A sluggish job market has led to a surge in applications, overwhelming employers.

Job seekers are struggling to get responses, even after applying to dozens of openings.

The national job market in 2025 has been marked by sluggish job growth , a surge in applications to businesses and reluctance for employers to add new roles to their companies because of uncertainty caused by tariffs .

In Lane County, the same trends have surfaced, leaving both job seekers and employers feeling awash in the face of instability in the labor market.

In an increasingly digital era, it may seem like automating application and hiring processes could increase productivity.

But in practice, employers are seeing mountains of applications for entry-level positions and job seekers aren’t hearing back about

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