AI Adoption Is Stressing Out Job Seekers, With 58% Saying It Makes the Job Market More Challenging

When asked what they would use AI for in the job application process, a large majority of workers (84%) said they would use it in at least some capacity, with more than 1 in 3 (37%) saying they would use it to create their resume.

Other popular uses of AI included:

• 43% – Searching job boards for suitable jobs
• 39% – Proofreading job application materials
• 37% – Designing and formatting an attractive resume
• 25% – Filling in information on hiring portals
• 22% – Optimizing applications to get past automatic (AI) screenings
• 22% – Tailoring application materials to each job
• 15% – Completing the entire application process (all of the above)

Just 16% of people said they wouldn’t use AI in any way.

Our data showed that men are significantly more comfortable with heavy AI use than women, being nearly twice as likely to use it to handle the entire application process (20% vs. 11%).

We asked respondents how they felt about using AI tools for job-hunting. The two most popular answers were “cautious” (51%) and “curious” (45%), followed by “excited” (31%).

However, there was a clear gender split:

• Men are significantly more likely than women to feel excited about AI (37% vs. 25%).
• Women are more likely than men to feel reluctant (32% vs. 22%), anxious (26% vs. 17%), and confused (17% vs. 9%).

“This trend held across our results,” said Mark Slack, career expert at SideHustles.com. “We found that as a group, men are more gung-ho about AI and more willing to use it at virtually every stage of the job application process.”

Despite AI’s popularity, many people are sensitive to the risks of using it to create their resumes or automatically apply for jobs. 42% of respondents said they were worried that if they did, AI detectors might flag their applications, disqualifying them.

They were also concerned that AI might:

• 38% – Fail to mention relevant qualifications
• 37% – Make their applications sound “generic”
• 37% – Apply to jobs they’re not qualified for
• 35% – Format their applications incorrectly
• 34% – Overstate their qualifications

20% of people also reported that they have ethical concerns about using AI to apply for jobs. Just 17% said they have no concerns at all.

To put our findings into context, we asked respondents how long they typically spend preparing a single application (including writing a cover letter and customizing their resume) without the use of AI.

• 10% spend 0–15 minutes
• 33% spend 15–30 minutes
• 32% spend 30–60 minutes
• 17% spend 1–2 hours
• 5% spend 2–3 hours
• 4% spend more than 3 hours

The average (mean) time to apply for a single job without the use of AI tools is 51.9 minutes.

“This suggests that in a tough job market where a typical worker has to send out dozens or hundreds of resumes, creating each application manually is a major burden,” said Slack. “It isn’t surprising that people—especially ones who desperately need a job—are turning to AI to cut down on the hours required to land even one interview.”

Whether it’s due to AI’s effects or just the current economy, a majority (54%) of respondents reported that the job market in 2026 has damaged their mental health.

Women are in even stronger agreement, with 58% saying that it’s taken a mental toll.

We asked respondents what they’d do if an AI tool mistakenly inflated their qualifications and they were invited to interview for a job they weren’t qualified for.

• 52% said they would probably or definitely attend
• 22% said they would probably or definitely cancel
• 26% had mixed feelings or weren’t sure

Here again, there was a gender gap. Men were more likely to say they would “definitely” (32% vs. 18%) or “probably” attend (32% vs. 25%). Women were twice as likely to say they would cancel (28% vs. 14%).

We asked workers which statement about the job market they identified with more strongly:

• “Manually applying is still the best way to succeed as a job seeker.” (68% agreed)
• “If you don’t use AI to automatically apply to jobs, you’re placing yourself at a disadvantage in today’s job market.” (32% agreed)

A closer look revealed that although most people aren’t comfortable outsourcing the entire application process to AI just yet, several groups are wavering.

For instance, men are significantly more likely than women to believe that not using AI puts you at a disadvantage (40% vs. 26%).

The same goes for workers earning $50,000+ per year and those with at least a bachelor’s degree, who preferred the pro-AI response in similar proportions (41% to 25% and 39% to 28%, respectively).

“If heavy AI users are correct and this technology ends up being necessary to compete, groups that tend to be anti-AI may be at risk of getting left behind,” commented Slack. “Our data suggests that the impact of the shift to AI may be disproportionately felt by women, lower-income workers, and those without degrees.”

There are reports of companies prohibiting job seekers from using AI to prepare their applications while themselves using AI tools to automatically screen (and reject) candidates. We found that:

• 56% of workers think this practice is an unfair double standard
• 16% think it’s fair
• 28% have mixed feelings or aren’t sure

Women report a significantly stronger belief that the practice is unfair than men. The same goes for currently unemployed workers, 48% of whom said the practice was “completely” unfair, as compared with 33% of full-time employees.

We asked whether it was acceptable to inflate a resume (e.g., by claiming qualifications you don’t actually have) to get past the AI screening stage and ensure your resume will be seen by a real person.

• 44% believe that inflating a resume to get past an AI screening is acceptable
• 26% believe it’s unacceptable
• 30% have mixed feelings or aren’t sure

Surprisingly, despite being more pro-AI, men are more likely than women to say that inflating a resume to get past an automatic AI filter is acceptable (51% vs. 38%).

There is also a generational split, with almost exactly half of workers under 30 saying it’s acceptable. By contrast, just one-third (33%) of workers aged 50–59 agree.

We asked whether human beings or AI systems were more likely to be biased against applicants due to their age, ethnicity, gender, etc.

• 38% said AI hiring systems are more biased
• 29% said human managers are more biased
• 34% reported having mixed feelings or being uncertain

When asked whether AI has made the job market more or less challenging for job seekers:

• 58% said AI makes it more challenging
• 17% said AI makes it less challenging
• 25% said they have mixed feelings or aren’t sure

Interestingly, degree holders are significantly more negative about AI’s impact on the job market, with 67% saying it’s making things harder (and 53% of those without advanced degrees agreeing).

A strong majority (60%) of respondents said they at least “sometimes” worry about their ability to compete with people who “heavily” use AI (either to job-hunt or to do their actual work). Only 14% reported never worrying about this.

“Although we found that most people are open to using AI, that might be out of necessity, not interest,” said Slack. “Our survey’s respondents reported a fair amount of stress about AI’s growing role in the job market, and it’s possible that most current workers wish the AI arms race had never begun. However, for better or for worse, AI tools will almost certainly become more prevalent in this area, not less.”

There have been recent reports—some of which have gone viral—of job seekers using social media and even dating apps to search for jobs or network professionally.

We asked respondents which apps, if any, they had used in this way.

• 45% have used Facebook
• 26% have used Instagram
• 22% have used TikTok
• 5% have used Tinder
• 3% have used Hinge
• 3% have used Bumble

48% haven’t used any of the apps listed above to search for jobs or otherwise advance their career.

Men were much more likely to report using each dating app we asked about than women:

• 9% have used Tinder (versus 2% of women)
• 6% have used Hinge (versus 1% of women)
• 5% have used Bumble (versus 2% of women)

However, in absolute terms, relatively few people report using dating apps to job-hunt or network, regardless of demographic.

Other social media apps are more popular, with around one-third (31%) of workers aged 18–29 using TikTok for professional purposes, and nearly half (48%) using Instagram.

We surveyed 600 American workers in February 2026 about AI’s effect on the job market. To qualify, respondents were required to have applied for a job in the past 12 months (including their current job, for employed respondents).

24% of respondents were aged 18–29, 31% were aged 30–39, 29% were aged 40–49, 14% were aged 50–59, and 3% were aged 60–64. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

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Side Hustles has been featured in various publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and CNBC.

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