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Third of job seekers say Web most effective

December 16, 2015

A global survey of people who landed a new job in 2014 found that 33% of the job seekers rated Internet sites as the most effective tool for finding new positions. Referrals ranked second with 19% citing them as most effective.

The report included more than 13,000 job seekers from 13 countries, and was done by The Boston Consulting Group and Recruit Works Institute — part of Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd., one of the world’s largest staffing firms and owner of jobs website Indeed.com.

One question asked was, “Which of the following channels did you use when searching for a job?” Results include:

  • Internet job sites: 55%
  • Paper media: 36%
  • Referrals from family or friends: 33%
  • Direct inquiry: 24%
  • Others: 19%
  • Public services: 20%
  • Permanent-employment agencies: 17%
  • Temporary-employment agencies: 17%
  • Alumni networks: 9%
  • Job training programs: 7%

Between a quarter to approximately one half of job seekers in the countries surveyed cited websites as the most effective channel in finding a job, according to survey results. Websites generally ranked as the most effective channel in all countries surveyed except India. There, only 8% cited websites as the most effective and 70% cited referrals from family or friends.

In the US, respondents reported the most effective channels were:

  • Internet job sites: 35%
  • Paper media: 9%
  • Referrals from family or friends: 19%
  • Direct inquiry with the company: 20%
  • Others: 7%
  • Public services: 3%
  • Permanent-employment agencies: 3%
  • Temporary-employment agencies: 4%
  • Alumni networks: 0.4%
  • Job training programs: 1%

“One of the key capabilities that differentiates the Internet channel from referrals from family or friends is the Internet's ability to process a much higher volume of applications,” said Kazumasa Sakurai, a BCG partner and a coauthor of the report. “We believe that key difference will drive the continued growth and evolution of Internet job search, and we look forward to seeing how future technological developments can continue to drive down the time job seekers spend searching for a new job without limiting — and in fact expanding — their employment options.”

The report found job seekers worldwide spent an average of 13 weeks finding employment, with search times in countries with high GDP growth about 30% shorter than those in countries with lower growth.

Almost 57% of survey respondents increased their incomes as a result of their job search, and 74% reported overall satisfaction with their jobs.

Countries included in the survey were Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the UK and the US.