Why January Is the Hottest Month for Job Searches

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While many people resolve to improve their finances or fitness in a new year, others apparently pledge to find a new job.

Jobs search website Monster.com tells CNN Money that at least half of its top 10 days of the year for job searches fall in January.

Monster careers expert Vicki Salemi, who previously worked as a corporate recruiter, tells CNN:

“People know it’s a new slate. It’s a new year. A new page. Things feel fresh. And they think, ‘This is the year that I’m going to find a new job.'”

January is typically the busiest month of the year as well for other job websites, such as Glassdoor, according to CNN.

Additionally, Monster announced Wednesday that the website’s No. 1 busiest day of the year for searches for the past two years has fallen on the first Wednesday of the year.

Based on 2014 and 2015 data, there were 70 percent more Monster job searches on the first Wednesday of the year compared with the average for the year.

This spike follows a drop in search activity, Monster explains:

Last December, job searches declined by nearly 7 percent from November, as job seekers took a hiatus, instead pursuing gift-giving, eggnog and ugly sweaters.

But that lull ends not long after the ball drops and job searches traditionally soar on this first Wednesday.

Monster’s analysis of 2015 searches also reveals what job seekers searched for most last year:

  • Part-time jobs
  • Sales jobs
  • Accounting jobs

Monster explains:

These areas have grown exponentially. For example, “gig economy” jobs have been trending as people, particularly millennials, are having more of an entrepreneurial mindset seeking part-time jobs to pay the bills while they achieve something bigger.

If you’ve resolved to find a new job, be sure to first check out:

Do you plan to look for a new job this year? Share your thoughts below or on Facebook.

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