Corporate Web Site Recruitment Takes Hold

ByPeter Strozniak Only 29% of the world's largest corporations were using their Web sites to recruit new employees four years ago. In 2001 the story is much different as 88% of the world's largest firms are utilizing their Web sites for recruitment, according to a new report, Global 500 Web Site Recruiting, by iLogos Research. ILogos is a division of Recruitsoft, a human-resource firm based in San Francisco. "The four-year trend in the data confirms that Global 500 companies consider that the corporate Web site is a vital component of the overall recruiting process," the report states. By industry, 97% of the world's largest manufacturing firms are utilizing their Web sites for recruitment, which is second only to the health-care industry. The report says 100% of the health-care companies are using the Web for recruitment. Among companies within the transportation industry, 96% are using Web sites for recruitment, while 89% of companies in the high-tech sector are using the Web to get employees. Within different regions of the world, the study found that 93% of North American-based Global 500 firms are using their sites for employee recruitment. In Europe, 83% of the largest companies there are using the Web to find employees this year, up from 73% in 2000. But the biggest increase in the adoption of corporate Web site recruiting was seen among Global 500 companies based in the Asia-Pacific region. This year, the study found 88% of Asian-based companies are using their Web sites for recruitment, up from 68% in 2000. "This again can be attributed to a large degree to the significant increase in Internet usage in [Asia-Pacific] region, and also is typical of young markets in the early phases of adoption," the report concludes. The report forecasts that by 2003, 100% of the Global 500 firms will be using corporate Web sites to recruit employees. Data for this survey was collected by visiting each of the Web sites of the Global 500 corporations.