Online Round-Up: Job Seekers Make Career Move Online

The latest figures from internet research specialist Nielsen//NetRatings show online career and employment sites in bloom, as a quarter of all European internet users report using the internet to look at job websites between July-September.

In the same period, 43% of Europe’s online population were seen visiting the websites of universities. Overall, 68 million internet users visited career or education sites, notching up an 18% increase on the same period last year.

The increasing interest in online recruitment services is primarily due to the internet’s increased efficiency over traditional, print-based job adverts.

Alex Burmaster, European internet Analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, explained the evolution of recruitment ads, stating: “The efficiencies and immediacy of the online world continue to grow and play a greater part in improving people’s lives, and the careers sector is no different.

“Job seekers no longer have to wait for the publication day of their chosen newspaper or magazine and then spend hours trawling through these various publications to find the few vacancies relevant to them. Now they can just register on a site or two, insert their specific requirements, sit back and see all the vacancies delivered to them.”

The growth of online recruitment has begun to pick the pockets of traditional media, with the print sector seeing ad revenues in long-term decline, and has attracted the attention of several major players.

Earlier this year newspaper giant Trinity Mirror splashed out £50.5 million on the purchase of online recruitment specialist, Hotgroup (see Trinity Buys Online Recruitment Site), followed by the £3.3 million purchase of SecsintheCity.com, an online resource for secretarial and administrative jobs (see Trinity Continues Online Recruitment Acquisitions).

Elsewhere, media giant ITV has purchased Friends Reunited for £120 million, gaining complete control of the infamous website, which is expanding to include recruitment information amongst other things (see ITV Plans Online Expansion With Friends Reunited Purchase).

More niche recruitment needs are also being catered for effectively by the internet. Earlier this year Broadcast magazine launched its own dedicated recruitment service for freelance workers in the TV industry, enabling employers to search by several criteria in order to streamline the recruitment process (see Emap To Tackle TV Freelance Recruitment).

However, the expansion of online recruitment services is not necessarily an advantage for job seekers, Burmaster explains: “Whilst the internet provides huge benefits for job seekers in terms of practicality and finding vacancies – it is a double edged sword. The internet provides those with the vacancies access to a far larger pool of candidates, meaning for the seeker that competition is increasingly fierce. Gone are the days when your only competitors to a job were limited to those who could get their hands on a copy of your regional paper; today it’s the whole of Europe.”

Meanwhile, interest in online education resources continues to increase, with a 36% rise in audience year on year between July and September. According to Nielsen//NetRatings’ latest statistics, two British universities feature in the top ten table for most visited sites. Oxford university, arguably the most famous in the world, currently ranks fourth, while Edinburgh University sits at number seven. One American institution, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), is listed in the top ten.

According to Burmaster, the presence of American universities in the league table highlights the internet’s international influence. “There are three US universities in the top 15 university websites most visited by Europeans,” he explained. “This highlights the unrivalled ability of the internet to break down geographical borders and bring people closer together. As with the job sector, the internet has provided universities with a much wider pool of potential and talented students.”

Nielsen//NetRatings: 020 7014 0590 www.nielsennetratings.com Alex Burmaster: aburmaster@netratings.com