Job hunting can be a daunting experience for many. It’s safe to say not many of us enjoy this waiting game.
We recently analysed over 80 million UK job ads advertised between April 2016 and January 2023 to find out the average number of days a job ad stays open. By crunching those numbers, we can get a clear picture of how many days it takes to get hired these days.
In this article, you’ll find the easiest and hardest-to-fill roles and the sectors facing the biggest recruitment challenges.
Now is the best time to find a job
If you’ve been on the hunt for a job this year, you’re in a pretty good position. Job postings stayed listed for an average of 37 days in January 2023 – a week shorter than a year ago.
Not only that, it’s also the best time in seven years to find a job. You might find it easier than ever to receive an offer. Looking back, it took the longest time for employers to fill a role during the first national lockdown of the pandemic. The average time required to fill a role was a whopping two months (55 days).
Top 10 quickest-to-fill jobs
If you want to get hired quickly, apply for Amusement and Recreation Attendant. It took merely 19 days for employers to fill this role in January 2023. If you want to break into the legal sector, you might be in luck. Roles like Employment Solicitor, Patent Secretary, and Funds Lawyer are getting filled in around three weeks.
Here’s a hot tip for applying for these quickest-to-fill positions: It’s all about timing! If you find a role that you are interested in, don’t wait around. Send your applications as early as possible. Why? When a job gets filled in a short amount of time, it usually means there are plenty of competent candidates who meet the employer’s expectations. By being proactive and getting in early, you’ll increase your chances of getting shortlisted.
Top 10 hardest-to-fill jobs
The three hardest roles to fill are Automotive Technician, Registered Nurse, and IT Sales Consultant. It took more than 100 days on average to fill these roles in January 2023. When a job stays open for such a long time, it usually means that either there aren’t enough qualified candidates or the hiring process is dragging on. In this case, it’s the former. There has been a shortage of talents with the right skill sets to meet the demand in the automotive, healthcare and IT sales sectors. It’s gotten so bad that the NHS had to look overseas to bring in nurses to help out.
It’s not just healthcare. Jobs that require specialised skills like Sitecore Developer, Mortgage Protection Advisor, and Hydrologist are also taking their sweet time to find the right candidates.
Meanwhile, as more and more companies are calling their employees back to the office, parents are scrambling to find good caretakers. Jobs like Live-in Nanny and Babysitters are therefore in high demand. It took an average of three months to fill these spots in January.
If you are planning to apply for these roles, tailor your CVs by highlighting the skills and experience that align perfectly with the job description in the job ad. Be patient when you haven’t heard back from the employers right away.
Expect slow hiring process in these sectors
Sector-wise, employers are spending six weeks on average looking for the right candidate for Graduate roles. There could be a few reasons behind this. It could be because there are just too many applications for employers to review. Since most graduates lack full-time working experience, employers might need to take extra time to assess how well they’ll fit within the company culture. Another possibility is that the employers are very committed to finding the right talent to nurture so they are taking time to make up their mind.
Job postings in the Creative & Design, Travel, Sales, and IT sectors are also remaining standing for longer, with job ads staying open for 40 days on average.
