Pressure from family and friends is to blame for people wanting to change jobs after returning from holiday, one recruiter claims. And, rather than the conventional wisdom which suggests that the summer is a down period for recruiters, it is in fact a "boom time", claims Paul Farrer, chairman of media recruitment specialists PFJ.

"I've never been impressed by the concept that recruitment dies in the summer," he told Recruiter in an exclusive interview.

"The beginning of September is a really busy time for us and this is because holidays can bring other pressures to bear.

"If couples go on holiday, for example, they can question each other about their jobs and start thinking maybe it's time for a change. It's all to do with peer pressure."

The recruitment-to-recruitment sector, in which PFJ also operates, is no exception to this trend. It also suffers from the "the end-of-holiday blues", claims Nicky Coffin, director of JPA. She believes that returning from holiday can be the spur for consultants leaving the recruitment industry altogether.

"People decide they can't cope with their jobs anymore, and there is definitely an increase in candidate flow," she claims.

"Things which were minor niggles before people left for holiday, such as having to be at work by a certain time, can soon become major problems."

Coffin explains that JPA has offered counselling for its consultants who had just returned from holiday, but sounded a warning to those who were settling back behind their desks to think hard before changing jobs.

"The grass isn't always greener is the message we want to get across. Holidays take people out of reality, and it's important to realise that changing your job may not change the reality of the situation."