Patience and persistence key to job search success

New analysis shows that, on average, it takes around 15 months from the start of an active job search to beginning a new job role.

In 2023, the average reached 17 months, while in 2025 it shortened to 14 months, according to the Pnet Job Market Trends Report for September 2026, which is based on an analysis of 2,8-million employment records for people who started new jobs between 2022 and 2025.

However, job-search timelines vary significantly depending on the sector, occupation, level of specialisation, qualifications and experience required.

“Highly specialised and senior roles often take longer to secure because there are fewer suitable positions, recruitment processes involve more assessment and interview stages, and appointments may require sign-off from multiple stakeholders,” says Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet. “High-demand occupations, particularly those with lower qualification and experience requirements, can move considerably faster.”

Some sectors provide noticeably faster routes into employment than others. Sales is one of the fastest-moving sectors. Over the past four years, it has taken approximately 13 months on average to land a Sales role. In 2025, this shortened considerably to just nine months.

Other sectors with job-search timelines below the15-month average include:

• Building and construction
• Marketing
• Maintenance and repair
• Admin, office and support

At the other end of the spectrum, jobseekers in Finance, Engineering and Business & Management typically spend 16 months or more searching before starting a new role.

Job search duration by occupation

Highly specialised professionals tend to experience some of the longest job-search timelines. Financial Portfolio Managers, Risk Managers and Business and Solution Architects, for example, take approximately 20 months on average to land a new role. Other occupations where the search typically takes two to five months longer than the 15-month average include:

Finance roles in Risk Assessment, Management Accounting, Credit Management and Procurement

IT roles in Business Analysis and Systems Analysis

Business & Management roles across Management, Consulting and Employee Development

Engineering roles and specialised technical occupations

A common thread connects these occupations: specialisation. There are often fewer suitable vacancies for highly specialised professionals, while recruitment processes can involve multiple interviews, assessments and multiple decision-makers. These factors can extend the time between beginning a search and receiving the right offer.

Several occupations record considerably shorter job-search periods than the national average.

These roles generally require less professional experience than highly specialised occupations. Market demand plays an important role. Where demand is high but the available talent pool is limited, competition between employers can shorten the time it takes suitable candidates to secure a position. Electricians are one example.

**Qualification level **

Qualification level also impacts on the length of a job search. The data suggests that, broadly speaking, the higher the qualification or experience required for a role, the longer the job-search period tends to be. Candidates associated with roles requiring lower qualification levels generally record shorter search periods:

Experience level

A similar pattern emerges when looking at years of experience:

The Pnet perspective

“For jobseekers, the message is to plan career moves with realistic expectations,” says Bates. “A longer search does not mean that opportunities are absent, particularly at senior and specialist levels. Starting the process early, remaining active in the market and maintaining an up-to-date professional profile can help candidates stay visible while the right opportunity develops.

“For employers and recruiters, these findings highlight the importance of understanding how different talent markets behave. Highly specialised candidates may remain active for longer, but where scarce skills are in strong demand, suitable professionals can still move quickly. Efficient recruitment processes, clear decision-making and competitive offers remain important when employers identify the right talent.

“Importantly, the findings also challenge the assumption that six months of inactivity online means a candidate is no longer open to new opportunities. With the average job search taking around 15 months, recruiters limiting their database searches to six months may be overlooking a sizeable potential talent pool by focusing only on candidates who have been recently active. By broadening searches, employers could reach professionals who may still be receptive to the right opportunity.”

The post Patience and persistence key to job search success appeared first on IT-Online.