Q4 2025 Insights
Private Educational Services employment has shown a generally stable trend recently, with seasonally adjusted employment figures hovering near 4.0 million persons in the first part of the year and into August 2025. Job openings in the broader Private Education and Health Services sector remain substantial, with over 1.5 million openings as of August 2025.
The sentiment among employees in this sector is highly competitive and often stressed, contrasting with the general stability suggested by overall employment figures.
K-12 Teachers: The job market for teaching is described as unusually competitive, especially in highly desirable geographic areas, due to a combination of factors. These factors include the exhaustion of COVID relief funds leading to budget tightening and position collapses in districts, uncertain economic conditions causing fewer experienced teachers to retire or leave their positions, and decreasing overall enrollment in some regions due to demographic shifts. Experienced teachers are being "Reduction in Force" (RIF'd) in some areas, and new teachers face a brutally difficult entry market. There are still many openings in less desirable or specialized roles (like Special Education, although, even those roles are becoming competitive) and in schools in less popular areas, which is a common pivot point for job seekers. Overall, the sentiment is high anxiety and a need to be flexible on location or subject to secure a role.
Academics (Higher Education) and Others: The broader job market is described as "devastatingly cooked" and bleak, which also impacts academics seeking to pivot outside of the sector. While some comments suggest that higher education itself is doing "great" (relatively speaking)" and that AI replacement is not an immediate concern for certain roles, many workers across industries, including education, report high rates of burnout, with causes cited as too much work, lack of resources, and economic anxiety leading to labor shortages where more work is dumped on fewer people. For those contemplating a career switch, the general consensus is that every field feels oversaturated, adding to the pressure and feeling of being stuck.
August 2025
It all begins with an idea.
Employee sentiment in education is a major source of concern. Discussions within online teacher communities reveal a deep-seated burnout problem. Teachers frequently cite unsustainable workloads, high expectations, and a lack of administrative support as primary causes. Kids also prolifically using AI-driven tools to complete homework assignments and projects has led to many educators all but throwing in the towel. There is a strong sentiment that teacher "negativity" is not the cause of burnout, but rather a symptom of it. Teachers report working well-beyond their contracted hours, with one post noting an average of "2-8 hours of free work each week." They also feel a lack of respect from both students, administrators, and overly ineffective parents who are too consumed with their own lives and are often aggrieved when teachers attempt to get them involved in the lives of their children. All of these factors contribute to a feeling of isolation and a decline in morale. Many feel that leadership does not have their backs when it comes to disciplinary issues and often introduces new initiatives without addressing the underlying workload issues.
The education sector's employment trends are complex, with different segments showing conflicting signals. While hiring for college graduates is expected to remain stable, with nearly 90% of employers anticipating they will maintain or increase hiring for the college class of 2025, there are signs of trouble in the broader education sector. A recent ADP employment report indicated that the education and health sector has posted a net loss of jobs so far this year. This is likely due to restructuring and cost-cutting measures. For example, some private universities have announced layoffs of hundreds of staff members this past July as part of a voluntary separation program, with involuntary layoffs to follow.