It's typically held that the average employer being able to go without a worker in a given position much longer than the average worker can go without a job is

It's typically held that the average employer being able to go without a worker in a given position much longer than the average worker can go without a job is what makes it uneven. Saying "no" is far riskier to one side than the other. There also tend to be large information imbalances, in practice.