THE JOB MARKET HAS BEEN CONTRACTING FOR 31 MONTHS

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

White-collar hiring has contracted for 31 months, with professional and technical roles shrinking despite stable overall employment. The bigger change is repeated headcount deferrals, leaving existing teams to absorb work indefinitely. Instead of waiting for hiring to recover, identify what you're actually paid for beyond your job title. Turn those skills into something clients or smaller companies would pay for. Build a small version while still employed, then review your progress in 6 months.