One in five Brits keen to start new year with new job - but must apply soon

18 October 2023 , 14:29

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More than one in five workers are keen to start the new year with a new job (Image: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

More than a fifth of UK employees (22%) are keen to start the new year with a new job – but they don't have long left to get their applications in, research has found.

Recruitment agency Michael Page has revealed that, in order to begin a new job on Wednesday, January 3 – the first working day of 2024 – the best time to submit a job application is in the next two weeks. This is based on an average of 33 days from getting an application in, to signing on the dotted line – as well as adding a one-month notice period.

And while four in ten job-hunters are putting off applying for a new role until January, these people could be missing out – as over half of those involved in hiring (51%) prefer for new starters to get going at the beginning of a new year. As such, autumn is the time recruiters are most likely to consider applications, and get the ball rolling for the post-festive period.

The research of 5,000 UK workers was commissioned by Michael Page, part of FTSE 250 PageGroup, whose managing director UK&I, Doug Rode, said: “We know that people like to make New Year’s resolutions, and January feels like the natural time to make a big change. But this data shows that when it comes to landing your dream new job, it can actually be advantageous to get ahead of the game.

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“In fact, smart businesses will be thinking about hiring now, so that new starters can kick off in January in order to get maximum impact for the new year. That means that the savviest hiring managers are likely to be locking down their new recruits now. Taking control of your career and applying before the end of the year could make all the difference to your job search, with other job seekers missing out on great opportunities by waiting until 2024 begins.”

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More than half of survey respondents (53%) said the new year represents a new start, which makes it the perfect time to embark on the next chapter of their career – and 38% think it is beneficial to start a new role then, because it allows them to set goals for the year ahead. The data also revealed that pay (50%), work-life balance (40%), and the chance to develop new skills (33%), are the top reasons why workers want to start afresh. And money is talking louder than ever before, with the highest proportion of workers (26%) expecting a healthy five to 10% salary increase in their next role – while 13% of workers even said they would expect a hefty 30 to 40% salary hike in their next offer.

Working styles matter to job seekers, too, with 60% keen to consign the 9 to 5 to history, by applying to companies with flexible start and finish times. And 44% are actively seeking out firms with four-day working weeks, which they believe to be a far more appealing prospect. Additionally, almost half of workers (48%) have come to realise they will need to seek a new job in order to climb the corporate ladder, with this ambition underpinning their 2024 job hunt. However, 45% of job seekers would be tempted to stay put if they received a counteroffer from their existing employer, according to the findings, from OnePoll.

Doug Rode added: “A quarter of the UK workforce are set on starting afresh next year when it comes to their career – and there is plenty of opportunity out there, with almost a million jobs still available in the UK, according to recent ONS data. We see a lot of competition in January for roles, with many workers trying to realise their resolutions – but what candidates may not realise is that October can be a brilliant month to get on the front foot with their search, and beat the post-Christmas rush. And when it comes to counteroffers, it’s worth taking plenty of time to think it over. If you have gone through the effort of securing an exciting new role, with great benefits and plenty of opportunity, there is likely to be a good reason.”

Martin Winter