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282916
Fri, 04/26/2013 - 08:40
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More 'Online' Job Seekers

By Hazlinda Hamzah KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- This decade has seen the explosion of information and communication technology (ICT), where jobs are available at one’s fingertips, unlike that of yesteryears. According to the Singapore-based 'JobsDB.com', the number of job seekers searching for jobs online is on the rise. "Between January 2011 and February 2012, the number rose by 365 per cent for mobile visits from Malaysia alone," Jake Andrew, product manager at JobsDB.com told Bernama. The term 'online' refers to being connected to the Internet. Andrew said Malaysia is the third Asian nation, after Hong Kong and Singapore, with a high number of online job seekers. JOB SEEKERS According to a quantitative study, which involved 2,000 people, held by JobsDB.com, 82 percent of the job seekers in Malaysia chose online job portals for looking for new and challenging opportunities. Forty one per cent were said to be exploring better prospects in their careers, checking the site three to four times every week. Some job seekers browsed job portals to satisfy their curiosity over the value of their current job marketability, while others did it to gauge their current abilities in a similar job discipline. Jobs seekers, who belong to this category, will apply for suitable jobs when opportunities arise, even when they are not intentionally looking for new job openings or positions. COMPUTERS Job seekers today can search for jobs anywhere and anytime. Even Malaysians are becoming savvier on their high-tech mobile gadgets. Sheldon Fernandez, general manager at JobsDB.com Malaysia, confirmed that the number of Malaysians browsing for jobs online is on the rise. "Job seekers are looking for the right careers for them," Fernandez explained, emphasising that job seekers today are actually seeking positive change. Statistics provided by JobsDB.com reveal that some 800,000 Malaysian job seekers have been looking for new and better job opportunities, and it is believed that those with existing jobs make up 60 percent of this group. INTERNET The Internet has become a major channel for job searches today, with the ever growing popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices, hand in hand with technological advancements. JobsDB Malaysia has invested substantially to further enhance its technology and product development services to provide more accessibility and flexibility to job seekers. This job search engine aims to cement its leadership role as the preferred online job portal in this region. Besides helping employers obtain relevant applications from candidates for their job vacancies via this popularly growing online option, job seekers also get to be ‘matched’ appropriately. The success rate currently is no less than four to five employment opportunities every month in Malaysia. PLANS "Domestic growth in Malaysia is exciting - about six percent in the last quarter of 2012 - and the same is targeted for 2013, especially where the SME sector is concerned. "There are huge opportunities in the job market here in Malaysia, in line with our growth strategy and expectations," Angeli Beltran, managing director of JobsDB said. The region is definitely becoming increasingly borderless today; thus, there is a possibility for Malaysians to be sourced for posts overseas within the six regions across Asia. How long would one take to ‘land’ a job position via this search engine? Beltran said since the searches are done online, matching job seekers to available jobs are easier, and applications can be done via the Internet from anywhere in the country. "From the application to hiring, it depends on different processes taken by companies. "JobsDB provides a wide coverage and a wide reach. That is important to us as a platform. It sure is challenging to fulfill the needs of our clients," Beltran said, when asked on how JobsDB can help reduce unemployment woes in Malaysia. The responsibility of JobsDB is not only to place job adverts but also to get candidates, among interested job seekers, a job. -- BERNAMA

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