More than a quarter of new hires are taking pay cuts, survey finds

Survey finds 27 percent of new hires in Q4 2025 accepted a pay cut: ZipRecruiter

Most who took pay cuts said they did so because they were unemployed

Pay premium for switching jobs has narrowed considerably, ADP data shows

Survey finds 27 percent of new hires in Q4 2025 accepted a pay cut: ZipRecruiter

Most who took pay cuts said they did so because they were unemployed

Pay premium for switching jobs has narrowed considerably, ADP data shows

(NewsNation) — Landing a job has gotten harder, and many Americans are accepting lower pay to get hired.

More than a quarter (27 percent) of people who recently started new jobs took pay cuts from their previous position, according to ZipRecruiter, while about 16 percent saw no change in pay.

Both figures rose from the prior quarter, a sign that workers are losing negotiating power in a softer labor market.

Most new hires who took pay cuts (65 percent) said they did so because they were unemployed and needed a job, up from 54 percent earlier in 2025.

Only 30 percent of workers negotiated their offers in the fourth quarter, the online hiring platform found, down from 36 percent in the previous period........

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