Today is busiest day of the year for job applications

-

Today (07/01/20) is the busiest day of the year for job applications in the UK, however, employers are slower to post new openings in January compared to other months.

This was discovered through Glassdoor research, which found that the recruiter site sees a 17 per cent increase in applications over January with this number spiking on the 7th of January.

The site also found that there are 8 per cent fewer jobs in January posted online meaning that “that employers may not be taking full advantage of the surge in job applications.” Glassdoor also believes that there may be more activity now as the uncertainty surrounding Brexit has lifted and so people have decided to start applying for jobs once again.

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

The heightened activity in January seems even larger when you compare it to the slow down of applications in November and December. In November last year, it was reported that economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the General Election had slowed down businesses hiring plans which led to a decrease in the number of vacancies advertised.

This research was conducted by CV-Library and the joint UK Report on Jobs by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). CV-Library research said that the number of jobs advertised in November decreased by 13 per cent month-on-month and 1.7 per cent year-on-year.

The joint KPMG and REC report states that November had the slowest demand for staff for over the past decade.

Joe Wiggins, director at Glassdoor, said:

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.

In order to collate this data, Glassdoor analysed job applications started and new job openings posted on Glassdoor.

Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.

Latest news

Personalising the Benefits Experience: Why Employees Need More Than Just Information

This article explores how organisations can move beyond passive, one-size-fits-all communication to deliver relevant, timely, and simplified benefits experiences that reflect employee needs and life stages.

Grant Wyatt: When the love dies – when staying is riskier than quitting

When people fall out of love with their employer, or feel their employer has fallen out of love with them, what follows is rarely a clean exit.

£30bn pension savings window opens for employers ahead of 2029 reforms

UK employers could unlock billions in National Insurance savings by expanding pension salary sacrifice schemes before new limits take effect in 2029.

Expat jobs ‘fail early as costs hit $79,000 per worker’

International assignments are ending early due to family strain, isolation and poor preparation, as rising costs increase pressure on employers.
- Advertisement -

The Great Employer Divide: What the evidence shows about employers that back parents and carers — and those that don’t

Understand the growing divide between organisations that effectively support working parents and carers — and those that don’t. This session shows how to turn employee experience data into a clear business case, linking care-related pressures to performance, retention and workforce stability.

Scott Mills exit puts spotlight on risk of ‘news vacuum’ in high-profile dismissals

Sudden departure of a long-serving BBC presenter raises questions about how employers manage high-profile dismissals and limit speculation.

Must read

Fiona Hamor: What will a Labour government bring to UK workforces?

"While Labour’s manifesto was light on the detail, it did give us an indication of where possible reforms may come and where Reynolds will set his sights early on in his tenure."

Dr Kylie Bennett: The Negative impact of workplace stressors on employee mental wellbeing

"While stress can be triggered at many moments in life, in the UK, stress is the most common work-related illness, something which has only worsened with the cost of living crisis."
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you