Job Hunters Flock To Web.'

Searching for a job has become one of the most popular activities on the Web in Canada, a new study says.

Job-hunting has in fact surpassed on-line banking, on-line shopping and music downloading, the study, called on-line Job Hunting: What the Future Holds, found.

The study reported that 50 per cent of Canadians connected to the Internet have looked through job postings on-line.

Most job-seekers ó 80 per cent of the respondents to the survey ó looked mainly at job-posting Web sites. And 62 per cent of people using the Internet as a job-hunting tool have also researched a prospective company on-line. A further 62 per cent have used e-mail to send a rsum.

Interestingly, 39 per cent of on-line job seekers have done their searching while at work.

Ipsos-Reid said:

Of those who admit to searching the Internet for jobs while at work, three-quarters [75 per cent] state they are keeping themselves informed about the job market while almost one-half [46 per cent] say they are using the Internet access provided by their current employer to find another job, she said.

The full potential of the Internet as a job-hunting resource is not being explored, Ipsos-Reid's study said, as job seekers are not using all the Internet tools at their disposal. Only 36 per cent of those looking for jobs have ever posted a rsum on-line and only 22 per cent have used information at a job Web site to help prepare a rsum or cover letter.

Already 80 per cent of on-line job hunters say they would be likely to search the Internet for job opportunities or job information in the future.

This is especially true of younger users, who are more likely to have used the Internet in a job search than older people ó 73 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 said they would; that number dropped to 35 per cent among those 55 years of age or more.