Kiwis utilise love of Facebook to find a job

New research from recruitment and HR services provider, Randstad, suggests employers may need to reconsider the tools they use to attract and recruit staff, with 40% of working age New Zealand job seekers using social media networks to find work.

The annual Randstad Award employer branding research, which for the first time since its inception asked Kiwis if they use social media networks to find a job, reveals Kiwis are more likely to turn to Facebook than professional networking site LinkedIn.  When asked, 63% of respondents said they would use Facebook to look for a new job, while 43% said they would use LinkedIn.

Country Manger of Randstad New Zealand, Brien Keegan, speaking ahead of the company’s annual Randstad Award on March 19, says this research is a timely reminder to employees of the need to remain up-to-date with changing trends within the labour market.

“A company’s most important asset is their staff and insights provided by the Randstad Award employer branding research enables employers to understand where they should focus their efforts when trying to hire new talent.

“In New Zealand’s tight labour market the ability to attract, inspire and retain a team of talented and skilled individuals will give a company a competitive edge.”

The Randstad research, which globally captures the perceptions of 225,000 potential job seekers from 23 countries, including Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America and China, found that on average 49% of job seekers worldwide use social media networks. Job seekers in Hungary used social media the most at 75%, compared to those in Japan (26%), who use social media networks the least.  

New Zealand jobseekers are more likely to use social media than their Australian counterparts, of whom only 34% say they use social media networks to look for a job.  

Keegan says he’s not surprised by the findings of the research, which polled more than 7,900 working age New Zealanders.  

“Social media is gradually permeating every aspect of our lives, so it is only natural that New Zealanders are increasingly using social media when looking for a job.”

“Through our interaction with job seekers we had anecdotal evidence to show that people were increasingly using Facebook and LinkedIn, so we were eager to accurately measure the extent of the use of social media in this year’s Randstad Award employer branding research.”

The research, which polled potential employees aged between 18 and 65 years, found those with a master or higher degree were more likely to use LinkedIn when looking for a job.

Five years since the first Randstad employer survey was undertaken, the most important criteria for New Zealanders when choosing an employer continues to be salary and employee benefits, according to 21% of respondents.  This was followed by pleasant working atmosphere (10%), good work-life balance (10%), long-term job security (12%) and interesting job content (11%).