Do Companies Hire in December [2 Truths and a Lie]
You’ve probably seen some random person on social media say that you shouldn’t look for a job in December because no one is hiring. Many articles suggest you should take the month to work on your resume and networking because hiring is frozen.
At the same time, you may have seen someone on LinkedIn share that they just started a new job in December. So what is the trend? Who should you believe? Should you keep up the job search in December or let off the gas for a bit?
If those are your questions, you’re in the right place. Buckle up.
Hiring in December
The truth is there are a lot of discrepancies in hiring depending on many factors such as industry and how critical the opening is, among other things. But the short answer to your question is that hiring does happen in December at about the same level as in January. Not only can I tell you this as someone with anecdotal evidence in recruiting for over 10 years, but there is plenty of data to support this too.
How Many People Are Hired in December vs January
Let’s take a look at some hard facts. Every month the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases a JOLTS report. This is a deeper dive than the jobs report that is published on the first Friday of each month. You can find a lot in the JOLTS report, but I want to focus on two numbers: the percentage of the workforce hired and the percentage of the workforce that quit.
Let’s look at the first numbers, percent of the workforce hired, in December for the past two years.
Last year, 3.6% of the workforce was hired in December. Compare that to the following month of January and you’ll see that it’s the same with 3.6% of the workforce hired in January as well. In other words, there was no change in the number of people hired in December vs January.
Go back another year and you’ll find that 4% of the workforce was hired in December. That’s just over 6 million people for perspective. And then in January (the month everyone says is supposed to be busier than December), 4.1% of the workforce was hired. Not much changed that year either.
How Many People Quit Jobs in December
The second number I want to look at is the number of people who quit in December. Here’s why.
Some of these openings due to people quitting are what I call business-critical roles. In other words, the business has to replace those folks as quickly as possible. For example, if a Corporate Controller quits in December, you can bet your hiney that someone will be hiring to replace that position asap. You don’t go into a new year and year-end close without a Controller.
This creates more job opportunities. Last year 2.2% of the workforce quit their jobs in December. That’s over 3 million people. The year before that 2.7% quit their jobs.
Sure, not all of those roles will be business-critical and some won’t be filled in the same month, but some will. And when you compare those numbers to January numbers for the past two years, you’ll find that the quit rates have remained relatively the same.
Do Some Industries Hire More in December
Yes, you’re more likely to find a job in December in some industries over others. Which ones those are depend on the current economy each year.
If you look at the ADP report for last December, you’ll find that private employers (who use ADP as their payroll service) added 164,000 new payrolls. That means there were 164,000 new jobs added in December alone.
The majority of those jobs were in construction, logistics, finance, business services, hospitality, and healthcare. So while you may be thinking that holiday seasonal jobs account for the majority of hiring in December, this report says otherwise. Sure those are part of it, but not necessarily the majority of it.
Another group of jobs that is often overlooked in December are temp jobs.
As companies approach the end of the year, they frequently need to wrap up projects. To do this, they often will hire temporary staff through temp agencies. And I’m not talking about just warehouse workers, I’m talking about all levels throughout many organizations.
Applying with staffing agencies for temporary roles is a great way to start working in December. Plus, many of those may convert to permanent employees later. And even if they don’t, it’s a great way to add new managers at different companies to your networking circles.
Lastly, not every company’s fiscal year is the same as the calendar year. Organizations that start their fiscal years in October often see more hiring in December. This includes the federal government.
Should I Look for a Job in December
Absolutely. Here’s why I think so.
Less Competition
Sadly, many of your peers will follow the advice to put their job searches on hold until the new year. While that’s fine if you can afford to take a break and need one, it’s an advantage for you.
With a majority of job seekers putting a pause on job searching, you’ll find fewer people to compete with for several job openings. This increases the likelihood of an interview - provided you’re qualified for the job.
Business Critical Roles Must Be Filled
As I mentioned earlier, people still quit in December and those critical openings must be filled asap. Some of them will not wait until January and if you put a freeze on your job search, you’ll miss out on any of these roles.
Surge in Temp Work
It’s not just projects wrapping up that cause businesses to hire temps. When someone critical quits in December, many companies will hire temp workers to transfer knowledge from the person quitting to the new person. That means there are temporary jobs that exist from the moment someone quits until a new person is hired. If you believe all companies have a hiring freeze, you’ll miss these jobs too.
More Time to Interview
Many companies and departments slow down at this time of year. Yes, there are vacations and holidays, but for some, there’s also less work. For those departments and businesses, many of them will capitalize on this time to do interviews. You may find that some companies are more responsive during this window. They may not hire someone by the end of the month, but they still will interview.
As a recruiter, I’ve never had a problem scheduling interviews with multiple candidates during December for my clients.
Recruiting Pre-Games in December
Even if a company doesn’t interview you in December, they will post job openings. Some of these companies will review those openings after the new year. Many of them will begin looking at resumes based on who submitted them first. That means if you apply now, you’ll most likely be seen in early January.
Consider that against your peers who wait until January to apply for jobs again. Why you’re interviewing in early January, they may have to wait until late January before interviews pick up for them.
So don’t worry if you don’t hear back from jobs. Get your name in first. It’s like the old Southwest Airlines seating policy where if you checked in first, you could board the plane first. It’s the same idea here.
Myths About Hiring in December
Here are some myths I’ve heard about hiring in December that I think you should know about.
Better Quality Companies Don’t Wait Until January to Hire
I’ve heard some people say that the best companies do more interviews in December. I don’t know about that. I’ve worked with many great companies as a recruiter and some of the good ones do wait until January.
I will say that all of the responsible ones usually post jobs in December in anticipation of what may happen in January. But at the end of the day, the budget is what the budget is. So if starting the recruiting process is what people mean when they say this, I will agree. But just because you don’t hear from a company doesn’t mean they have a bad company culture.
If They Don’t Spend Their Budget They Will Lose It
I’ve seen some people suggest that companies scramble to hire in December because they’re afraid of losing their budget if they don’t hire and spend it. This doesn’t quite align with my experience.
First, many bonuses are paid out based on spending so it doesn’t make sense to me that a manager would spend more of the budget and sacrifice their own bonus to do so.
Second, most companies start their budgeting in early Fall or late Summer. They’re already determining next year’s budget well before they find out if someone spent it all and hired someone by the end of December.
I just don’t buy this argument. Unless you’re in government. Then often it is a spend it or lose it situation.
People Are Too Busy in December to Hire
This simply isn’t true. Yes, there are holidays, and yes people do take vacations during this month but no one is waiting around to fill a business-critical opening. In my experience, many people actually slow down this time of year making it a good month to conduct interviews.
Companies Don’t Hire People Because They Spend Money on Temps
I always laugh when I hear this one. It’s usually said by someone with zero recruitment experience. I used to sell temporary staffing services and every single company I’ve worked with always has a separate budget for temp employees. The budgets for temporary workers and permanent employees come from two different places. It’s not a one or the other.
Businesses Stop Hiring Because There Are Fewer Qualified Candidates
Sure if you buy into the logic that everyone stops job searching in December, I could see how you could think this. But again, you’d be wrong. I have never had a problem finding qualified candidates for my job openings in December.
And remember, companies don’t need to see hundreds of qualified candidates. They need one good one to hire.
Is It Hard to Get a Job in December
It’s hard to get a job any month of the year these days. Depending on the job you are seeking and the industry, it could be easier to find a job in December. It just depends. What I can tell you is that plenty of people still get hired in December and plenty of people are interviewed in December.
Do Companies Hire in December Recommended Reading
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Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.
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