Seasonality report

This insight uses SEEK data to highlight times throughout the year when hirers across different industries are more likely to be looking for workers and when candidates are likely to face the most or least competition for roles.

Hirers are generally going to face the most competition in August, with more ads on SEEK on average in August than across other months of the year but with applications down in August relative to their annual peak each January. This also means job seekers looking in August are going to face less competition with fewer other applicants and more roles available, resulting in applications per ad being generally lower in August. However, the peak month for ads on SEEK and the best time for job seekers to search isn’t the same across all industries, which is discussed further below.

With more people searching for work each January, we tend to see unemployment increase in January and then employment jump in February. These patterns seen across the broader Australian labour market data are touched on at the end of this Insight.

The total number of job ads on SEEK has peaked in August each year on average since 2016, ignoring the COVID affected years 2020 to 2022. Although job ads are also typically well above average in May. 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.

Ads are generally at their lowest level for the year in December. The public and school holidays in December and early January likely make it a more difficult time to recruit and onboard new employees than other times of the year.

January typically sees a large rebound in ads, which remain above average until April. Easter occurs in April most years accompanied by school holidays, so, as in December, it can be a more difficult time to recruit and onboard new employees. Ads generally rebound again in May, with the level of job ads in May not too different from their typical level in August.

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.

Some industry classifications have notably different job 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. 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.

Retail & Consumer Products is a classification with a slightly more unique seasonal pattern. Its job ads typically jump in August and stay elevated until November, consistent with hiring in preparation for the peak retail sales periods, ads then fall more in December than for other classifications. Job ad volumes in the closely related Hospitality & Tourism classification follow a similar seasonal pattern. These patterns mean that there are more opportunities for job seekers in these industries in August through to October than at other times of the year and finding a job in December may prove more difficult.

Education & Training job ads peak later in the year than job ads for other classifications, with ads remaining below their annual average until May in most years and then picking up in August before peaking in October.

Who is posting job ads also varies across the year, with SEEK’s Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) customers posting more ads in January on average. In contrast, Recruiters have historically posted less ads in January, with their volumes tending to peak in May. SEEK’s Corporate and Government customers have generally posted more ads in August than any other month.

Usually, the number of applications for roles on SEEK tends to peak each January and then broadly declines over the rest of the year.

Month-to-month fluctuations in the total number of applications generally follows the number of ads on site, so that there are less applications than average in April than at other times of the year.

Although total applications fluctuate at similar times to job ads, they don’t increase and decrease to the same degree, so the average number of applications per ad broadly declines across the year before increasing in November and December when job ads decline more than applications.

So, those applying for jobs in January are likely to face much more competition than those who apply for jobs later in the year. Similarly, finding a job in December is likely to be difficult with applicants competing for fewer jobs. Historically there have been around 5% less applications per ad in August and September than on average across the year.

Applications per ad typically peak in January and December for almost all of SEEK’s different industry classifications, with Retail & Consumer Products the one exception. This suggests that job seekers after a retail job for the Christmas holiday period who are only just beginning their search in November are going to find it tough. 

There will be less competition for roles when applications per ad are below average. For most industries this is in August or September. Again, Retail & Consumer Products stands out from other classifications, with applications per ad generally at their lowest in May.

Several of the industries associated with professional services, such as Legal, Science & Technology, Information & Communication Technology and Accounting have their trough in applications per ad each year in April or May. Making this time of year one of the best times to search for a new role in these industries, especially in May when there are an above average number of job ads but not as many applicants.

The full report continues with more detail about seasonal patterns within the broader Australia labour market.

Read the rest of the report here.