The September recruitment rush: A tale of two industries

Corporate recruitment and other industries will see a spike in hiring, but hospitality faces a different reality as the busy summer season winds down. Here we explore how September unfolds for these contrasting sectors.

The corporate September surge: Back to business

For many businesses, September marks a return to full throttle. Over the summer months, the recruitment process tends to slow down, with key decision-makers and potential hires on holiday. However, as soon as schools go back and professionals settle back into their routines, there is a surge in activity.

Schools, universities, and educational institutions, of course, experience their busiest time. With students back, there’s an urgent need to fill teaching, administrative, and support roles that may have become vacant over the summer.

In sectors like finance, marketing, IT, and professional services, September is a critical month for recruitment. Many companies aim to fill vacancies and plan for the final quarter of the year. As teams re-group, budgets are assessed, and the need to deliver results becomes more pressing. Recruitment activity spikes as companies seek fresh talent to close out the year strongly or set up teams for projects in the coming months.

September is also the start of many graduate recruitment schemes. With universities re-starting and graduates fully entering the job market after summer, there is an influx of fresh talent. Companies invest in securing young professionals during this period, adding to the recruitment frenzy.

This September energy is largely driven by timing. Businesses returning from the summer break have a limited window before the end-of-year holiday season to hit targets, onboard new employees, and set the stage for the upcoming year. It's a sprint to the finish line.

Hospitality's September shift: From peak to plateau

In contrast, the hospitality industry experiences a noticeable shift in the opposite direction. As the tourism season slows down and families return home from vacations, and back to work - limiting their leisure time; the bustling restaurants, hotels, resorts and leisure operators that were packed all summer, begin to quieten. 

For many in hospitality, this is a time to exhale after months of relentless demand. But the quieter months also present unique recruitment challenges and opportunities: 

• Post-summer staffing: After a busy summer season, hospitality businesses often scale down their workforce. Many seasonal workers, brought in specifically to handle the summer rush, will have contracts ending in September. While this leads to fewer recruitment needs, it is still to evaluate which temporary staff might be retained for longer-term roles or re-hired next year.
• Strategic hiring for the festive season: Though the immediate demand drops in September, forward-thinking hospitality businesses are already preparing for the next peak- the festive season.  Recruitment for the busy Christmas and New Year period can begin as early as September, (mince pies have already been spotted in shops after all!!), ensuring that companies have trained staff in place before the December rush. Many businesses, from hotels to catering services, start looking for temporary workers to meet this future demand.
• Up-skilling and retention: The quieter months give hospitality businesses a chance to focus on internal improvements. This could involve training and up-skilling permanent employees, improving processes and updating systems, or even re-deploying staff to other sites or roles. Recruitment efforts might shift from front-line positions to managerial or strategic roles as businesses prepare for the year ahead.

The September contrast - Lessons from both worlds

While corporate sectors ramp up their recruitment activity and efforts, hospitality businesses take a breath and reconfigures its needs for the slower off-season. However, both industries share a common lesson - the importance of strategic planning...

• Agility: In both worlds, the ability to adjust recruitment efforts to match business needs is crucial. While corporate recruitment is driven by end-of-year targets, hospitality shifts its focus towards upcoming seasonal trends. In both cases, business that anticipate and plan for these changes are better positioned to succeed. 
• Talent retention: For industries that experience seasonality, like hospitality, September offers a chance to focus on retention strategies. Whether it’s offering long-term contracts to top-performing seasonal staff or developing new internal roles, keeping the best talent is key.
• Future-proofing: Corporate recruiters may be filling roles to meet current needs, but they're also thinking about the long-term. Similarly, hospitality businesses looking ahead to the festive season are future-proofing their operations by getting ahead of the competition in securing skilled workers for the next wave of demand.

To conclude - embrace the September opportunity! It is a dynamic month for recruitment, but it doesn't look the same for every sector or industry. Corporate sectors are ramping up their activity, onboarding new talent, and in comparison, hospitality is slowing down after a frenetic summer, looking ahead to the future and the next busy season to be fully prepared.

For recruiters, it is simply about understanding these different rhythms and tailoring recruitment strategies accordingly.  September presents a golden opportunity - if approached with foresight and flexibility.