Planning Ahead for the 2026–2027 Christmas & New Year Holiday Period

As we head towards the end of another busy year, it’s a good time to start thinking about your staffing requirements over the Christmas and New Year period.

The summer break can bring changes to workforce availability, particularly across the primary sector, with staff taking annual leave, seasonal workloads shifting and businesses preparing for the new year.

At Rural Directions, we encourage clients to get ahead with any recruitment requirements before the holiday period to help ensure you have the right people in place and can start 2027 on the front foot.

What to expect over the holiday period

Our team will be taking a well-earned break over Christmas and New Year. During this time, our recruitment team will not be available to manage day-to-day recruitment enquiries, interviews or applicant progression.

If you have vacancies you are looking to fill early in the new year, we recommend getting in touch before our close down. This will give us time to discuss your requirements, get recruitment underway and, where possible, have applicants progressing through the process before the break.

Job advertisements will remain available to view and apply for through our website during the holiday period. Any applications received while our office is closed will be reviewed and followed up once we return.

If you anticipate any urgent staffing requirements or have recruitment planned for January or February, please get in touch with the team ahead of time so we can discuss the best approach.

A few things to think about before the break

As you prepare for the summer period, here are a few things worth getting on top of before the year wraps up:

• Summer staffing: Have you got enough cover in place for annual leave, seasonal workloads and busier periods?
• Upcoming vacancies: Are there roles you anticipate needing to fill in January or February? Getting started early can make all the difference.
• Workforce planning: Are you expecting any changes to your team or business that may require additional staff in 2027?
• Remuneration: Is your business offering competitive salary packages? Our Salary Survey is a great place to start when reviewing salaries and planning ahead.

A little forward planning now can save a lot of pressure when everyone returns from the summer break!

Our Christmas & New Year hours

Our office will close at 12:00pm on Wednesday 23 December 2026 and reopen at 8:00am on Monday 11 January 2027.

We will be looking forward to returning refreshed and ready to support our clients and job seekers for another year.

From everyone at Rural Directions, thank you for your continued support and trust throughout 2026. We wish you, your teams and your families a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year!

Whether you’re spending the break on the farm, at the beach or enjoying some well-earned downtime, we hope you get the chance to put your feet up and enjoy a bit of sunshine. Here’s to a great 2027!