Americans have conflicting views of the job market: They are more worried about unemployment rising nationwide, even as they are more confident that they could find another job if they lost their own.

Driving the news: The perceived probability that unemployment will rise over the next year climbed to 45.3% in October, the highest since April 2020, according to the New York Fed's Survey of Consumer Expectations — an increase driven by those without a college degree.

Yes, but: The perceived probability of finding another job if one lost their current position rose to 46.5%, the highest in about a year.

Americans' perceived probability of losing their jobs over the next year also edged higher, rising 0.4 percentage point, to 13.9%.

State of play: The mixed outlook underscores an unusual feature of today's labor market — hiring is picking up and unemployment remains historically low, but finding work can still be a prolonged struggle.

The backdrop: The October jobs report showed that employers added a…