January is when working mothers quietly quit inflexible jobs
January is emerging as the most decisive month of the year for working mothers in Ireland. Data from Employmum and Employflex shows a 74% increase in experienced female candidates actively seeking part-time or flexible roles in January compared to the annual monthly average, as parents reassess whether rigid working patterns are sustainable once schools and childcare return.
“January is when the school run beats the job description,” said Karen O’Reilly, founder of Employmum and Employflex. “After Christmas, the reality of fixed hours, long commutes and inflexible roles becomes impossible to ignore. We see if very clearly in January, many highly capable senior women don’t resign immediately , they quietly start looking.”
Employmum says the majority of candidates registering in January have 10 – 20 years’ professional experience, across different areas such finance, administration, HR and operations. Despite this, many employers continue to advertise full-time or ‘flexible in name only’ roles, missing out on an available and motivated talent pool.
“Employers keep talking about skills shortages,” O’Reilly said. “What we actually have is a flexibility gap. Businesses willing to design authentically flexible roles are filling vacancies faster and retaining staff longer.”
Employmum and Employflex are urging employers to treat January as a strategic hiring window rather than a slow start, and to rethink how roles are structured and advertised if they want to retain experienced talent in 2026 and beyond.
Mind the ( Flexibility ) Gap!