TikTokers think hiring is going to take off in September—recruiters say, ’Not so fast’

If you’re a recruiter, the latest TikTok trend may have you thinking your job is about to get a lot busier.

TikTok has been flooded with videos about a trend called the “September surge,” which is the idea that companies could up their hiring before hunkering down for the holiday season. While recruiters are gearing up for the traditionally busy fall hiring season, TikTok may be overestimating how big the rush will be.

The labor market has an average of two applicants for every job posted, according to LinkedIn data reported by NBC News. Meanwhile, the rate at which workers voluntarily quit their jobs fell to pre-pandemic levels in July, indicating lower confidence in employment options, Axios reported.

So, what’s with the September surge buzz?

Here’s what it’s not. It’s not the red-and-white mushroom in Mario Kart that grants you a sudden speed boost.

Mike Peditto, a recruiting and hiring consultant who posts on TikTok, told HR Brew that some TikTokers are still talking about September as “it's historically been, rather than adjusting for the current market.”

“We’re definitely past the peak of how bad things were going to get, but that doesn’t mean September is just going to make up for all of it,” Peditto said. Job applicants, at best, might see “the normal September uptick,” not a Mario Kart-mushroom speed boost.

Advice to recruiters. Whether or not there is a September surge coming, recruiters should balance being realistic while still giving applicants hope, said Liora Alvarez, founder of career coaching and equitable recruiting firm Colorful Futures, who has a TikTok account.

“[A September surge] is not a magical fix, but for people who are starting to feel a little bit hopeless…or feeling a little desperate, this can be that spark to reignite excitement, reignite drive and focus,” Alvarez told HR Brew.

“Hope is not a bad thing, especially in the world that we live in,” she said.