What’s Actually Causing Hiring Slowness & More Firing
If you’re wondering why you can’t find a job in 2025, then I’d tell you: the job market will not improve within the next 5 years based on my research. Below are 5 ways the slowing job market can negatively affect your lifestyle and retirement within 5 years.
Short-term hit: If your pay never goes up for five years, you’re already behind because prices keep rising while your paycheck stays the same.
Missed raises: Even small yearly raises add up. Without them, you’re losing thousands every single year compared to where you should be.
Missed promotions: Skipping just one promotion could keep you $10K–$30K lower every single year for the rest of your career.
Retirement setback: Less income means less going into your 401(k) or savings and since money grows over time, you’re not just missing today’s dollars, you’re missing decades of growth.
Lifetime loss: Add it all together, and five years stuck in place can cost you anywhere from a quarter-million to over a million dollars over your lifetime.
Below, I’ve outlined the reasons why the job market is slowing:
Economic Uncertainty & Policy Headwinds
Tariffs, trade tensions, and shifting regulations make businesses nervous about committing to long-term hires.
Rising input costs, inflation, and supply chain issues squeeze profits, so companies pull back on hiring or freeze salaries.
Some companies may even find ways to terminate employees who don’t pull their weight or meet Return to Office (RTO) standards.
Interest Rates & Inflation Pressure
Borrowing is more expensive, and expansions cost more. Companies are more cautious with investments and payroll.
Every dollar spent on labor has to compete with rising costs elsewhere (rent, logistics, materials).
Skills Mismatch / Higher Expectations
Employers are holding out for candidates who have more experience, more specialization, or multiple skill sets, making it harder for folks who are just stepping up or trying something new.
On the flip side, some job seekers are rejecting or avoiding roles that feel unstable, low wage, or have bad work conditions.
Businesses Restructuring / Cost Cutting
Many companies are optimizing their operations: reducing non-essential roles, freezing or delaying hiring, and squeezing margins. Layoffs are sometimes cheaper than uncertainty.
Particularly in small businesses, where cash flow is thinner, cost shocks hit harder.
Why You Feel the Pain
Jobs are harder to find because there are fewer “sure bets” available; companies want low risk. Even if hiring exists, many roles are under-advertised, delayed, or have ridiculous filters (degree, years of experience, etc.) that shut people out. There’s a psychological effect: when people hear about layoffs and see others unsure, it makes everyone more cautious, both companies and job seekers.
What This Means for You
Relying on a traditional job is feeling riskier. Uncertainty outside your control (economic shifts, policy, cost pressures) can mess with your stability. Investing in skills is still important, but also think about where you can build something you own that’s less tied to corporate risk.
Building side-projects, digital products, or income streams that don’t depend on one employer can hedge against these shifting winds.
And if you are currently employed, it is better to launch your first digital product today instead. The sooner the better. Establishing an online presence is a long game, but it is essential to building recurring income on top of your salary.
Hopefully, it may even become a full-time opportunity for you where you can work from anywhere and anytime. Perhaps travel the world and spend more time with your friends and family.
The Squeeze You’re Feeling Now
When raises don’t come and promotions get delayed, life starts to feel tighter. Groceries cost more, bills creep up, and suddenly the paycheck that once covered everything feels stretched thin. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong. It’s that your income is standing still while everything else moves forward. Inflation makes your paycheck feel smaller.
Why Waiting on a Job Isn’t the Answer
Relying on your boss or company to “finally” bump your pay keeps you stuck. A paycheck only grows if someone else decides you deserve more. Even then, it’s capped, promotions and raises might add a few thousand here or there, but you’re still trading hours for dollars.
The Digital Asset Shift
This is where building digital assets changes the game. A course, a guide, a template — once you create it, it can sell over and over without you adding more hours to your day. That means more money for less work, and your income no longer depends on office politics, company budgets, or annual reviews.
Freedom in the Long Run
If you spend the next two years building your brand and assets, by the time year two rolls around you might not even care whether you get a raise. You’ll have something scalable: income that runs on systems instead of sweat. That’s the payoff: freedom, flexibility, and money that keeps flowing whether or not your employer ever notices your value.
The Playbook Bundle is your escape kit: Five step-by-step guides to help you kill the system and build something that’s yours. You’ll learn how to turn your experience into digital assets, create products that sell, and design offers people can’t ignore.
Each playbook is practical, no-fluff, and built for momentum; from building self-trust to mapping persuasive customer journeys. No theory. Just a blueprint to exit the grind and stack ownership, brick by brick.
Not ready for the full bundle? Each Playbook is also sold individually for $19.
