Mid-career and feeling stuck? Here’s how to reclaim your value

Entry-level hiring is slowing and management is shrinking. Mid-career professionals are left with more responsibility without more authority. Here’s how to reclaim your role.

Skim the headlines and today’s career story belongs to two groups: anxious new grads at the bottom and embattled executives at the top. U.S. entry-level postings have fallen about 35% since early 2023, according to labor research firm Revelio Labs. Above them, the structure is thinning: in a 2025 Korn Ferry survey of 15,000 professionals, 41% said their companies trimmed management layers last year.