Hiring Trends

Here at Wonolo, we work with HR departments and hiring managers like you to help you supplement your permanent workforce with a flexible, on-demand workforce. As hiring and employment trends vary throughout the year, it’s helpful to understand how the availability of workers, jobs, and HR strategy will impact on your workforce capabilities.

We’ve reviewed labor force numbers, trends, and forecasts from some of the most reliable and prestigious sources to give you an overview of seasonal hiring trends with a particular focus on the summer months. You can review these statistics as you’re developing your recruitment plans to ensure you’ll always meet demand.

Remember that if you ever need flexible, on-demand workers, Wonolo can provide you with pre-vetted people ready to take on any entry-level role, within 24 hours.

How Hiring Trends Change Over the Year

• The first quarter sees an uptick in hiring as businesses recruit for the year ahead and their strategic initiatives. Demand can often outstrip talented supply at the start of the year, with January and February being strong hiring months.
• The second quarter is popular for hiring for seasonal jobs like tourism, agriculture, hospitality, and construction. There can also be a trend for hiring in professional roles, prior to decision makers taking vacation over the summer.
• The third quarter sees slower hiring and fewer job roles available, especially over the summer months of July and August. A combination of vacations and recruiters taking their foot off the gas means fewer applications.
• The fourth quarter brings in lots of different factors, including retailers hiring for the holidays, fall activity, a slow down over the Thanksgiving and holiday periods, and budgetary considerations.

For many industries, the summer months are typically the slowest of the year for job roles and HR activities, which makes it an ideal time to use on-demand, temporary staffing to meet any shortfall in your workforce strategy.

Job Openings Over Time from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

We completed some analysis on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to explore hiring trends over various months. As you can see, there are dips in overall employment over the summer months, although this is more pronounced in some industries than others.

Although many industries do have dips in hiring over the summer, there are several industries where summer hiring increases.

Major Industries with Increased Summer Hiring

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also provides data for industry sectors where there’s a greater need for employees over the summer months. The main industries are:

• Recreational and vacation camps
• Marinas
• Historical sites
• Zoos, botanical and nature parks
• Museums
• Amusement parks and arcades
• Golf courses and country clubs
• Fitness and recreational sports centers
• Hotels and motels

Although the latest data is from 2014, it still shows some very interesting trends in hiring.