Construction firms lead the way as survey reveals e-recruitment statistics

Construction firms and the public sector are most likely to use the internet for recruitment purposes according to new research from totaljobs.com, one of the UK’s leading jobs boards.

For the Total Forum report, an in-depth, biannual survey of e-recuitment practices in the UK, totaljobs.com interviewed senior HR professionals at 210 public and private sector organisations.

On average, two-thirds of respondents used a jobs board during the last 12 months. Construction firms reported the highest usage (90 per cent), followed by the public sector (83 per cent) and the legal profession (75 per cent).

However, only 53 per cent of media organisations utilised jobs boards, along with 55 per cent of IT and manufacturing companies.

Eighty-two per cent of those surveyed also use their corporate websites for recruitment purposes, with 59 per cent relying on a combination of website and jobs boards. In the future, more than a third of HR managers will increase the number of vacancies posted on jobs boards, while one in three will make greater use of corporate websites.

ìYou might expect firms with good communications and technology skills to have made greater use of online recruitment tools,î said Keith Robinson, commercial director for totaljobs.com. ìItís surprising how far they are behind organisations that arenít usually associated with implementing innovative IT practices.î

Overall, 67 per cent view internet recruitment as a useful tool, compared with 51 per cent two years ago. Thirty-nine per cent of those surveyed believe that internet recruitment is an established procedure within their organisations, an eight per cent increase from the last survey.

Although the popularity of online recruitment has grown, some of those surveyed remain cautious about using it too much.

For example, only one in five surveyed organisations advertise all their vacancies online. Those most likely to do so include public sector bodies and law firms. Some organisations place just 10 per cent of their vacancies on jobs boards, commonly hard-to-fill positions that may subsequently affect their perceptions of online recruitment.

ìIf HR managers use jobs boards as a last resort, then they will consistently struggle to find the people they want,î explained Keith Robinson. ìBy working more closely with online recruiters and explaining their requirements in more detail, they will increase their chances of success.î

Another area of concern highlighted by the survey was the lack of effective recruitment evaluation.

For example, half of all respondents do not measure the cost of each hire and only 42 per cent measure time spent per hire.

ìOrganisations commonly record statistics such as staff turnover and the number of vacancies filled each year,î Keith concluded. ìHowever, systems that measure recruitment successes (and failures) accurately are thin on the ground. Many of those surveyed relied on informal feedback and word of mouth. Introducing internal review processes would enable managers to make informed decisions concerning all their recruitment methods while improving their overall effectiveness.î