Dovid has been searching for a job for 20 months. With four years of experience in the tech industry, he once felt secure in his career but something has changed. Is it the rise of artificial intelligence?
He has sent out numerous résumés and applied to endless job postings, but responses are rare. Weren’t employers just saying recently that they couldn’t find enough workers?
Meanwhile, the bills keep piling up. How will he feed his family and keep up with the mortgage?
Workers across the United States are facing increasing challenges finding jobs, a reality reflected in countless articles in the business and mainstream press over the past few months. Online forums are filled with stories of job seekers submitting hundreds of résumés, only to receive a handful of responses—or none at all.
The balance of power has shifted back to employers, leaving workers with fewer options and less leverage.
To understand how this employment climate is affecting the Jewish community, we spoke with Aviva Barrish, director of jobdevelopment, and Faigy Ort, director of placement, both at the Lakewood branch of Professional Career Services (PCS), a division of Agudath Israel that provides assistance and training. We also spoke with Chaim Desser, CEO of the employment placement agency Poel Group Staffing, and Marc Bodner, a chairman and board member of several large companies and a former CEO.
The Shift in the Job Market
When did the job market take a turn for the worse? According to experts at PCS, the shift began about a year ago—and it has affected nearly every industry.
“There’s no one who isn’t touched,” said Faigy Ort. “From real estate to healthcare, the impact is everywhere.”
Beyond struggling to land jobs, many applicants aren’t even sure if their résumés are being seen. “People come to me and say, ‘I’ve sent out 20 résumés, and maybe two responded.’ I find that really shocking,” Mrs. Ort shared.
Chaim Desser observed that while blue-collar jobs remain relatively stable, they aren’t the positions that most Jewish job seekers are pursuing. Meanwhile, the industries in which many in the community look for work are struggling.
“I have a special department for healthcare, and for doctors and nurses I don’t see any change,” he noted. “And nobody is hiring in real estate right now. Commercial mortgage interest rates are high and companies are watching their pockets. Financially, they’re not ready to take on new hires.”
The construction industry is facing similar obstacles. “There aren’t many large new projects. Companies that used to forecast their hiring needs months in advance—bringing in workers ahead of time to stay ahead of demand—aren’t doing that anymore. That’s causing a slowdown.”
Construction, Mr. Desser explained, is a massive sector encompassing everything from flooring to concrete and roofing to windows. “We’re talking about hundreds of companies and thousands of employees, many from the heimishe community, who have built their careers in this field over the past 20 years.”
However, he pointed out that the downturn isn’t universal. “I have clients in Florida and Texas, where construction is booming.”
The decline in real estate has had a domino effect on related industries, Mrs. Ort noted. “Mortgage brokers, insurance companies—they’re all feeling the impact.”
Even in healthcare, where doctors and nurses remain in demand, other roles have been hit hard. “Medical billing and similar jobs are struggling because companies are outsourcing. They’re closing departments left and right and sending the work overseas for a fraction of the cost. A few companies I work with personally haven’t hired in a long time. When I called to ask if they were hiring, they told me they had outsourced entire billing and tracking departments to the Philippines or South America.”
This shift has made life harder for those who remain employed. “The workers left behind are unhappy,” Mrs. Ort said. “They’re stuck managing outsourced teams that are ‘out to lunch,’ and they end up shouldering extra work that wasn’t originally theirs. Frustrated, they leave—which is why companies are cutting corners at every turn.”
But there are exceptions. Some healthcare sectors are expanding, especially services for children with autism. “Companies in the Jewish world are making more money in areas like ABA services,” she noted.
The Covid Effect
According to Mrs. Ort, the roots of today’s job market struggles go back to the pandemic.
“When Covid happened, a lot of people were sent packing from their jobs. Then, afterward, there was a hiring frenzy. Companies were throwing money left, right and center just to get workers through the door.”
Many employees had gotten used to staying home and were reluctant to return to the workplace unless it was absolutely necessary. With demand outpacing the supply of willing workers, companies hired anyone they could.
But the bubble eventually burst. “After about a year, companies started taking stock. They realized, ‘We’re not bringing in the revenue we expected, but we’re paying inflated salaries. Why are we overpaying for entry-level roles?’ That led to layoffs, consolidations and downsizing.” As a result, the number of available jobs shrank.
The real estate industry saw even more dramatic swings. The rush to buy homes during the pandemic drove prices to unprecedented heights. Eventually, the market cooled. Buyers dried up and so did real estate jobs.
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