This might also be related to end-of-year slowdown and budget cycle exhaustion for companies whose financial year (FY) aligns with the calendar. There is still

This might also be related to end-of-year slowdown and budget cycle exhaustion for companies whose financial year (FY) aligns with the calendar. There is still hiring happening between US Thanksgiving and the New Year but so many people are off (and some companies have time-off mandates!) that all internal processes slow to a crawl.