THE January jobs rush begins today – but this year, the hiring landscape looks very different.
Vacancies have plunged 12 per cent compared to January 2025. There are still around 723,000 jobs on offer, but the number of open roles has slipped to below pre-pandemic levels.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has nudged up to five per cent, and with 1.8million people seeking work, there is more competition for every position.
It is not easy for employers either. Seven in ten organisations say they are struggling to find skilled candidates, and the cost of recruiting a new employee has hit £6,500 for an average role and more than £19,000 for managers.
So with one in three workers keen to change jobs in 2026, how can you make your application stand out? Julie Pritchard, of Northampton’s Jobcentre Plus, has been helping people into work for 32 years.
Here, she shares her top tips. . .
TARGET GROWING SECTORS
SMART job hunters know which sectors are booming.
Explore the types of roles available in your area by using the Government’s Find A Job portal to narrow down your search.
Growing sectors currently include construction, with 28,000 vacancies. There are 35,000 in the digital sector and 121,000 in health and social care.
USE WORK EXPERIENCE
WORK experience isn’t just for school pupils – you can do it at any age to upskill or switch careers.
It offers the chance to pick up fresh skills and demonstrate what you can do in a new environment. Jobcentres are well connected with top local employers who are looking to bolster their workforce.
MAKE YOUR CV WORK
WITH AI now scanning many job applications, it has never been more important to make your CV work harder by tailoring it for every job.
Highlight the skills that align to the job role and don’t be shy about showing off what you can do.
Every experience counts, from staying home to raise a family to local volunteering, so use your local Jobcentre Work Coach to present your CV in its best light.
CONSIDER TRAINING
THE Sector-Based Work Academy Programme, known as SWAP, offers jobseekers who are claiming benefits a course of up to six weeks, including pre-employment training, a short work placement and a guaranteed job interview or help with your job application.
ATTEND JOB FAIRS
JOB fairs are the perfect place to meet employers face-to -face and check out lots of different careers.
They happen regularly across the country so ask your local Jobcentre for details of the next ones taking place.
On the day, turn up looking smart with printed copies of your CV, and a copy on your phone you can email.
There will be opportunities to connect with relevant employers, ask relevant questions and get a foot in the door.
USE YOUR JOBCENTRE
YOUR local Jobcentre is packed with opportunities, from training courses to one-on-one support.
They can also point you in the direction of schemes you may be eligible for, such as UC Childcare to help parents transition into work and Connect to Work, which removes barriers to work for those with long-term health conditions.
AFTER leaving his corporate role of 25 years in December 2017, Tim Richards used the New Year period to review his skills and see how he could best use them in a new job.
He went on to set up digital platform FutureResume.com to support other jobseekers.
Tim, 61, from Horsham, West Sussex, said: “I wasn’t ready to retire – I wanted to start a business where I could make a difference in the way people are recruited.
“Recruitment has always been centred on the CV but it only tells you where someone has been, not where they can go.
“To help bridge this gap, I teamed up with my friend and business psychologist David Royston-Lee to create Future Resume.
“We designed it to move away from just the person’s past to their potential, documenting a candidate’s natural talents, values, ideal working environment and more.”
HOW TO AXE JOB SCARIES
GOING back to work after the festive break can be even more stressful than the “Sunday Scaries” – when you feel apprehensive about returning after the weekend.
Julian Lighton, author of Navigating Your Next: Discover the Career You Want And The Path To Get There, is no stranger to the phenomenon.
He says: “Returning to work after the Christmas holiday is the ultimate Sunday Scary. It can be intense when you’ve had time away to reflect.”
Here, he shares his tips to deal with the issue if you’re struggling . . .
1. CHECK THE PATTERN: Ask yourself if this is a one-off, linked to the post-holiday slump, or if it’s a recurring pattern every Sunday or after every break?
Persistent dread is more significant than the odd groan.
2. EXPLORE THE SOURCE: Is your anxiety about specific tasks, people or the culture of your workplace? Or is it broader? A sense that your role or firm doesn’t fit who you are or want to become?
3. ASSESS YOUR ‘FIT AND FULFILMENT’: Reflect on whether your job aligns with your values, desired lifestyle and career ambitions. Are you energised by your work? Or has it become a drain on your wellbeing?
Often, when people feel anxious about returning to work, it signals a misalignment in one or more of these areas.
4. SIGNALS TO RECONSIDER: If your dread is persistent, you’re unable to focus, becoming more irritable, disengaged or physically unwell, these are strong signs that something deeper needs to be addressed.
Sometimes, it means you need to renegotiate expectations, change your approach or even reconsider your entire career path.
5. TIME TO RESET: What would have to change for you to feel excited about returning to work? Sometimes it’s about boundaries or small adjustments. Other times, a larger transition is needed.|
6. REDUCTIVE CLARITY: If you struggle to define what you want, consider what you are no longer willing to tolerate. Ask yourself, what’s the first thing you know you are procrastinating on that would change your work experience?
If the answer is “my job itself”, that’s a powerful signal.
JOBSPOT
CAFE chain COTE has roles for waiting staff, sous chefs and supervisors around the UK. Search at careers.cote.co.uk.
FITNESS chain The Gym Group opened seven sites in December and is hiring for fitness trainers and gym managers.
Work out your next move at thegymgroup.com/careers.
WIN VIP FRESHERS
APPLICATIONS for university through UCAS close on January 14, so many would-be students will have spent the Christmas holidays considering their choices.
If you’ve still not decided, the University of Lincoln is offering one lucky student the chance to win a VIP freshers year, in a competition launched by property expert Freya Melling. Spokesman Ed Hughes said: “We’re all about giving students the best chance to succeed.”
The prize, worth more than £10,000, includes a year’s free accommodation, laundry and gym fees, shopping vouchers and gig tickets. Lincoln has been voted the UK’s most affordable city for students.
You can enter at lincoln.ac.uk/amazinglincoln.
THE FUTURE IS HR
TWO major trends to help companies support staff in 2026 have been predicted by employee benefits platform, Reward Gateway.
First, more firms will offer financial wellbeing assistance amid the cost of living crisis, with benefits expanded beyond sick pay to include income protection or money coaching.
Second, there will be a push to promote “psychological safety”. Currently, more than half of employees are afraid to take risks, stifling innovation.
Key actions from HR teams will include setting behavioural expectations and making it OK to fail as part of learning at work.
A spokesman said: “We are seeing more companies listen when there are rumblings of a toxic workplace environment.”
