• Online job boards now Europe’s most important means of finding employment say candidates surveyed
• Two thirds of organisations are planning to increase recruitment within the next 12 months; one fifth will be creating new positions
• Survey highlights “information gap” – employees’ information needs not met by many job advertisements

London, UK – 4 December 2009: As the economy returns to growth in many parts of Europe the first of three Pan-European studies of recruitment, carried out by StepStone, predicts the jobs market will be reignited in 2010 as companies start recruiting again and people look for more satisfying jobs. The StepStone study1 reveals that nearly two thirds of the 1,600 organisations surveyed are planning to increase recruitment within the next year and one fifth will be creating new positions. Employees are also planning their next moves as many are frustrated in their current positions: over 40 per cent of the almost 2,500 respondents cited a lack of career development opportunities as their reason for looking for a new job.

The survey findings further reveal that the way people are looking for work has changed, with many job seekers shying away from traditional methods in favour of online tools. The data present a changing picture of how people across Europe look for jobs:

• 91 per cent of StepStone candidates surveyed said online job boards were the most important tool for them
• More candidates used search engines (51 per cent) than agencies (30 per cent) when looking for a job
• Too few advertised positions and out of date job offers were cited as the main reasons for not using traditional media during the job search

Colin Tenwick, StepStone CEO comments: “It’s encouraging to see signs of an upturn after a difficult time for the European economy. However, both recruiters and candidates need to rethink their approach to the reinvigorated job market. Our study shows that candidates have fully embraced the world of online job searching and recruiters need to be aware of this dynamic. At the same time, candidates should think carefully about how they interact with social media – with recruiters monitoring online outlets they need to portray themselves in the best possible light to secure future employment.”

Job advertisement information gap: employers underselling vacancies
The survey also highlights major differences between the information employees look for in advertisements, and the content employers actually provide.  While both candidates and recruiters acknowledge that detail on the role itself is most important, much of the information candidates want is not published by employers.

Tenwick adds: “Companies will suffer if dissatisfied employees head for the door, and weak job advertisements don’t attract the right talent for new vacancies.  Although we see more employers engaging with target candidates via the most popular channels, it is vital they get the content right to recruit the best people. Comprehensive information and good employer branding make a huge difference in the quality of response.”

1) About the research – available from info@stepstone.com
The research was conducted through a series of online surveys in nine European countries including Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. 2,478 candidates and 1,600 recruiters from the StepStone database were surveyed during Q4 2009.

About StepStone
StepStone helps businesses get increased performance from their people, helps them build and develop global talent pools, and helps people find new jobs that match their talents. Across the world thousands of organisations rely on StepStone every day to improve their business performance and talent development strategies while millions of people rely on StepStone to improve their careers. StepStone delivers world class technology and services for finding, recruiting, retaining, managing and developing talented people.

StepStone operates some of Europe’s largest talent networks, accurately matching employers with potential employees, and provides a complete suite of Human Capital Management software solutions. StepStone’s on-demand (SaaS) software and services enable organisations to implement efficient processes, including; attraction and hiring, post-hire talent management, performance management, compensation management, skills and competency management, career and succession planning, training and development management.

At the end of June 2009 more than 1,600 organisations, including many of the world’s leading businesses, use StepStone software and services. It operates in 17 countries and employs around 800 people. Its global customers include Aviva, Deloitte, Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa, McDonald’s, Puma, ThyssenKrupp and Volkswagen.

For more information see: www.stepstone.com.
Read our blog at: http://www.stepstonesolutions.com/communitypost 
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Contacts
Robin Grainger / Catherine Moran
Brands2Life
+44 (0)20 7592 1200
stepstone@brands2lIfe.com

Andrew Rodaway
Director of Communications
+44 7540 666439
StepStone
Andrew.rodaway@stepstone.com