Recruiting talent at any time of the year can be difficult in the current hiring market. The growing demand for qualified candidates is feeding the war for talent, resulting in many professionals receiving multiple offers from employers.

According to research from our 2023 Salary Guide, a third (32%) of business leaders are having to make more counteroffers to retain staff than they were a year ago to help secure top choice candidates. Could it be possible that something as simple as hiring in December could give you the advantage?

There are some clear advantages of recruitment in December and why it might be better to start hiring staff at the end of the year.

Pick of the best talent

The month of December is usually a time when businesses begin to wind down for the holiday season. The focus shifts to completing end-of-year goals and finishing projects before annual leave — finding employees is not often top of the to-do list, with many hoping to begin fresh in January. By hiring staff in December, you can limit competition and may be able to secure top talent who may otherwise have received multiple offers.

The opportunity to hire for temporary roles

Employees are more likely to be using the last of their annual leave to enjoy a restful December before January begins. This creates the perfect opportunity to utilise temporary recruitment and prevent project delays or lulls in efficiency.

Flexible recruitment strategies are quickly becoming the preferred method for mitigating the skills shortage and war for talent. It offers an excellent opportunity to establish a relationship with a specialised flexible recruitment firm, who can start finding employees who are hoping to earn a little extra during the holiday season. 

Another excellent temporary recruitment benefit is the potential to identify new permanent talent. By hiring staff on a temporary basis, you have an environment in which to explore their fit for company culture and the depth of their skills. If a permanent position ever opens up, you won’t need to start recruiting talent from scratch because you’ll have a pre-existing relationship with a qualified professional.

Candidates are looking for new opportunities

Hiring in December is so effective because many employees choose to make the transition into a new role in the New Year, after spending the Christmas break assessing their career plan.

Conducting your recruitment in December allows you to begin the dialogue before other employers have started looking to fill vacancies.

How to start recruitment in December

1. Identify your hiring needs
The first step in recruiting talent is to perform a skills gap analysis for your team, to look ahead to initiatives in the coming year, and to assess how much budget you have. This will help you identify whether you need a permanent or temporary employee and will reveal which skills and competencies they should have.

2. Contact a recruitment company
There are only 3 working weeks in which to conduct hiring in December, so it makes sense to maximise the time by working with a recruitment expert to help you speed things up. Not only do they have an efficient process for screening CVs and interviewing candidates, they also have access to a pool of quality candidates, some of which may not be on the market yet.

3. Onboard before the Christmas break
The best time for hiring is a period which allows for a comfortable transition from one role to the next. If you move fast, you can find and hire a candidate in time to onboard them before the holiday break. This gives them the opportunity to start get up to speed and understand the basics to that they can start at pace with everyone else in the team at the beginning of the New Year.

 

Would you like to explore the benefits of recruitment in December? Get in touch one of our local recruitment consultants for support with your recruitment needs today.