Jobseekers Are Spending Up to A Staggering £1.44 Billion A Year On Their Job Hunt

Jobseekers are spending up to a staggering £1.44 billion a year on their job hunt, each spending on average up to £852 a year on interviews, which includes new clothes, courses and training, transport and haircuts. 

This is according to new research from totaljobs as part of its #MillionPoundJamie campaign, which has found that, on average, jobseekers spend £146 on every job interview they attend, including £33 on a new outfit, £20 on new shoes, and £24 on transport. The 16–24 age group spend the most, splashing out up to £167 on average for every interview.

However, despite this huge outlay, the data also reveals that 27% of jobseekers don’t research the role when preparing for a job interview and 60% don’t update their CVs for each role applied for – a basic and key component of any job hunt. Furthermore, 37% of jobseekers don’t research the industry when preparing for a job interview.

Meanwhile, for the older generation, a huge majority are worried that their age gets in the way of progression. Almost two-thirds (63%) of 55- to 64-year-olds have said they have felt discriminated against by a prospective employer because of their age, despite the over-55s often being the most prepared for an interview.