Christmas hiring spree sees '1,181% spike' in UK job postings
Christmas has come early for jobseekers, as a belated seasonal hiring spree has seen vacancies spike 1,181% since the beginning of September.
The number of festive jobs advertised rose by 202% in the first 11 days of October alone according to a study by jobs site Indeed.
The hiring spree by employers comes a full month later than normal, as Christmas recruitment typically begins in earnest in late August.
Employers are likely to find no shortage of applicants, as employers also evaluate the situation as the government’s initial Jobs Retention scheme wraps up.
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Indeed’s analysis show that jobseekers have regarded seasonal jobs as particularly attractive ever since lockdown was declared.
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In every month from March to July, Christmas vacancies posted on the platform received a higher share of clicks from jobseekers than the average job, with interest levels consistently higher than they were during the equivalent months in 2018 and 2019.
In May 2020, seasonal roles were clicked on nine times more frequently than non-festive jobs. By contrast, during the same month in 2019, festive roles received just four times more clicks than non-seasonal jobs.
Over the weekend, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) launched a new “Shop early, Start wrapping, Enjoy Christmas” national campaign, urging British consumers to start their festive shopping early.
The UK’s retail body hopes the drive will help spread rising demand in what is traditionally the country’s busiest shopping period of the year.
With measures such as social distancing and tighter coronavirus rules in place across the country, shoppers are encouraged to “think of others” by “preventing” the usual retail rush common during Christmas.
The push aims to get the high street back on its feet, as it flounders due to government action on the spread of the coronavirus.
It comes as Britain is battling a second wave of COVID-19 infections, which saw prime minister Boris Johnson announce a new three-tier “traffic light system,” which imposes tighter local restrictions.
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