Job Seekers Have Choices

Corporations are catching on to the importance of being their own recruiters as an iLogos Research report shows that fully 94 percent of the Global 500 companies that were surveyed had their own careers site – up 3 percentage points from 2002.

The ratio has increased dramatically since 1998 when only 29 percent of the corporations surveyed had a careers site, surging to 60 percent in 1999, 79 percent in 2000, and 88 percent in 2001.

The data, gathered by iLogos during early 2003 primarily from respondents in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region, reflects the growing trend of expense-cutting by bringing employee recruitment functions in-house, but despite those efforts, Nielsen//NetRatings found that more than 20 million U.S. surfers logged on to career Web sites during April 2003, with Monster way ahead of the pack.

Top Career and Development Sites, April 2003 (U.S., Home and Work Combined)
Brand or Channel	Unique Audience	Time Spent
Monster.com	10,774,000	0:17:34
Yahoo HotJobs	3,545,000	0:14:56
CareerBuilder	3,342,000	0:20:31
USAJOBS	1,270,000	0:17:12
AOL Careers & Work	1,120,000	0:08:34
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings

Of those visiting the career and development sites, 19 percent are professionals, 26 percent are executives or managers, and 26 percent are technical workers. Full time students and blue collar workers are the smallest segments (5 percent and 7 percent respectively) of online job searchers.

“Totaling more than 10 million online, the blue collar labor force has typically used more traditional channels when searching for employment. Their sheer size online represents a substantial growth opportunity for career sites looking to expand their existing user base,” said Patrick Thomas, senior Internet analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings.

Top Occupations Within the Career and Development Category, April 2003 (U.S., Home and Work Combined)
Occupation	Unique Audience	Active Reach
Professional	3,199,000	19%
Executive or Managerial	2,819,000	26%
Technical	2,030,000	26%
Clerical or Administrative	1,699,000	18%
Full Time Student	1,257,000	5%
Self-Employed	1,106,000	14%
Sales	1,044,000	19%
Education	876,000	12%
Craftsman, Factory Operator or Laborer, Service Worker	765,000	7%
Other	734,000	21%
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings

According to findings from a New York Times Job Market survey, sales people are the most likely career site surfers, with 52 percent of hiring managers reporting a high employee turnover rate in a typical year.

Job Functions and the Percentage of Hiring Managers Reporting High Turnover
Sales	52%
Technical	32%
Finance/Accounting	5%
Human Resources	5%
Source: New York Times Job Market

Hiring managers also report that employees in senior management or executive-level positions stay with their organizations an average of 13 years, while employees in entry-level positions stay an average of four years.