A web recruitment service jobs.ac.uk set up in 1998 by 37 UK Universities has overturned the dominance of the print media in the UK's academic jobs market. Some UK universities are now finding up to 50% of their staff on line.

Alex Sproat, the Director of jobs.ac.uk, has just released data from surveys on academic job recruitment carried out at 4 universities and the key results now follow:

• In 1990 at the University of Warwick, the Guardian and THES sourced 48% of research and academic appointments; in 2000 this had reduced to 16% jobs.ac.uk now sources 45% of Research and Academic appointments at Warwick University
• At Bath University jobs.ac.uk sources 49% of such appointments. The Guardian and THES source 14%
• At Lancaster University jobs.ac.uk sources 38% of such appointments. The Guardian and THES source 11%
• At Keele University jobs.ac.uk sources 42% of such appointments. The Guardian and THES source 17%

The website jobs.ac.uk was set up at the University of Warwick in 1998 by the Universities Advertising Group - a purchasing consortium of 37 universities and institutions of higher education. It acts as a service for the entire academic community (including universities, institutions of research and higher education, schools and colleges) and for others that may benefit from using this facility including research organisations in the public and private sector, hospitals, local authorities etc. It has also proved to be popular with organisations outside academia with a 1000 organisations using the service and 30 new ones joining at a rate of 30 each month.

In October 2001 jobs.ac.uk had 146,000 unique users (ABCe audited). This places it in the top ten of UK recruitment websites by readership. Over 70% of the jobs.ac.uk readership are educated to Postgraduate level. It advertises over 25,000 vacancies each year.

For further information contact:

Alex Sproat, jobs.ac.uk tel 02476 524798
Alex.sproat@warwick.ac.uk

Further information about the above press release and all other media services at the University of Warwick can be obtained from:

Peter Dunn, Press Officer
Public Affairs Office
Senate House
University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL
West Midlands
Tel: 024 76 523708
Email: puapjd@admin.warwick.ac.uk