The tech job market in 2025 is delivering a humbling twist: more candidates are landing roles below their experience level, a trend dubbed “downleveling.” A former Meta engineering manager turned career coach, Priya Sanjay, says it’s becoming routine for even seasoned pros to accept junior or mid-tier titles just to get a foot back in the door.
From Senior to Starter
Sanjay, who left Meta in 2023 after a decade in tech, has seen the shift firsthand. “I’m coaching ex-FAANG engineers with eight years of experience taking associate-level gigs,” she says. One client, a former senior developer, recently accepted a junior role at a startup—complete with a 30% pay cut—after months of rejections at his old rank. “It’s not about ego anymore; it’s about survival,” Sanjay adds.
Data backs her up. A 2025 report from Levels.fyi shows that 22% of tech hires last year were downleveled, up from 8% in 2021. The culprits? A cooling industry post-layoffs, fiercer competition, and companies tightening belts after the hiring spree of the early 2020s.
Why It’s Happening
The tech boom once showered senior titles on anyone with a few years under their belt, inflating expectations. Now, the pendulum’s swung back. “Employers are pickier,” Sanjay explains. “They’re reserving senior slots for unicorns—people with niche skills or proven impact.” A mid-sized firm she advises recently rejected a candidate with six years at Google for a senior role, offering a mid-level spot instead, citing gaps in leadership experience.
Meanwhile, AI and automation are reshaping job specs. Tasks once handled by mid-tier coders are now coded by machines, shrinking demand for certain roles. Add in a flood of laid-off talent—over 150,000 cut since 2022, per Layoffs.fyi—and the market’s a buyer’s game.
The Candidate’s Dilemma
For job seekers, downleveling stings but often beats the alternative. “Six months of unemployment looks worse than a lower title,” says Mark Chen, who swapped a senior engineering role at Amazon for a mid-level one at a fintech firm. The trade-off? A shorter job hunt and a chance to rebuild credibility. Chen’s bet paid off—he’s already eyeing a promotion.
Still, it’s not painless. Sanjay warns that downleveling can dent confidence and future bargaining power. “You’re starting a rung lower, and climbing back takes time,” she says. Her advice? Negotiate hard on pay, not title, and treat the role as a launchpad.
A Shifting Landscape
Companies aren’t blind to the optics. Some, Sanjay notes, quietly tweak titles post-hire to soften the blow—a junior label becomes “engineer II” after a few months. But the trend signals a broader reset: the days of rapid title inflation are over. For tech workers, adaptability is the new currency—whether that means mastering AI tools or swallowing a step down to leap ahead later.
