay, the trade-off was intentional: a role with a healthier culture, less stress, and real flexibility. Because women disproportionately shoulder caregiving and are more likely to report that work strains their mental health, schedule control and supportive environments aren’t perks—they’re prerequisites. In that light, a pay cut is often a choice to buy sustainability at work.
Women value job quality and flexibility. Compared with men, they’re more likely to accept offers for company culture (24.0% vs. 13.6%), reduced stress (20.4% vs. 13.0%), and schedule flexibility (34.6% vs. 27.7%). For many women, the day-to-day experience—and control over time—can matter as much as the paycheck.
Men value compensation and opportunity. 56.2% of men cite pay (vs. 50.6% of women), 40.0% cite benefits (vs. 33.6%), and 21.5% cite career advancement (vs. 16.5%) as reasons for accepting a role. This tilt toward higher pay and faster advancement may contribute to the gender pay gap.
However, higher pay doesn’t always buy security. Men are more likely to say they’ve landed a “dream job,” yet they report feeling less secure in their new roles than women. That contrast suggests that choosing based on job-quality factors—culture, fit, flexibility, manageable stress—can yield greater satisfaction and staying power. With many employees reluctant to move, prioritizing long-term fit may ultimately advantage women.
Men are still chasing the “dream." Nearly half of men (47.8%) vs. under a third of women (30.7%) called their new role a dream job—a 17.1-point gap, almost double last quarter’s 9.5-point gap. Women are pulling back from the “dream” label far more than men, hinting at different trade-off calculations in a tougher market.
Women are making more secure decisions. 71.9% of women feel secure in their new role vs. 54.8% of men—up from 55.6% and 43.1% last quarter. Women’s job choices are translating into strong, early footings which could support retention and job security if labor market conditions stay tight.
"Workers are redefining their career expectations to adapt to today’s economic realities. They are prioritizing flexibility and fit, and holding out for the right role."
– Sam DeMase, ZipRecruiter Career Expert
AI Tools Are Leveling the Playing Field
AI tools are helping unlock opportunities for both emerging and seasoned workers. For new entrants to the job market, figuring out where to start can be a daunting task. Over a third of recent grads surveyed reported that their college major was not helpful in finding a job after graduating. With job matching algorithms, AI tools can help bridge the gap between what skills candidates have and what jobs they qualify for, helping emerging talent find their place. Compared to new hires who have prior work experience, AI tools can help these new entrants fill the experience gap to get ahead in their job search. Once hired, first-time new hires are relying heavily on AI to manage their day-to-day tasks. Perhaps an overreliance on technology is partly to blame for the lower confidence emerging job seekers have in their skills as they enter the workforce.
AI as a first-job coach. New entrants into the workforce were nearly three times (56.9%) as likely to find AI “very helpful” in their job search as those with prior work experience (19.3%), suggesting it substitutes for missing mentors and networks by explaining the unwritten rules of hiring—how to frame a résumé, tailor ATS keywords, and prepare for interviews.
AI as a day-one co-pilot. First-time hires are also much more likely to report using AI in their roles on a daily or weekly basis (55.6%) compared to those with prior jobs (18.2%). This indicates new entrants into the workforce may see AI not just as a tool, but a co-pilot in their daily routine—and expect AI-enabled workflows.
Emerging talent isn’t the only group turning to AI to help their transition to a new role. New hires 65 and up are far more likely than any other age group to call on AI in their roles. Older workers are more likely to have retired from their previous career as they come into their new role, putting them neck and neck with those entering for the first time, as much has changed in the workforce over the past several decades. New hires 65 and up are not only adopting AI, they are learning new skills to prepare for their new roles, showing that un-retirements require as much preparation as a first job.
AI is helping older entrants adapt. Over half of new hires 65+ (52.9%) report daily to weekly AI use, compared with 20% or less in every other age band—pointing to AI as a bridge to new tools and workflows.
Older workers face steeper re-entry challenges. Starting a new role often requires reskilling for older workers. Just over half (50.7%) learned a new skill for their new role—more in line with younger hires (55.9% ages 18–24; 49.6% ages 25–34) than mid-career professionals (39.2% ages 35–44; 24.4% ages 45–54).
The Q3 2025 ZipRecruiter New Hires Survey shows a resilient workforce adapting to elevated uncertainty. New hires are prioritizing flexibility and culture fit over immediate pay gains and, once hired, are staying put to ride out volatility. Many are leaning on AI tools and upskilling to stay competitive as openings cool and hiring remains flat—recalibrating strategies, tools, and expectations.
"In a challenging job market, AI levels the playing field by helping first-time job seekers gain experience and boosting older workers’ confidence ."
– Sam DeMase, ZipRecruiter Career Expert
Methodology
The ZipRecruiter Survey of New Hires is a survey fielded to a nationally representative online panel administered by PureSpectrum during the second month of every quarter. The sample consists of more than 1,500 adults who reside in the U.S., who are currently employed, and who began their current jobs within the past six months. It excludes self-employed workers.
The survey asks these recently hired workers detailed questions about the circumstances leading up to their employment, the hiring process, the job offer, and the working conditions in their new roles. Additional findings regarding the prevalence and distribution of particular job search experiences and working conditions across the cohort of recent hires, by age, gender, education, and industry, are available upon request. Email press@ziprecruiter.com for more survey data or to schedule an interview with the authors of this study.