January will see a 17% increase in job applications
The start of a new year is typically a time for renewed motivation to pursue resolutions like exercising more or eating healthier. For the career-minded, it’s time to refresh their CV and look for new jobs that offer better cultural fit, more pay or career opportunities. For those in the UK, as the uncertainty around Brexit lifts, job seekers may be looking to make the move that they’ve been putting off in recent months.
This annual surge in job seeking activity is large enough that it registers prominently in Glassdoor data. In January, there are 17 per cent more job applications started in the UK on Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites. The difference is even more stark when you consider that November and December are traditionally slower months as people take time off from their job searches for the festive period. After these two relatively slow months for recruiters, the January surge in candidate interest represents an opportune time to rejuvenate talent pipelines.
According to Glassdoor traffic, the busiest day for job seekers in the UK tends to be the Tuesday of the first full business week of the year. In 2020, this will be Tuesday 7th January.
Interestingly, however, employers may be missing out on the opportunities provided by this January surge. Employers are slower to post new job openings in January, with eight per cent fewer new job openings posted in January than in a typical month in the UK. This suggests that employers may not be taking full advantage of the surge in job applications headed their way at the start of the new year.
Joe Wiggins, Director at Glassdoor, comments: “2020 marks the start of a culture-first decade; job seekers are looking to work at companies whose values align with their own and whose mission they can get behind. To capitalise on the increased job seeker activity at the start of the year, employers must pay special attention to their employer brand and consider how they communicate their company culture in job adverts in order to stand out against their competitors.”
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