Was a job change one of your New Years resolutions?

Blog by Kathryn Stewart for QJumpers US, January 2020.

Hi America, Happy New Year from QJumpers in Texas! How are those New Year’s Resolutions going in the cold winter months? Was changing your job or career one of them?

You’re not alone, many people feel the same throughout the world. In January job advertising surges and the question is, is it just people making new year’s resolutions, or are companies advertising jobs that they held over the festive season? The answer is quite complicated.

Businesses stop hiring at the end of the year for various reasons:

· Awaiting their new budget for January or the new tax year.

· Avoiding paying additional holidays to staff during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

· Some sectors become quiet over the holiday period so corporations function adequately with less people.

· Staff may be tired and stressed during the silly season. Sickness levels increase during winter and it may not be sensible to train new hires if they don’t remember anything over the holidays.

· Traditionally December is one of the worst times to advertise vacancies. However, clever Managers complete their hiring during November/December so new employees can begin with the new year.

There are different considerations for job searchers:

· Many intend to remain with their employer for the end of year bonuses, parties or presents from their managers.

· It’s a difficult time of year to change jobs and as a new hire you may not have any days to use between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

· There are a lot of emotional reasons people may want to change such as New Year’s Resolutions or the dread of returning to work after the break.

· Free time over the holidays to job search, update resumes and search the market.

· Financial or family pressure to change jobs for more money/status etc.

· More job opportunities are available in January.

American and worldwide factors that may impact the job market:

· Escalating tensions with Iran, North Korea and ongoing difficulties around trade with China.

· In slow growth markets there may be staff cuts in ‘nice to have’ positions such as marketing.

· Global automation of work is eliminating certain labor.

· Climate issues could impact the economy with more extreme weather events predicted.

· Election year in 2020 with the ongoing debate between Republicans and Democrats about raising wages for the struggling workforce.

There are extensive factors impacting the American economy that we haven’t covered. Many companies will be thinking about the future while concentrating on 2020 and the new decade ahead.

January is one of the busiest times in recruitment, but when is the next best time period to be advertising jobs or applying for new positions? There’s been a lot of research/data analysis about job searches and advertising and they’ve summarized recruitment matches the seasons. Spring is the busiest time for changes in staff. The new financial year is also a natural end for many businesses finishing projects.

Get prepared for a busy surge in the Spring job market shortly! If you are searching for your next job the advice is not to wait. For businesses, although it makes sense to utilize the Spring activity your overall recruitment shouldn’t solely be based on seasonal variations. The most successful method is to continuously gather a pool of talent, hiring excellent people when they become available and headhunting others with an appealing package.

When are the best days/times to advertise and apply for roles? Quick answer – advertise at the beginning of the week and you will find that you receive approximately 60% applications in the first week. If you’re applying for a job send your resume late morning or late afternoon on Tuesday during the first week it is advertised. Utilizing these facts will help you jump your competitors in finding that ideal new person or new position!

Take advantage of the late January pool of job searchers or get ahead of the others in Spring by advertising your jobs with QJumpers now.

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