You may have heard the term “September Surge” floating around social media, especially TikTok. September Surge references a hiring frenzy during the month of September to gear up for the holidays and get back to normal after summer & school break/vacations. While the September Surge was certainly real in the past, it is now up for debate whether that is still the case today. The fact of the matter is that hiring has slowed since the hiring frenzy during the Pandemic, and job seekers are facing more competition from workers who were laid-off.
Many economists believe that companies are currently in a survival mode rather than growth mode. This indicates that job seekers and employees are both trying to play it safe and take little risk until the economy shows promising signs of growth again. Companies have learned to do more with less. They have given existing employees promotions and bigger workloads and tried to make do without adding to their headcount (since it was tremendously difficult to find employees during the Pandemic!).
The shift is already happening, and it no longer seems that it is a job-seekers market. The competition for certain jobs is steep, companies are scaling back on hiring or worst case scenario – laying off some of their workforce. It is impossible to predict if or when there will be a hiring surge. What does this mean for job seekers? If you are presented with a good job offer for a company where you would like to work, TAKE IT! It is very risky right now to wait and see if something better comes along because it may not happen. As mentioned earlier, companies are learning to do more with less employees, which means there is more potential for growth once you are settled in with a company. If you are currently looking for a job, make sure your resume is adjusted for the job you are applying to. Keep your social media profiles clean and up to date, especially LinkedIn.
Try to stay open minded when a Recruiter reaches out to you. You may not be interested in the job they are contacting you about, but perhaps the company has other jobs that align better with your skill set. It is important to remain vigilant in your job search and not act of desperation… but consider the risk & benefits of not accepting a competitive offer from a company where you’d enjoy working. Again, there have been no real signs of any hiring surge like we saw during the Pandemic, and the competition is much more intense now that so many people have been laid-off. Are you feeling overwhelmed in your job search, or do you require a unique work schedule that is making your search more challenging? You can always utilize a staffing agency’s free service if you need assistance navigating your job search!
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