Desperate job seekers are abandoning the idea of a ‘dream job’

A new survey by ZipRecruiter Economic Research indicates that many new hires take pay cuts and don’t negotiate compensation. While a majority say they would leave their jobs for higher wages, opportunities to do so appear rare.

About half of new hires (53%) — defined as people who started their job within the previous six months — found their job within one month. More than a quarter of new hires (27%) took a pay cut, often after an extended period of unemployment, and just 56% increased their pay, down from 61% last quarter. Benefits also suffered, with only 15% of new hires receiving a signing bonus last quarter, the lowest rate for 2025.

Only 30.4% of new hires negotiated their offers. Those who negotiated get a better deal, and often a higher base wage, which may indicate that some job seekers are leaving money on the table.

“We’re seeing more decisions being made out of necessity,” said Nicole Bashaw, labor economist at ZipRecruiter. “What we are seeing is that given the challenges this market faces, how difficult it is to secure the first offer. There has been a bit of a pushback from workers who feel they have the power to negotiate.”

The long-term unemployment rate rose more than 15% from a year ago in November, according to ZipRecruiter. Only 50,000 jobs were added to the economy in December. Last year, Amazon laid off 14,000 employees in the company, and Microsoft eliminated 15,000 jobs. Verizon, UPS and Target have also significantly reduced their workforces in the past year.

Those who negotiated get a better deal, and often a higher base wage, which may indicate that some job seekers are leaving money on the table.

Don’t wait for a dream job

Workers are looking for stable work and pay as long-term unemployment rates continue to rise, making them less likely to wait to get their dream job, Bacho said. In the fourth quarter, only 25.2% reported landing their dream job, down from 36.2% in the previous quarter.

Despite the pay trade-offs, the majority of new employees feel secure in their jobs, and more than half have stopped actively looking for new jobs after accepting an offer. More than a quarter of them intend to stay with their employer for five years or more.

However, 60% of respondents said they would leave their current job for a higher paying job.

“This just goes to show what brought these new hires into these roles,” Bachaud said. “Employers need to really focus on what will make workers leave if the market changes, and make sure they stay on top of that so there’s not a mass exodus, or that they’re able to take advantage of movement from other companies and workers leaving their other jobs when that time comes.”

Stressful workload and poor management are the main drivers of new employees who regret their career moves and eventually leave their roles.

“Having a good work-life balance and having good relationships with managers is really important for workers right now, and companies should focus on these parts to make sure their employees are happy and plan to stay where they are for the foreseeable future,” she said.