Hi there,
Hiring is definitely slowing down globally at the moment, however, it's not fully dead yet in most countries.
If you already have an offer, it should be all good but I want to share 3 observations nonetheless.
Personal experience
Some of my clients' interviews (all in MBB) were already rescheduled for next year. They were supposed to be this year and they already had dates set.
Impact on hiring
While for all firms fewer people make it through resume screening, only some firms adjust the bar for the interviews. The latter are happy to find enough people to make it through the selection process. In that case, they would extend offers, potentially with starting dates further in the future.
We might even see a full hiring stop, depending on how bad the situation becomes.
Impact on engagements and job security
External advisor spending is usually one of the first expenses to be cut during an economic crisis.
Yes, recovery and transformation projects increase, but every other consulting vertical decreases by much more. I have been told stories from 2008/09, where new hires were not staffed for 6 months and then let go without ever having worked on an actual engagement.
It all depends on how bad the global economic situation is going to get. My hunch is we see a partial to full-hiring stop by early next year for a couple of months up to 1 year. Let's hope I am wrong :-)
On top of that, keep in mind that tech firms and other industries already started their lay-offs, which means that the potential supply of job seekers increases even more compared to now lower demand for them.
To answer your questions;
(1) Yes, that is definitely on the cards.
(2) It does not hurt to stay on the lookout for other exciting opportunities.
(3) No. If you push it out further, it becomes less secure.
Cheers,
Florian