When are UX Jobs Coming Back?

In this video, I'll answer one of the most pressing questions within the UX community: when are the job openings coming back?
This is also a followup from the live stream on UX trends for 2024 run sometime back: kzbin.info...
More from VAEXPERIENCE:
📌 View other videos and subscribe to this channel:
/ @vaexperience
📌 Join channel membership to access exclusive perks:
/ @vaexperience
📌 Experience Designed Podcast (available on KZbin, Spotify and every major podcasting platform): • Experience Designed Po...
📌 Design Squad UX community on Discord: / discord
📌 Get Into UX Book: amzn.to/3EgmiXQ
Other resources to check out (affiliate links that support the channel):
🔗 Get 3 months free of the IDF Courses and Bootcamps: www.interactio...
🔗 UX design, User research and Innovation courses from Google and top US universities on Coursera: imp.i384100.ne...
🔗 UX design and research books I recommend: blog.vaexperie...
🔗 Design leadership books: blog.vaexperie...
#ux #userexperience #productdesign

[@jasian3050]

I’m just going to say this. Juniors ARE getting hired. I’ve seen early career folks getting roles in UX. The issue is, at least for some, that if your work is average it’s just going to make it that much harder for you to break in. This is the hard truth, the jobs are here; but only for those whose visual craft and execution are top notch. Either make yourself reach that level or give up and pivot to another career. It’s really that simple.

[@twinblade93]

In Europe (and am talking about major EU countries otherwise u need to move) there is 1 junior job per month. 1000 applicants for each one of them. Do the math and you need to be in the 0.1%. All of this for 30k per year. By the way the "Junior" job is not very junior. It requires 2-3 years WORK experience and industry specialisation (for a junior specialisation, that s a new trend lol). That is not junior IMO, that midlevel that pays junior. Training schemes are out of the question for graduates ofc. I used to interview with tesla and pretty much every company I used to apply for 2 years ago. My portfolio is 1000% better now and I have double the experience but 1000% harder to find a job somehow. Shit is bad. And anyone telling you otherwise is privileged for not having to search in that market. You don't need to be good. You need to be Google level top 0.1% and be willing to settle for an average company. If not change career. Am very close to get to that level now but that took me a year unemployed while working really hard on my portfolio and coming from a family that could support me during that time (which am very thankful to)

[@poorvashuklavideos]

I got a job, 3 weeks into it, grateful for your videos

[@lildanggun46]

Congrats!! 🎉

[@luvacias]

@@iamjadachristineme too!! would be very insightful for us 🎉

[@poorvashuklavideos]

@@lildanggun46 thank you

[@jayzee981]

Me and a friend both got recently hired in Senior roles after looking from the start of the year. We both had to just keep applying to almost evey UX role we could find. At my new place, they are also talking about hiring a junior UX designer, but they haven't created or advertised the role yet. I guess it will happen closer to the end of the year or next year.

[@kibriakhalil3019]

Im from the UK. I recently secured a contract role (2.5 YOE). Ive noticed my application to interview ratio has increased slightly. Its much better than it was 6 months ago but still hard. I reckon the market will improve significantly after the first interest rate cut. I reckon Itll be a solid year till applicant competition dies down as more people get back into their roles. Id say we’ve been through the worst but theres a long road to recovery. Fingers crossed!

[@The_Bobber_Men]

The UX/Design job market is extremely challenging and competitive at the moment. Based on my experience last year, precisely 1.5-2 years ago, I used to get 2-3 calls or messages every day from recruiters for jobs, but currently, it's a rare occurrence. Additionally, it's extremely difficult for beginners to get a job at this time.

[@Mike604]

Still looking for work?

[@The_Bobber_Men]

@@Mike604 No

[@Ralphunreal]

i hope by the fall it improves. in the meantime im working on better projects for my portfolio to prepare.

[@vaexperience]

Nice, enhancing portfolio in this tough phase is the right thing to do 👍

[@thinkpadx60]

I gave up and became a product manager

[@pierreramzy8448]

You had an easier time with that vs UX?

[@thinkpadx60]

@@pierreramzy8448 the role has its challenges but more hiring

[@Anchorank]

Ah. Really?

[@stephanieliu8320]

Honestly tho product manager is better than product designer

[@tamiresslelis]

In my case, I was working full-time for an early-stage startup, but now they've reduced me to part-time with a 60% salary cut. The startup is still in the early stage and no one looks at the data. Now, I'm fully seeking new opportunities, but also considering company culture. Startups that view design merely as making things look pretty are no longer an option. we deserve the best😎

That was my case as well.

[@IsraelLucasSousaSilva]

Been a mid level for a while and quit my last job to focus on my master's. Hope this degree makes a difference on the job hunting 🙃 seems like things are hard nowadays

[@TobasscoJelly]

I believe the UX jobs may not ever return to what they were for where I am based in the world. Some of those roles will be shifting to different markets than the one I am in. I have heard of orgs cutting overheads and standing up design teams in other locations outside Europe/US. I think we will have AI and org cost-cutting impacting the future of UX roles. Maybe I have my pesimistic cap on today. It has been raining non-stop in the UK for weeks. 😅

[@vaexperience]

They will, eventually though

[@starogre]

yea everyone is worried about AI. when really their worry should be outsourcing to cheaper countries. once all the teams are remote overseas, then they can start laying them off for AI instead. while locals in expensive areas will be massively disrupted for awhile for example, a friend of mine in the US is a lead ux manager at their company. but their entire design team (still kinda small) is all in India

[@iain.flatestwhite]

With the amount of terrible stuff going on in the world right now and domino effect of others actions it's kinda hard not to have the pessimistic hazmat suit on, let alone the cap. I'm also UK based and my job is as safe (as it can be) but it feels like my salary and career are stagnant. I'm just keeping my head down, doing good work and hoping the world starts being less of a dick to each other in the near future.

[@TobasscoJelly]

@@starogre Good points and I agree with you, I've had similar conversations. Its great for folks in other regions of the world I guess!

[@TobasscoJelly]

@@vaexperience fingers crossed! Top content as always, thank you!

[@lAlegenny]

Thanks for this valuable content, I just subscribed to your channel

[@katjushkakrushka]

Don't know what to say - my husband was laid off in April last year, still struggling... What has happened is that he is receiving more interview calls in the last month, comparing to the first half of the year. Mind you, he is a stronger medior/senior with years of experience, primarily in a serious American corporation. What he always says is that the only thing he needs is for companies to ACTUALLY start hiring. Meanwhile, he does some freelancing here and there and helps me in my small business part-time (they also say my industry - translation/localization is also "dead" but thank God I have a lot of work and am also a university professor). What worries me is that some say you are "unhirable" in tech after 2 years. I would be interested to know your opinion on this. Thank you for your informative videos.

[@vaexperience]

Hey, I hope he finds a job soon - the openings are picking up the speed. Re: unhirable in tech after 2 years is BS. The point of UX is that it can be applied to any technical+business challenge and human-centricity has no expiration date IMO.

[@katjushkakrushka]

Thank you, my husband actually has the same opinion and is very sure of himself, as he has a deep knowledge of UX in many ways, he has always "built" something, knows how to fix anything in the house so we never need a handyman. But what frustrates me is that the job has become something "fancy", "anyone who likes nice images can do it", "you need no tech knowledge"... I feel like anyone could waltz in and get this job a few years ago, and those still have it whereas a lot of quality candidates are still struggling. Some girls were even posting videos like - how I became a UX expert in 3 months. I feel like hiring managers are looking for "colorful screens" rather than true gist of the position, but it can be just my frustration with our situation...

[@AbdulWahab-pk4jx]

Do you have any course or playlist fully only on UX? Which I can take as a course

[@alexsinov]

Hey, I'm just going to lay it out here. What's the basis for these correlations? There is a correlation between them but is there any causation? Do you have any proof that these indicators are an actual influence on the market? Is this a "very bad UX" video; Is the UX this video is very bad? What are you saying?

[@YOUPIMatin123]

I had a C- level telling me UX jobs are useless, he uses chat GPT to do research and that UX jobs are bullshit jobs

[@npm5893]

Hi! I'm a junior designer with no real experience and with no job. Can you tell me what should I do to get that experience even if nobody is hiring you? I hear that you need to get experience everywhere but it is so difficult for me to understand how is that possible with no job. I come from a sector where you get the experience working in a company, not by yourself. If you could help me to understand the way, please. Thank you!

[@lildanggun46]

@npm5893 you should pick up Vy’s book, Getting Into UX: A Foolproof Guide to Getting Your First User Experience Job. He goes into that topic in detail. It’s a very good practical, honest, actionable resource! 📔✨

[@DeliciousGreenEscape]

Create your own dream projects, put your heart and soul into it, notate that these are personal projects - using this method wether one is a junior or senior + is always a good strategy. Best wishes on your new job to come :)

[@npm5893]

@@DeliciousGreenEscape That's what I have done so far, thought it seems it's not enough for the lack of actual experience.

[@merlinmilton7596]

Jackson Nancy Brown Christopher Thomas Patricia

[@fiveshorts]

They're not. Wake up.

[@phishdough]

What’s annoying about this video is that it’s addressing the audience as, like, experienced seniors. You know damn well most of us are juniors, so even if things do start to pick up, we’re not going to be the first people companies want to hire anyways. So this video doesn’t even apply to that vast majority of people watching and is basically pointless.

[@vaexperience]

Think bigger. As mentioned in the video: there have been junior openings. Besides that, the more of senior roles (especially management) are there the more those people will initiate hiring less skilled and junior people. If you don't understand this relationship between seniors having more roles and you benefiting from it, then stay annoyed. 😀

[@phishdough]

@@vaexperience fair enough

[@statusquoreject]

I'm a senior UX/UI designer and I am still having no luck finding a job. I've been unemployed for almost 3 years now.

[@looksmatteronly]

We'll find a new role it's your skills most likely are bad ​@@statusquoreject

[@statusquoreject]

@@looksmatteronly What a buffoonish reply. Do you know me or my skills? Have you seen my resume or portfolio? I've worked for companies like Bosch, Google, Apple, SAIC, GE, Smart Design, and Lunar Design. I wouldn't have got those jobs if my skills are bad. I can do UI, UX, and industrial design and my designs have made it to market and even resulted in several design awards including a Red Dot Design Award. My designs have also received numerous patents and have been shown at CES. I live in Silicon Valley where there have been 200K tech layoffs. Plenty of very skilled professionals are out of work. It sounds like your deductive reasoning and comprehension skills are what's bad & that you're in inexperienced wannabe designer who knows nothing about the local tech job market.