The September unemployment rate is unavailable due to the federal government shutdown, but the ADP National Employment Report showed that the private sector eliminated 32,000 jobs in September compared to the same period a year ago.

The report was produced by ADP Research, an institute on labor market and employee performance research, and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.

"Despite the strong economic growth we saw in the second quarter, this month's release further validates what we've been seeing in the labor market, that US employers have been cautious with hiring," Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, said in a statement.

Major job posting site Indeed reported that as of Sept 26, the number of job openings had dropped by 2.5 percent compared to August. Its data showed that almost all sectors — with the sole exception of banking and financing — posted fewer jobs than a year ago.

About one-third of all 45 professional sectors declined by more than 10 percent. Scientific research and development showed the largest drop, with almost a quarter fewer jobs available compared to a year ago.

According to BioSpace — a site for life science news and jobs — companies in the biotech and pharma sector are expected to lay off 24,000 employees in the third quarter.

For many individuals looking for a job, the reality on the ground is harsh.

Chuck, whose last name was withheld for privacy, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin last summer with a bachelor's degree in computer science. He is losing hope of finding a job after more than a year.

"I have applied for hundreds and hundreds of positions, but I got only a few responses, three phone interviews, one Zoom interview and zero offers," he told China Daily. "I am considering applying for graduate school instead because so far it has been impossible for me to land a job."

Timothy, whose last name was withheld for privacy, is a computer engineer in his mid-30s in Dallas. He regrets leaving his previous job at the end of last year.

Having never found it hard to land a new position before, he decided to take a break last year as the Christmas season was approaching. He began trying to re-enter the job market in April.

To his surprise and dismay, nothing has materialized.

"I have never experienced a job market this bad. I was in and out of a job a few times, but I was always able to get one within a month or two, often getting multiple offers. Now I feel quite desperate," Timothy said.

What job recruiters are seeing confirms the tough reality for those job hunters.

David Leshowitz, senior vice-president of Management Recruiters in Boston, told Boston's NPR station WBUR that his company is getting fewer calls from companies demanding workers.

"There used to be five, six, seven opportunities for every candidate that we would recruit," Leshowitz told WBUR. "Maybe now there's only one opportunity."

One recruiter posted on Reddit: "We are in a recession. There are fewer jobs than people applying for those jobs. Salaries are decreasing, not increasing, and the options you have are fewer."

"This is one of the worst times since 2008 to be a job seeker," the recruiter wrote.

According to a USA Today report, some states are already in a recession based on Moody's analysis.

The report showed that 21 states and the District of Columbia, which contribute about a third of US economic activity, are already in a recession. An additional 13 states, representing another third of the economy, are treading water. The remaining 16 states, including Texas and Florida, are growing.

The analysis said that as a whole, the US is on the edge of recession, defined as a significant decline in economic activity across the economy, lasting more than a few months.

Economic experts said that economic uncertainty, created by President Donald Trump's tariff policy and his sometimes quick and sudden decisions, has many companies holding off on investment plans and hiring decisions.

"One of my students works in the supply chain for a major manufacturer. They're obviously going to have to make some new investments to save money, but they can't yet because the policy is so vague," Ed Hirs, a lecturer at the Department of Economics at the University of Houston, told China Daily in a previous interview.

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com