It's a hiring slowdown. With nearly 800,000 layoffs in the first half of this year, job seekers are facing difficulties, including lengthy application processes and salary reductions.

Despite a low unemployment rate, job seekers are encountering significant difficulties in securing new employment. Layoffs in sectors such as tech, retail, and government have surged by 80% compared to the previous year, with nearly 800,000 people affected in the first half of the year. Many applicants are submitting dozens, or even hundreds, of applications before finding work, and more than half of those surveyed reported needing to apply to over 50 positions before being hired.

In addition to the high volume of applications, job seekers are facing longer hiring timelines and often accepting lower salaries than before. Hiring rates are at their slowest since 2014, and career experts recommend that job seekers focus on self-care, networking, and upskilling during their search to combat burnout and improve their prospects.

Job seekers struggle to find work despite low unemployment rate

Nearly 800,000 people have been laid off in the first half of this year in the tech industry, retail, and of course, the federal government, an 80% increase of the same time last year. Job hunters are finding the experience challenging. We're seeing a lot of job seekers talking about how long the process is taking. Jasmine Escalera is a career expert with Zeti, which looked at the trends job seekers are facing after being laid off, finding one in five people put in more than 100 applications before landing their next gig. Like this tech worker who spoke to Scripps News Group in January. I started immediately applying. I have now applied to well over 100 places. Zeti found a little more than half got hired after submitting more than 50 applications. But applying isn't the only challenge laid off workers are facing. Changes in salary and people having to take positions potentially where they're making less is actually one of the top concerns of job seekers. Paying less and taking longer. 45% of people found a job within one to three months. And for 26%, it took four to six months. So it isn't just about the number of applications. It isn't just about the length of time. We really need to be looking at how the recruiting process is affecting job seekers as well. Hiring rates are slow, the slowest they've been since 2014, despite low unemployment. But Escalera urges job seekers to take care of themselves first before jumping right into job hunting. Burnout is real if you have a job and burnout is real if you've been laid off for sure. She recommends taking a step back, look at industry trends, set a schedule, reach out to your networks and see where you could upskill. Holly Ferfer, Scripps News Group.

Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Gaza with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to assess claims of starvation in the enclave at the center of Israel's war against Hamas.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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Ljubljana

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New York

U.S. sanctions Palestinian Authority in growing diplomatic rift

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine parliament reverses bill on anti-corruption agencies amid crisis

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Ottawa

Global Tariffs

Trump raises Canada tariff to 35%, grants extension to Mexico

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Trump's envoy meets Netanyahu for Gaza aid, ceasefire push

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Trump envoy in Israel as Canada joins call on Palestinian statehood

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Washington

Trump says U.S. will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports

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Rio de Janeiro

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Okinawa

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Australia said on Wednesday (July 30) it will add YouTube to sites covered by its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site and potentially setting up a legal challenge.

Canberra

Australia expands teen social media ban to YouTube

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Trump says U.S. to hit India with 25% tariff starting August 1

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Birmingham

Ozzy Osbourne fans flood Birmingham streets to mourn late music icon

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters before departing from Scotland that Jeffrey Epstein poached workers from his Mar-a-Lago spa. Trump mentioned Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, in his latest remarks.

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Hawaii

Tsunami reaches Hawaii after huge quake shakes Russia's Far East

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Ghislaine Maxwell offers to testify before Congress

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London

UK to recognize Palestinian state unless Israel takes action

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Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was found guilty of bribery and witness tampering in an unprecedented trial that has shaken the country.

Bogotá

Ex-Colombian president Uribe convicted of witness tampering, bribery

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev posted on social media that President Trump's deadline push for a ceasefire with Ukraine is "a threat and a step towards war."

Moscow

Russian official calls Trump's ceasefire deadline 'a threat'

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Zaporizhzhia

Russian air strikes hit a prison in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, 17 killed

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