Results from jobs.ac.uk 2013 recruiter and jobseeker surveys
jobs.ac.uk has announced the results of its 2013 surveys of jobseekers and recruitment trends across the academic, research and science sectors. jobs.ac.uk was launched in January 1998 by Warwick and is the top recruitment site in our sector.
1- Jobseeker survey results
The online survey of 680 jobseekers was conducted in April 2013 and provides an in-depth look at job searching activity and trends. More than 70% of the survey’s respondents were based in the UK, with the remainder located in Europe, North America and Caribbean, Asia Pacific and Africa. Over half of the respondents work in academic, research and professional or managerial roles.
The survey revealed that whilst two thirds of respondents are actively seeking new opportunities, the biggest challenge currently facing jobseekers is a lack of jobs and opportunities. Respondents also reported competition from other applicants and the economic environment as major obstacles.
Jobseekers - key findings
- 72% use social media to aid their career or search jobs
- 70% said the main factor to accepting a job was challenging/interesting work
- Only 69% conducted an internet search of the employer before a job interview
- 59% of jobseekers are happy with their work-life balance
- 36% search for jobs on their smartphones
- 17% of jobseekers search for jobs during work-time
Visit jobs.ac.uk to see an infographic of the survey results
2- Recruitment trend survey results
The survey of over 170 organisations revealed that the use of job boards has become an essential HR practice, with 64% of respondents citing them as their preferred method for recruiting academic, research and science staff.
Recruitment - key findings
- 58% of respondents said they have either reduced or no longer use print advertising
- 71% of respondents prefer specialist job boards to generalist job boards
- When choosing a job board, sector specialism (72%), pricing (59%) and audience size (43%) were cited as the most important factors
- 50% of respondents said they use social media to recruit with LinkedIn being the most popular platform
- 97% are increasing employee count in the next 12 months
- 30% of respondents cited reducing costs as the top recruiting priority
- Only 24% of respondents use applicant tracking systems
The survey found that the battle to attract the best talent continues with employers citing a lack of skilled candidates as the biggest recruitment challenge. Respondents also reported reduced recruitment budgets, a high competition for talent from other employers and too many applicants as key problems.