[emestifs]

It's a very bad hiring market according to some accounts (personal, as well as people on HN).

US figures are here, https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/employment-l..., click "Information" in the graph options and you'll notice it hasn't rebounded much since the 2022/23 downturn.

If you have people you can get your direct referrals for positions, you'll better your odds of getting something right now vs cold applications.