There is never a good time to be out of work but, according to interim and executive recruitment specialist Executives Online, there are times of the year when it may be better or worse to be at either the hiring or job searching end of recruitment.
New data from Executives Online shines a light on seasonality in the recruitment industry, showing what an average year looks like in terms of the monthly peaks and troughs of new jobs, and the number of new jobseekers.
Andrew MacAskill, Commercial Director at Executives Online, explains: “Both the availability of new roles and the number of people looking for new jobs come in peaks and troughs throughout the year, but their ups and downs do not correspond.
“For example, there are more permanent job opportunities available outside of the peak holidays, which is most likely because more key decision makers are around at these times; yet the main holiday months are when more candidates are looking for jobs. This creates an inconvenient mismatch for both parties.”
Executives Online’s data reveals:
1. January candidate surge
The New Year’s resolution effect means that January sees a surge in new candidates on the market, yet, of the twelve months of the year, January is third from the bottom in terms of availability of new job opportunities. So, with less jobs available and more people looking, candidates will have to work harder to stand out.
2. Easter lull
There are proportionally less candidates looking for positions at this time of year, so April may be a better time of year to start a job search than other times.
3. Searching in Spring
Executives Online’s data shows that the first half of the year offers more opportunities for candidates with around 10 percent more job briefs coming in.
4. Peak season
The ‘business-as-usual’ months of November, February, March, May, June and October are the months in which the number of new job opportunities exceeds the year average.
MacAskill concluded: “Timing can be everything when it comes to searching for a new job, or for the right candidate. Using this insight we are able to advise our clients and job seekers on targeting the weeks and months of the year when they are most likely to be successful.”