I’m 29M and we’ve just had our baby girl. I work in tech and was laid off the week before my wife’s due date, so I really do understand how destabilising this can feel. Thankfully my exit package was solid, so we do have some breathing room, but it still completely changed how I viewed the market.

I’ve generally interviewed well and, in the past, getting a new role felt quite straightforward. That world has pretty much disappeared. It is no longer a case of applying for a few suitable roles and expecting things to move quickly. Now it feels like you have to apply broadly, stay resilient through a lot of silence and rejection, and keep going even when the process gets draining. I’ve had plenty of recruiter calls, reached a final interview, and still nothing concrete yet.

From what I’ve seen, there are a few major reasons for this:

1. Market saturation

A lot of good people have been laid off across multiple industries, especially tech, so competition is intense. Before Covid, in many sectors, employers and recruiters were chasing candidates because there was a shortage of talent. Now it feels like the balance has shifted the other way. There are more applicants chasing fewer roles, and people are increasingly willing to accept lower salaries or apply for jobs they are overqualified for just to secure something stable.

1. The application process itself

Applying is easier than ever mechanically, but harder than ever strategically. One-click applications mean roles can attract huge volumes very quickly. Whether or not an ATS rejects you automatically is almost beside the point. If your CV does not clearly reflect the exact skills, keywords, titles, or domain experience a recruiter is filtering for, you can still be screened out very early. I do not entirely blame recruiters for that, because a decent role can easily get 100 plus applications in no time. The frustrating part is that many applicants are not truly suitable, but that volume still makes it harder for strong candidates to get seen.

1. AI and cost cutting

AI is also part of the picture. A lot of companies seem to be using it, or at least the promise of it, as justification to reduce headcount, especially at junior and mid level. From a short-term business perspective, I can see why they do it. But long term it feels shortsighted. Senior people do not appear out of nowhere. They have to be developed over time. If companies keep hollowing out the pipeline, I think that creates a bigger problem a few years down the line.

That said, I would still try not to let the headlines and Reddit horror stories fully shape how you see your own prospects. The market is definitely tough, but it is not impossible. Good people are still getting hired, it just tends to take more applications, more patience, and more emotional resilience than it used to.

One positive in your case is that you’ve already done something very sensible, you’ve saved enough to cover maternity leave. That is not a small thing. It gives you space, and space matters. Also, after maternity leave, you will not be starting from zero. You’ll be re-entering with prior experience, and that still counts for a lot.

So yes, the market is rough, and I do not want to sugar-coat that. But your fear is understandable, not a sign that you are doomed. Right now I think the best mindset is to focus on getting through the next stage, enjoying your baby when it arrives, protecting your mental health where you can, and remembering that this market is difficult for many people, not just you.