The rapid growth in online recruitment in the past five years is likely to continue as more people gain access to the Internet, says Inge de Klerk, general sales manager at Job Mail.
According to De Klerk, the number of registered active jobseekers on the Job Mail Web site more than doubled from 13 000 in 2003 to 28 000 this year. She says more than 7 000 new CVs were added to the site in November alone.
CareerWeb business development manager Ernie Hipner confirms this trend. "We noted a growth of 60% compared with last year's figures in the number of IT professionals submitting their CVs to our database to market themselves to ICT recruiters," he says.
De Klerk says although print is still "king" for some, there has also been a mass migration of prospective employers and recruitment agencies to online in the past few years. She says many are adopting a more holistic strategy that combines the two.
CareerWeb reports an 80% increase in the number of ICT positions that were posted on the site in the past year. The site is also attracting an average of 35 000 visitors each month, says Hipner.
Job Mail's online advertising revenue has increased by 40% in the past year, says De Klerk, with 6 500 recruiters using the company's online services to advertise job vacancies.
CareerWeb reports a revenue increase of 70% in the past year. "We are acquiring on average 20 new advertisers per month," says Hipner.
Admitting there is still some resistance to the migration to online and that many South Africans have limited Internet access, De Klerk still predicts online recruitment will continue to grow.
"Although still lagging behind more developed countries, Internet penetration in SA is growing and Internet acceptance is increasing," she says.
Hipner agrees: "Online recruitment will continue to grow as both job-seekers and recruiters find continued success with this medium. By placing your CV online, you allow yourself to be marketed 24/7."
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