Today, the leading jobsite worldwide Indeed and the number one job app in the UK, released international research examining the search habits of job seekers across Australia, the UK, and US. Globally, 62% of jobseekers are using mobile devices for their job search. 55% of jobseekers cite ‘convenience’ as the core driver for mobile job search, while 66% of individuals would apply for a job on a mobile device if the process was simplified.
Mobile appliers
The average UK consumer now owns over five portable devices. This hyper-connectivity is breeding a new type of consumer, accustomed to instant access to information at any time, from anywhere. In turn this shift in consumer behaviour has driven innovation across a range of industries, including travel, retail and financial services, and is now disrupting the recruitment industry, forcing employers to adopt a new approach to hiring.
The top reasons given by UK respondents as to why they use mobile devices to search for jobs were:
- The process is quicker (41%)
- Easier (37%),
- Job search on the go (21%)
“This research presents a new picture of the modern jobseeker. They are spending more time looking for jobs and want to apply for positions as soon as they become available. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge to HR departments. Mobile job search is putting opportunities into the hands of employees and is changing how they apply for new positions,” said David Rudick, VP International Markets, Indeed.
However, the overwhelming response reveals a channel-agnostic consumer, with 47% replying that they turn to whichever device is most convenient, and closest to hand.
The barriers to submission
Despite evident familiarity with mobile devices to search for jobs, it seems that there is still a degree of scepticism regarding the reliability of mobile tools in the application process. Nearly half of job seekers in the UK highlighted small screens (53%), difficulty tailoring CVs to apply for different jobs (34%) and issues with attaching multiple documents (26%) as key barriers to applying on mobile devices currently.
Overall people in the UK are open to embracing mobile job applications if these barriers can be overcome, with over 50% claiming they would happily apply for a job via mobile if these problems were addressed.
“Job seekers should be able to search for roles how they want, when they want and where they want. It is clear that jobseekers globally are leading the way on this change. This year, over 54% of all UK traffic to the Indeed website came from a mobile device, it’s apparent the time for mobile job application systems has come. Indeed’s own research has found that employers who accept mobile applications received twice as many quality applicants than from desktop alone. The mobile ‘future state’ of recruiting in the UK is now”, commented David Rudick.
Rudick added: “To gain a competitive edge recruiting top talent in a strained local labour market, employers should look to attract savvy mobile jobseekers by removing the mobile barriers and ensuring they have the tools in place to make applying for a job as easy and reliable as possible.”
