A third of all Brits consider new job as New Year’s resolution, principally driven by search for higher wages and career progression.

According to the survey by jobsite Indeed, of 1,000 people in the UK, a third (32%) of all Brits admit to including job seeking amongst their New Year’s to-do list – demonstrating that it’s not only young people who are hoping to secure a new job this month. In fact, Indeed’s job search data has even seen a 44% increase in job searches this month compared to last. So, why the hunt for a new job now? The research found that job seekers are citing higher wages (62%) and career progression (31%) as the key drivers behind their desired career move. When it comes to starting the search in January, aside from the obvious reason of starting afresh in the New Year – a quarter (25%) of the respondents admit to this as their main job search driver – it seems one in five (20%) assume that there is more movement in the job market this month.

Almost a third (28%) of 16-24 year olds and 32% of Londoners state they are looking in January because it seems like “the traditional time” for job change overs. In fact, 60% of young people believe there are more job openings in January compared to any other, and 40% of 16-35 year olds even think January is the easiest month to get a job. Job seekers not only think there are more jobs but also that it’s easier in January in general. Brits are pretty determined when it comes to finding a new job – 39% of job seekers say when job searching, they won’t stop until they find the right role. This is true for 78% of lawyers, 68% of marketers and 50% of bank workers. A much lower proportion – one in ten – say they would like a new job but think it would be too time consuming to find one.  When it comes to the big job hunt, half (49%) of Brits cite the biggest challenge to be the increase in number of people applying for the same job, followed by lack of jobs in their sector of interest (40%) and skills needed for the new job (35%). 

Gerard Murnaghan, VP EMEA, Indeed comments: “With a quarter of people expecting to only spend one to two months looking for a job, many of which admit to starting in January, it’s important job seekers don’t put too much pressure on finding the right job simply because of the time of year. We need to help them find the right role all year round and provide them with the tools and information to help them find the right fit.”