The rise of ‘doomjobbing’ reveals a hiring system nobody trusts

There’s a word for aimlessly scrolling job ads without mustering the energy to apply to any of them. That word is “doomjobbing,” and it’s often fueled by the anxiety and uncertainty many workers are experiencing from navigating a turbulent and frustrating job market. The term was seemingly coined by an 8-year-old girl who saw her dad scrolling jobs on Linked In after being laid off, and it perfectly captures the feeling of helplessness after redundancy or becoming dissatisfied in a work role. While a position may look interesting at first, the doomjobbing starts when clicking “apply” doesn’t seem worth it, knowing the relentless competition, the hoops you’ll have to jump through, and the possibility of an automatic rejection. Doomjobbing sits in an uncomfortable middle ground where job seekers browse because they want a different future, but stop short of going for it because the process feels exhausting. Like doomscrolling on social media, the habit can become a way of engaging with a problem that feels outside your control. And the long-term consequence of that is a whole working generation who feel anxious and uninspired about the future. Stuck between hope and resignation Joe Patterson, the vice president of workforce and community education at National University in San Diego, tells Fast Company that while healthy career exploration is usually purposeful, with the impetus to follow through, doomjobbing is not. “Doomjobbing tends to be reactive and emotionally driven. Instead of feeling empowered, they feel overwhelmed,” he says. “Over time, that cycle can heighten anxiety and deepen dissatisfaction with their current role, even if their situation hasn’t objectively changed.” In 2026, artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, layoffs continue to ripple through sectors, and many workers are grappling with burnout. At the same time, candidates are using AI to generate polished applications at scale while employers deploy A