Job seekers embrace skills-building during hiring uncertainty, new CompTIA survey shows
6 in 10 job seekers cite a culmination of factors in pursuing career change
Job seekers are taking steps to enhance and expand their workplace skills amid uncertainty about the current job market, according to new research from CompTIA, Inc., the leading global provider of vendor-neutral information technology (IT) training and certification products.
CompTIA’s latest “Job Seeker Trends” report finds that 27% of the U.S. labor market – approximately 45 million people – reported pursuing a new job or career change during the past three months. The percentage is consistent with prior waves of CompTIA’s job market tracking research. Those in the early stages of their career – the 18 to 44 age segment – have the highest incidence of job seeking activity (45% vs. 27% overall).
Job seekers acknowledge a challenging hiring environment on several fronts. In addition to concerns around labor market uncertainty, they cite the time factor of searching, interviewing and related activities, as well as mental fatigue and frustration with situations of employer “over-spec’ing” positions with difficult to clear requirements.
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To put themselves in the best possible position in an increasingly tech-driven workplace, 89% of job seekers recognize the importance of digital fluency skills. Non-active job seekers express a similar intent to build their skills for advancing or avoiding falling beyond in the career. Among the skills intent segment, areas that rate highest include:
- Business or professional (soft) skills
- Digital fluency skills
- Project management skills
- Data and analysis skills
- Technical or cybersecurity skills
- Artificial intelligence skills
“The data confirms job seekers and skills intent workers continue to utilize a range of approaches and tools to support their career progression,” said Amy Carrado, senior director, workforce research, CompTIA. “Despite the challenges, there have never been more resources available to navigate career change.”
CompTIA’s “Job Seeker Trends” study was conducted via an online survey in January 2025. The survey sample of 2,002 respondents was evenly segmented between active job seekers and non-seekers.
CompTIA offers a range of learning resources, including the newly released CompTIA Essentials Series, to help people develop and enhance workplace skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, business acumen and soft skills.
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