This morning I saw a video clip on Instagram about the job market in 2025 and what we can expect in 2026. A young lady with the Instagram name of “The Elite Recruiter” posted a video clip titled “Year in Review: The 2025 Career & Job Market Reality Check”. I want to explore what she said and maybe implement some of them in my 2026 career & job search.

“If you are still managing your career like it’s 2015, you are already behind. People are done with corporate spin, people want the truth about how careers actually work – and they want strategy not platitudes. 

You can not plan for 2026 if you haven’t reflected on 2025.

• Loyalty stopped officially protecting careers,

• Average tenure is under 4 years,

• After year two promotion probability drops fast,

• External opportunity drop by nearly 70% if you stay too long,

• The “A Player” economy took over

• “A Players” are not earning 1.85x more than everyone else,

• That gap is heading to 2x and beyond in 2026, it is no longer about effort – it’s about judgement, ownership and visibility

• Movement beats staying put – decisively. 5 years at the same company roughly 14% growth – strategic moves every two to three years 50-70% growth

• AI became the divider. Daily AI usage crossed 50% and AI fluency already commands a 26% salary premium. Watching this from the sideline is no longer neutral – it’s a career risk

• Personal Brand stops being optional. People who show up consistently get 24x more inbound opportunities. Silence is no longer humility – it’s invisibility.

That is the 2025 Reality Check!

Career Audit: answer these honestly:

1. How long have you been in your current role?

2. If it’s over 3 years, am I being promoted or just depended on?

3. If your leadership team had to rank you today, would they see you as a “A Player", “B Player” or “C Player” (not how you see yourself but how they see you)?

4. Are you using AI daily or are you just hearing about it? Because by 2026, AI fluency won’t be impressive – it’ll be expected.

5. If I googled you today would I immediately know what you’re exceptional at and if you stopped working tomorrow would opportunities still find you? That’s the difference between having a job and having leverage!

What’s coming in 2026:

• Traditional employment drops to about 62% and keeps falling.

• Fractional and portfolio careers go mainstream

• AI Fluency become mandatory

• Networks replace resumes

• Careers split into three paths: proactive, comfortable, and disrupted

Your actions in 2026 decide which group you are in. If you want motivation, clarity and a real plan for 2026 – get her newsletter.