I know it sounds shocking, but we’re already heading into the festive season — and every year, without fail, we see the same pattern.

If your ideal candidate is currently employed, they are highly unlikely to hand in their notice before the holidays. Most people understandably don’t want to spend Christmas in a notice period, and many prefer to start fresh in January.

Which means this:
 

If you begin your hiring process now, you’re perfectly timed for a February start date.

With 23 years in recruitment, we see this play out annually. Companies who wait until January to start hiring often don’t see their new team member begin until March or even April.

So if you know you’ll need someone in the new year — whether that’s growth, a backfill, or new project work — now is the moment to get ahead.

• Beat the January bottleneck.
• Attract candidates while competitors are slowing down.
• Set your business up for a strong start to 2026.

If you’d like support getting the process started, Valeco Recruitment is here to help.

Let’s get February hires moving today. 💼✨