Grim signs for Aussies looking to change jobs in January

Australians are choosing the worst time of the year to try and find their next job, according to new research.

Aussies are looking for their next job at the wrong time of the year. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

There’s a mismatch between when Aussies are searching for a new job and when employers are looking to hire, meaning job seekers could be making finding their next role more difficult than it needs to be.

Employment site SEEK has run the figures that show Aussies are most likely to look for a new gig in December or January.

But they should be looking at the end of financial year, with the number of roles advertising peaking in August.

SEEK chief economist and author of the report Blair Chapman said Australians looking for a job in August would face less competition with fewer applicants and more roles available.

The number of job ads posted on SEEK’s website per month.

When Aussies are looking for their next role

“Broadly speaking the seasonal pattern in job ads means there are going to be more potential positions for job seekers in May and August than at other times of the year, although the position may not necessarily be in the job seeker’s area of interest, with some industries posting more job ads at other times of the year,” Mr Chapman said.

The total number of job ads on SEEK has peaked in August each year on average since 2016, excluding the pandemic impacted years of 2020 to 2022.

The August peak may reflect the timing of the financial year in Australia, with governments and businesses reassessing their staffing needs in the new financial year and staff leaving following annual performance reviews and bonus payouts, creating vacant positions.

The second best time to be looking for a new role is May as job advertisements spike post the Easter period.

Aussies are looking for their next job at the wrong time of the year. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

According to the SEEK report, advertised roles generally fall in December and early January as businesses find it difficult to recruit and on-board talent.

Interestingly, SEEK found Aussies are taking an extended break at the start of the year.

“With more people searching for work each January, we tend to see unemployment increase in January and then employment jump in February,” Mr Chapman said.

“January typically sees a large rebound in ads, which remain above average until April.”

From Easter the number of roles falls, due to school and public holidays, making it difficult to on-board staff.

While the trend broadly holds, Mr Chapman said some industry classifications have notably different jobs ad posting patterns from the aggregate.

“For example, sales job ads generally peak in January, although May generally has a similar level of job ads for this industry,” he said.

“For industries with more consistent and growing demand, like healthcare medical, the difference between peak ad months and the average is not as large as it is for more seasonal industries.”

Originally published as Grim signs for Aussies looking to change jobs in January