This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.

Giovanna Ventola lives in North Carolina and said she’s lost three jobs in three years.

“And at the third time, I thought there was something wrong with me, which is what really prompted me to start sharing on social media,” she said. “I found out very quickly that I wasn't the only person experiencing this.”

Others — like Kaycia Duncan, who lives in Southeast England — have been struggling to find work, too.

“Honestly, it feels disheartening because I feel like I have good credentials, and I do have previous work experience, and I think that really highlights that it is a tough market, that so many people are struggling,” she said.

Data shows that the average job search in the U.S. labor market currently lasts nearly six months, and about a quarter of all job seekers have been out of work for half a year or more; this mirrors what we're seeing in places like Britain and Canada, where there’s increased competition for fewer job openings.

So, job seekers like Ventola and Duncan are choosing to pay for recruitment services. Duncan said she spends around $35 each month.

“So for me, it involves definitely LinkedIn Premium; It allows you to then talk directly to HR managers,” she said. “And then personally, I've got my Canva subscription, which can allow me to make more high-quality CVs or portfolio work.”

“I was doing more than just submitting the application,” said Ventola, who estimates that she’s spent $6,000 USD over the past three years. “So yes, there were services that I paid for. I paid for job boards.”

Career platform LinkedIn said its Premium subscriber membership has increased nearly 50% over the past two years.

“Roles are changing as companies' visions are changing, and it does have a lot to do with the rapid explosion, really, of technology,” said Nicole Gable, the North America president for LHH Recruitment Solutions, who is based in Chicago.

The rise of AI is having an impact on hiring, particularly in sectors like tech, she said. “Employers today, very few of them can identify the skills they think they will need in five years. And the company's vision is changing depending on what they can do with technology and what their customer base can do with technology.”

The impact, Gable said, is job seekers attempting to reinvent their careers, with many paying to do so.

“AI skills, even outside of tech roles, are no longer optional. This is a requirement,” she said. “So that behooves all candidates to try to upskill and learn how to use these tools today.”

But if you do want to invest in your career, Toronto-based Nancy D'Onofrio, a director at major recruitment firm Randstad, has this caution: “The job search is taking much longer. There's higher level of challenges and securing opportunities. So there's always going to be individuals who are going to take advantage of that. So just be careful as if you want to invest in yourself, and so you really have to take it upon yourself to be thorough in your research.”

For many job seekers, that means the journey back into work is taking longer — and costing more — than ever before.