Zubka extends its International reach

Zubka has today launched its GmbH business and German language website. As the first foothold on mainland Europe for the UK-based company, this development heralds the start of a strategic geographical expansion programme. Headed up by Wolfgang Flatten, Managing Director, with offices in Frankfurt, the localised service has been developed to fully meet the recruitment needs of the worldís third largest economy, at the same time as supporting Zubkaís international growth.

With a population of 82.5 million, one of the worldís highest workforce productivity rates, recent liberalisation of employment laws and continued falls in unemployment predicted by the European Commission, from 9.3% in 2006 to 6.3% by the end of 2008, Germanyís staffing industry is vibrant. Permanent recruiting turnover rose 19% in 2006, with further increases likely according to the German Consultancy BDU, while Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander reported the total market grew by 10-15% that year. Germany is however the second most challenging EU country for the recruiting of quality executives, stated a survey released by Intrinsic.

Commenting on the news, Wolfgang Flatten, Managing Director, Zubka GmbH said; ìZubkaís ability to drive down recruitment costs while increasing the quality of candidates put forwards fits the requirements of my country perfectly. An increasing skill shortage across all industries means that the need to find ëpassive candidatesí is growing stronger amongst the corporate community and Zubka is the perfect solution.î Armando Ruffini, CEO of Zubka, commented; ìWe already have a number of companies in Germany using Zubka to source talented employees. With Wolfgang on board and a local infrastructure in place, our ability to service and support companies across the region, while at the same time driving tangible benefits to German consumers, is vastly improved.î

Referral recruitment, as in the rest of the world, is a pre-existing, popular grass roots activity in Germany which is as yet an untapped opportunity - for recruiters, hirers and individuals making recommendations. The German Institute for Employment Research (IAB) found that 34% of vacancies are already filled via co-workers or personal contacts. Combined with the growth in mass internet adoption, with 71% of Germans having internet access at home (Eurostat 2007), this innovative form of online networking for mutual benefit is ripe for growth.

www.zubka.com/de includes all the features and functions of Zubkaís global recruitment service. Signing up, posting vacancies, searching and making referrals work exactly the same as Zubkaís proven dotcom service, with the benefit of being in the German language. Hirers already using Zubkaís innovative recruitment service in the region include New Balance, HRS and Algorithmics.

Since Zubkaís initial launch in 2006, over 1000 hiring clients have joined the service in 52 different countries, while referrers are active in 134 countries around the world. ìZubka is already a truly global service, but localising our offering and showing our relevance and respect for different cultures and countries is both sensible and strategic;î added Armando Ruffini. ìAs the worldwide web develops further people will naturally expect each service they use to relate to them properly. This is an important step in Zubkaís continued evolution and the first in a series of local language services we will be launching this year.î