These TikTokers have “a bone to pick with America” over their employment status.
Young Gen Z and millennial influencers are facing social media backlash – and some commenters’ support – about not being able to secure a job in the 2023 economy.
“So I’m headed to my serving job, I f***ing hate it,” fitness influencer Alison Johnson posted to TikTok in October. “I make more money serving. I have my literal business marketing degree, that put me in a cute $80,000 in debt.”
“And I make more serving sushi rolls,” she continued to explain. “I’ve been applying to marketing jobs… for weeks now, and the pay cut is insane. But the jobs that are like a cute $150,000 to $200,000 a year, I’m not getting those.”
In a similar rant-style video, another potential candidate who goes by her first name, Natasha, said she knew she was giving a “hot take, but hear me out.”
“I really hope my dad doesn’t see this,” Natasha started. “I have been unemployed since November of 2022, and we are now in August of 2023. I’ve been working in human resources for five years, and I have applied to literally a million jobs.”
“No matter how many jobs I apply to, getting a job feels impossible. The reality is we are in a recession right now,” she added, “and while it may not feel that way for some people, it definitely feels like that with all of the inflation. My hot take is to literally just wait ‘til things blow over.”
While the TikTok users complain about difficulties in finding a fulfilling job, the November jobs report released last week showed the U.S. economy added 199,000 jobs, above analyst forecasts. Additionally, the national unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 3.7% after rising for three straight months, driven by a sizable drop in the jobless rate for teenagers.
Job gains were mostly concentrated in a handful of sectors last month, with the biggest gains in health care (76,800), government (49,000) and leisure and hospitality (40,000). Hiring in manufacturing also trended upward, reflecting the return of UAW workers who had been on strike against General Motors, Stellantis and Ford.
Employment declined in retail trade, reflecting declines in department stores as well as furniture, home furnishings and electronics retailers.
But despite the optimistic data, TikTokers feel it doesn’t accurately represent their job search struggles.
“I’m an almost 25-year-old,” Johnson also said in her viral post, “going against corporate a** America, people with so much experience, all I got is my degree… the degree was the experience.”
Comments on TikTok side with her defense: “Her point was she makes more as a server than with a degree”; “She’s exactly right, it’s frustrating to not benefit after hard work… how do you put in experience when you don’t get a chance”; “What people aren’t getting is she’s not expecting a $150k job, but she expects a good paying one, with $80k student loans she cannot afford to reduce.”
Natasha clarified in her video that she’s not advising potential hires to be “lazy or just throw in the towel,” but: “Unless you know somebody or you’re super qualified, there is like a 9 out of 10 chance that you are not getting the job.”
Corporate worker-turned career coach J.T. O’Donnell explained why it feels like you can’t find a job in 2023.
“The biggest mistake people are making right now when it comes to looking for work, is using the traditional approaches,” O’Donnell said on TikTok. “You’re probably heading over to those really big job boards, like Indeed or a Zip Recruiter, and you’re applying and not getting any results. Maybe you’re even over-applying at this point… and you’re still not getting any results. That’s because everybody else is doing the same thing.”
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The career coach pointed out that there’s too much competition, and that studies show only about 3% of online applicants ever hear back from the employer. O’Donnell encouraged changing your mindset from a job seeker, to a job “shopper.”
“You have to start to look for the 20 or 30 companies in your area that you would like to work for that hire for your skill sets,” she said. “Employers are brands, and when you can share with them your connection story and tell them why you admire and respect them and how you came to know that they’re a great place to work, you’re going to stand out.”
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.