Job seekers have a better chance of finding work if they keep searching during the holiday season, says an Ottawa-based recruiting manager.
“I think there’s less people who look in the month of December, so there’s less competition out there,” said Sari Cantor of staffing firm Robert Half International.
“People should be optimistic.”
The company’s latest professional employment report finds a net 14% of executives surveyed plan to add staff in the first quarter of 2012, “so it’s certainly not a time to put your job search on hold just ‘cause the (Christmas) parties are starting,” said Cantor.
The national unemployment rate is 7.4%, with 19,000 jobs dropped nationwide in November, according to figures from Statistics Canada released last week.
Ottawa and Gatineau are sitting at 6.1% and 7%.
“We’re seeing a separation between the unskilled and the highly skilled labour, so in areas of IT, legal, accounting, we’re seeing a huge demand,” said Cantor.
“And the misconception is that hiring tends to slow down as the year slows down, but that’s just not the case.”
With so many people taking vacation, she said, it’s also a great time to look for contract work, “if anybody wants some extra spending money before Christmas, or after Christmas, to pay the bills.”
kelly.roche@sunmedia.ca
@ottawasunkroche
http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/12/05/keep-looking-for-jobs-during-holidays
Kelly Roche - Storyteller 