Is LinkedIn Failing Black Job Seekers? Here’s What One Economic Expert Had to Say

If you’re having a rough experience on LinkedIn, you’re not alone. You polish and rewrite your resume relentlessly, apply to what seems like an endless number of openings, and send connection requests into what feels like a black hole, only to hear nothing in response or see little to no results. For Black job seekers, especially, the frustration is just about bubbling over, and opportunities feel farther away than ever before.

But the real question is: Is LinkedIn really failing us — or have we been using it wrong all along? To shed light on this pressing matter, The Root caught up with LinkedIn Economist Kory Kantenga to find out what job seekers can do differently to achieve better results and build the professional journey they truly want. According to Kantenga, folks may be skimping on the “social” aspect of the digital platform and forgetting that LinkedIn is designed for more than just job applications.

Let’s unpack the issues job seekers are facing and how we can utilize LinkedIn to work for us.

The Job Market is Slow

“I hear a lot that people are applying to jobs and are not hearing back. One of the reasons is because hiring is about 30% slower than what it was in 2022,” Kantenga told The Root. “We’ve had this massive slowdown in hiring. We haven’t seen as many job opportunities on LinkedIn and in the overall labor market.”

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Your lack of results may feel like a personal attack; however, there’s no shortage of users venting about being “ghosted” after submitting their applications and expressing overall frustration with the hiring process.

According to survey findings shared with The Root from Censuswide for LinkedIn in July 2026, 51% of first-generation Black professionals say they lack the connections or contacts needed to help advance their careers. Confidence can also be a barrier, with 69% of Black professionals reporting a confidence gap when it comes to approaching people who could help their careers, compared with 54% of white professionals. Furthermore, the slowdown has been particularly difficult for younger workers, who Kantenga says have been hit the hardest.

“A lot of folks can stay in the jobs they have today. For younger people, they don’t have a job to hang onto,” Kantenga told The Root. “They have the lowest confidence among all generations.”

He has also found that job seekers are having to submit significantly more applications to land a single role, with applicants submitting nearly 50% more applications than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People are working very hard to find a job,” Kantenga reiterated. “People don’t feel confident. They don’t feel like the job market is working for them, and that has to do with the broader hiring slowdown we’re facing. There’s speculation around, ‘Is it AI?’ ‘Is it AI screening?’ I think a lot of it is; we are in a slow job market,” he stated plainly. “It doesn’t really matter whether you go on LinkedIn or somewhere else — it’s gonna be challenging.”

LinkedIn Isn’t Just a Jobs Platform

Kantenga says it’s important that folks remember that LinkedIn is more than just a “jobs platform.” Treating it as such could be holding you back from bigger and better results.

If you set a goal for yourself on Instagram, you wouldn’t make a single post and leave. You’d network within your niche, engage with like-minded posts, respond to comments, and stay active. The same principle applies to LinkedIn. Rather than logging on only when you’re searching for a new role, Kantenga encourages users to treat the platform as a place to build their professional presence, make connections, and establish themselves within their industry over time.

“It is a career-building tool,” Kantenga emphasized. “You don’t just look for a job; you make yourself available for people to come find you, and see what you’re about. Building that professional profile is important,” the expert added. “It’s important for us to have professional relationships, [and] connections that can support and sustain us through the highs and lows of our career.”

Those relationships can have a major impact when it comes to landing a gig. Kantenga says people with an internal connection at a company are significantly more likely to get hired.

“The people who have a connection inside the company, we see that they tend to get the job more often — about 7 times more likely to get hired.”

Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn Experience

If you don’t have your skills listed on your LinkedIn profile, Kantenga warns that you could be missing out on potential opportunities.

“Make sure you’re listing your skills,” he explained. “Upwards of half of employers use that [skills section] when they’re filtering candidates.”

Think of your profile as your 30-second elevator pitch — the place where potential employers, recruiters, and industry connections can quickly see who you are and what you bring to the table. According to Kantenga, a few simple updates could increase your odds of getting noticed by the right people.

Whether you’re looking to strengthen your profile, expand your network, or showcase your expertise, here’s the checklist you need:

• Treat LinkedIn like social media. Engage with your connections by liking, commenting, sharing, and collaborating with folks in your industry. The more active you are, the more opportunities you have to build relationships and stay on people’s radar.
• Don’t just look for a job — advertise yourself. Showcase your skill set by highlighting previous work, portfolio pieces, accomplishments, and a thoroughly written experience section. Give people a reason to see you as someone worth connecting with — not just someone looking for work.
• Build your network with intention. When interacting with others, focus on expanding your network and getting closer to the professional circles you want to be part of. Connect with people whose work, industries, or companies interest you, and look for ways to engage beyond simply sending a connection request.
• Take advantage of LinkedIn Learning. Use the platform’s educational resources to build new skills and strengthen existing ones. LinkedIn Learning features upwards of 26,000 expert-led courses across a range of subjects, giving you another way to grow professionally and add valuable skills to your profile.

Intentional steps like securing your profile, advertising yourself, building your connections, and staying active can provide improved long-term results: a stronger professional presence, more opportunities to collaborate and a better shot at the opportunities that might be looking for you.