More New Zealand employers choose to recruit online

NBR Adcorp Online Recruitment Study shows New Zealand organisations have improved their online recruitment processes, but are still lagging behind global trends.



Most New Zealand organisations have now developed career pages on their websites ñ up from 64% in 2002 to 92% in 2005. Although improving their practices, New Zealand employers still lag global trends. In todayís competitive environment, merely having a career website does not make an organisation sufficiently competitive.

Global research shows that the United States has moved towards a near-complete adoption of online recruitment. Already in 2003, 96% of the top 500 North American companies had career websites. By contrast, a 2004 report on Australasian Top 500 online recruiting trends puts the figure of employers with career sites at merely 74%.

With nearly 90% of people over 16 able to access the Internet from any location, the lowest unemployment rate in the OECD (3.7%) and, for the first time in 4 years, a net migration outflow in July, New Zealand is in the grip of a severe skill shortage. The web is on its way to become a major sphere where employers compete for candidatesí attention.

Kevin Lodge, Managing Director of Adcorp New Zealand, commented: ìThe internet is a cost-effective vehicle where organisations can differentiate themselves as employers in an increasingly globalised labour market. The career website can be used as part of a consistent branding strategy intended to highlight the benefits of working for your organisation in the face of the global skills pinch in the labour market.î

In 2002 Adcorp New Zealand undertook a study of online recruitment across both the private and public sectors. The 2005 report compares developments observed annually since 2002.

At presnt career websites are used by most organisations (86%) mainly to list current vacancies. According to Adcorpís Research Manager who prepared the study, New Zealand employers are now acquainted with certain employer branding website practices such as providing details on organisational culture or employee vision statements, but are neglecting other important branding strategy elements like management and employee team profiles or a section on employee rewards and benefits on the website.

In contrast to 2002, a significantly larger number of employers (32% compared to 4% in 2002) are choosing an automated recruitment system known as an Applicant Tracking System. ATS, currently used by about 90% of large organisations in the USA, allows important savings in time and cost per hire through an easy-to-use interface facilitating all stages of the job application process.