Job hunters take note - Monday January 16th is the busiest day of the year to do so.

Dubbed 'Blue Monday', it sees a surge in the number of people looking to change careers online.

Data from IrishJobs.ie reveals that on the job hunting increases dramatically.

Figures for previous Blue Mondays reveal a 35% increase in visits to its site, compared to average daily traffic from the week before.

While most jobseekers say they are optimistic about finding a job in 2017.

A survey of more than 1,200 jobseekers found that 67% of jobseekers feel that the market has improved going into 2017 - with 64% confident that they will find a new job.

The study also found that the majority of jobseekers feel that they will not have to spend a long time looking for a job, 48% are confident of finding one in the first quarter.

While there is also reason for optimism in the jobs market.

A Jobs Index reveals job creation in Ireland improved by 11% in comparison with 2016, with Construction (49%) and Hotel and Catering industry (36%) experiencing the most significant gains.

Commenting on the sentiment survey, Orla Moran, general manager of IrishJobs.ie said: "Today is typically a popular day for jobseekers to have a look at what’s out there in the market, with many looking for a new challenge.

"Blue Monday may have a reputation for being a day of pessimism, but the outlook is certainly bright in the Irish jobs market.

"Last year saw an increase in the jobs available in every county in Ireland and so the optimism that we found in our survey is there for good reason."