News & Media

This resource for journalists and investors includes media releases, announcements and statements.

SEEK Employment Index

Media Contacts

Media representatives can contact Paul or Andrew Bassat (Joint CEO's) for information on topics such as:

the origins and future of internet recruitment tips on how to conduct an effective online job search success stories and case studies of recruiters and job hunters who are using the Internet to fill — and find — jobs faster interviews with SEEK representatives

Contact SEEK by email, by phone on 03 9510 7200 (international 61 3 9510 7200 GMT +11 hours) or fax 03 9510 7244.

2008 Media Releases

• 18.08.08 SEEK announces Full Year 2008 Financial Results
• 06.08.08 SEEK Employment Index - Rapidly Rising Job Applications Drive Index Fall
• 30.07.08 Skills Shortage Creates Divide in Job Market
• 10.07.08 SEEK Limited increases investment in Zhaopin
• 08.07.08 SEEK Learning Launches in UK and Ireland
• 07.07.08 SEEK Employment Index - NSW, ACT, QLD Employment Markets Soften in June
• 04.06.08 SEEK Employment Index - Job Market Steadies in May
• 12.05.08 Internet attracting a new breed of volunteer
• 07.05.08 SEEK Employment Index - Demand for labour slows in eastern states
• 08.04.08 Government Employees Unhappy But Loyal
• 07.04.08 Job ads plateau, but applications rise
• 01.04.08 Are you getting paid what you're worth?
• 01.04.08 Healthcare and medical workers demand ethical workplaces
• 26.03.08 SEEK Blacks-Out for Earth Hour
• 12.03.08 Employment Market More Subdued in February
• 19.02.08 Strong Performance Continues Across All Drivers
• 06.02.08 Strong Jobseeking Activity to Start 2008
• 30.01.08 Teachers Head Back to School - Craving Work-Life Balance
• 23.01.08 Most Australians Aren't Switching Off On Holiday
• 22.01.08 YouTube Video Ads a Welcome Addition to the SEEK Line-Up
• 14.01.08 SEEK Employment Index - Australian Labour Market Ends 2007 on a Strong Note

SEEK announces Full Year 2008 Financial Results

SEEK continued strong revenue and profit growth

SEEK Limited, the leader in the online employment market in Australia and New Zealand, today announced full year results for the period ending 30 June 2008, with Net Profit After Tax of $76.3M, an increase of 38% on prior corresponding period.

(1) Excludes Interest Income
(2) Excludes AIFRS Employee Share Options Expense

Commenting on the results Joint CEO, Mr Paul Bassat said: "Our focus on key drivers of growth remains consistent resulting in continued strong financial results."

"Growth in the Australian and New Zealand employment business has been driven by ongoing migration from print to online, a growing presence in SME, Healthcare, Education and Government markets, improved yield and the introduction of product extensions through Standout & Premium Ads".

"SEEK continues to benefit from its clear market leadership position in terms of brand recognition and job seeker metrics when compared to its competitors. A record 52% of job seekers now have a preference to search for a job online, which is more than double the preference for newspapers. More than 77% of job seekers time is now 2 spent on SEEK, and over the past 12 months we have increased job ad volumes by more than our two closest competitors combined."

"Looking ahead, we remain confident of growing our profitability in the current financial year, driven by the continued migration from print to online, a growing presence in new markets, improved yield and the continued growth of our Learning business."

Mr Andrew Bassat, Joint CEO said: "SEEK now has a diverse presence in education and training domestically, delivering strong organic financial growth over the past 12 months. With increased sales capability and new content partnerships, SEEK Learning had a strong second half, and with continued leverage of the SEEK brand we expect this momentum to continue."

"Our investment in IDP is delivering well ahead of expectations, with an implied EV/EBITDA ratio of 2.3 for our investment. Further, the buyout of the remaining IELTS minority (International English Language Testing business) is a key strategic achievement for IDP, enabling further growth and operational synergies between the two businesses".

"Our strategy to invest and build the Zhaopin brand is delivering fantastic results; online revenue growth over the last 12 months of 115% exceeding the market leader’s growth of 36%. Zhaopin is increasing market share and is now on a par with it’s competitors on key job seeker metrics."

"We continue to aggressively pursue our strategy to look for other international opportunities".

The board has declared a final dividend of 9.9c per share, fully franked, an increase of 29% from the corresponding period last year. This is in line with current dividend policy and will be paid on 17 October 2008 to shareholders who are registered at 12 September 2008.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK Employment Index - Rapidly Rising Job Applications Drive Index Fall

The SEEK Employment Index
A consistent picture of softening employment market conditions continued in July, driven by the rapidly rising number of job applications in response to a modest decrease in new jobs advertised, according to the latest data from SEEK Intelligence.

Nationally the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 4.4% (seasonally adjusted) for the month, to be 27% lower than a year earlier. The majority of this fall has been in the past five months, with the Index down 21.5% over that time.

Based on this month’s data, Australian jobseekers may have witnessed increased competition for the jobs they applied for while businesses may be finding it easier to recruit appropriate staff.

Employment market softening was seen in every state and territory in July and was greatest in South Australia which experienced a significant (9.8%) drop, followed by Western Australia (-6%) and New South Wales (-5.4%).

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised nationally fell moderately in July by 0.5%. On an annual basis, these new job ads are 4.0% higher compared to the same month last year. Western Australian jobseekers enjoyed the greatest increase in new job ads posted, up 1.5% in July. South Australia (-3.6%), Victoria (-3.1%) and NSW (-3%) experienced the most significant decreases.

Job Applications
Jobseeking activity was on the rise yet again in July with total applications for jobs placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rising by 4%. Queensland experienced the biggest increase in job applications received for the month, rising 8.3%. Western Australia was the only state to record a drop in application numbers for the month (-1.1%), however applications there have surged by 29.7% since February 2008.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"It's interesting to see a surge in job applications this month in light of ongoing economic uncertainty. We’re finding that these sorts of market conditions can have a significant impact on a person’s job security which in turn drives them to seek out employment with greater long term stability."

"Many jobseekers are struggling with the increased cost of living and need to find a better paying role to simply make ends meet. We’re also hearing about jobseekers looking for work closer to home to counteract rising petrol prices."

"Higher job application rates are obviously great news for employers but it remains to be seen what impact this will have on their own staff loyalty."

"Jobseekers are competing strongly for roles in the manufacturing, accounting and hospitality fields. On the other hand, we are witnessing strong demand from employers in a wide range of industries spanning everything from construction to legal to government to healthcare so there are definitely job opportunities out there.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:

• The SEEK Employment Index
• The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University’s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a ‘tightening’ employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a ‘softening’ employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

Skills Shortage Creates Divide in Job Market

Australia’s healthcare, defence, legal and construction employers were amongst the hardest hit by Australia’s skills shortage last financial year, according to data from SEEK Intelligence.

The clear divide between Australia’s skilled and unskilled work sectors was also evident in the data, which revealed the majority of the roles jobseekers were forced to compete fiercely for were unskilled, while it was skilled roles that were difficult for employers to fill.

Commenting on the results, SEEK spokesperson Natalie Mactier said:

"The 'skills shortage' has long been a concern of Australian employers and we’re seeing it first hand with heavy jobseeker competition for unskilled roles such as retail sales assistants, housekeepers and call centre operators, while employers are struggling to recruit enough sonographers and private practice solicitors," said Natalie Mactier.

"For school leavers perhaps starting to think about their options for next year, the obvious take away is that having qualifications in a not so tight employment market substantially improves their employment chances. And for those already in the job market, up-skilling could be an option."

"It's particularly interesting to note that the Defence industry has struggled to recruit enough navy and air force personnel during the past 12 months. Defence jobs offer some great benefits to recruits, including competitive salary packages and the opportunity to take on apprenticeships and traineeships.

"Recruits can even get paid to undertake university degrees in areas such as engineering, technology, science, business and arts. With Defence ramping up recruitment efforts over the last year it will be interesting to see whether their efforts are rewarded with greater interest from jobseekers in the next financial year," said Natalie Mactier.

The top ten jobs employers found the most difficult to fill in Australia were:

In contrast, the ten most competitive occupations were:

"Month in, month out we see radiologists and sonographers in hot demand around the country so it’s not surprising to see that they were the hardest employees to recruit in the last financial year,

"One of the issues the industry reportedly has to deal with is the growing workload of these medical professionals as the medical industry uses multiple and complex diagnostic imagery services. An occupation as a radiologist or sonographer can therefore be demanding but can also be a very rewarding way to be part of the medical community," said Natalie Mactier.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:
The SEEK Employment Index
The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation
Details of which can be found online at http://www.seek.com.au/investor/research.ascx

SEEK Limited increases investment in Zhaopin

SEEK Limited today announced that it will increase its investment in Zhaopin Limited, a leading employment website in China.

SEEK acquired an initial 25% interest in Zhaopin in September 2006, representing SEEK’s first investment in an internet employment site outside Australia and New Zealand. Since this time, Zhaopin has dramatically improved its competitive position with many key metrics growing by approximately 100% in the past 12 months.

SEEK will invest a further US$45m to increase its shareholding to 42.9% on a fully diluted basis, taking into account both issued and authorised options. The transaction involves a fresh capital raising and a simultaneous buy-back of early stage venture capital investors.

SEEK will utilise existing debt facilities to fund this investment and, in conjunction with anticipated losses for Zhaopin in the current financial year, this investment will be earnings per share dilutive for SEEK in FY09. SEEK expects the investment to be strongly earnings per share accretive in the longer term as the Chinese internet employment market continues to increase in scale. SEEK will continue to account for its interest in Zhaopin as an associate as it will not be exercising control of the company.

Macquarie Capital (Macquarie) will also become a shareholder in Zhaopin, investing alongside SEEK to hold 29.1% on a fully diluted basis, taking into account both issued and authorised options.

According to Paul Bassat, SEEK Co-Founder and Joint CEO:

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to increase our investment in Zhaopin. Since our initial investment in 2006 Zhaopin’s strong management team has made tremendous progress across all metrics we consider critical to long term success in the online classifieds space.

"We are also pleased to welcome Macquarie Capital as a shareholder in Zhaopin. We have had a long standing relationship with Macquarie, as they were an early stage investor in SEEK." Mr Bassat said.

SEEK's Director of Corporate Strategy, Jason Lenga said "The online employment classifieds market in China is still relatively immature and we anticipate that the very substantial growth in recent years will continue in the long term.

"Zhaopin has significantly improved its competitive position in the past two years. This investment combined with an outstanding management team and clear strategy positions Zhaopin well for long term sustained profitability. We do not anticipate that Zhaopin will raise any further capital prior to reaching breakeven," he said.

Zhaopin’s CEO, Hao Liu said

"The investment by SEEK and Macquarie Capital will assist us as we work towards reaching our growth targets over the next few years. SEEK and Macquarie have a strong history of successfully working together. We believe this will help assist us to become an even more formidable player in our marketplace."

For further details please contact:
Natalie Mactier
SEEK Limited
W: 03 8517 4238
nmactier@seek.com.au

SEEK Learning Launches in UK and Ireland

Getting the skills you need for work just got easier with SEEK Learning recently launching in the UK and Ireland, and partnering with the region’s leading job boards, reed.co.uk and Irishjobs.ie.

SEEK Learning, an online education provider of career-related training and development, provides distance-based education suited to people with busy lifestyles. The IT industry will be the first to benefit from the fast and flexible service with seeklearning.co.uk a licensed distributor of SkillSoft, the world’s leading online IT certification training provider.

According to SEEK Learning UK Sales Manager Pat Aylmer, with busy lifestyles a reality for most people, high quality, self-paced education options are in hot demand.

"Balancing further education with all the other daily demands can be a massive struggle. SEEK Learning provides the most flexible approach possible to education, by offering high quality courses that allow people to study in their own time and at their own pace."

"Being able to complete your study requirements during your spare time means you are more likely to complete your course by minimising the impact it has on your family, social and work lives."

"After two years of delivering quality training outcomes to over 20,000 people in Australia we thought it made sense to bring our expertise to the UK and Ireland," he said.

Aylmer believes that the initial focus on IT and the association with both Reed.co.uk and Irishjobs.ie make a lot of sense.

"IT is an incredibly dynamic and competitive industry. Partnering with the leading job board in the UK and Ireland enables us to offer our services to an audience of over 2 million career-minded people. Reed.co.uk alone posts over 21,000 IT jobs, and has over 150,000 registered IT users, Ireland is the largest software exporter in the world and 20% of ads on Irishjobs.ie are IT related."

SEEK Learning UK’s partners are excited about the association.

"Career-related education and training is of growing interest to an enormous group of people and businesses, however most are not sure where to go to find it. SEEK Learning makes the whole process easier and we want our jobseekers and recruiters to benefit from that."
Martin Warnes, Operations Director, reed.co.uk

"The options that SEEK Learning provide basically remove the need to attend a campus or classroom. People can now access industry recognised IT qualifications in a way that best suits their lifestyle and needs."
David Garland, General Manager, IrishJobs.ie

As a business, our objective is to help make education an easy and viable option for as many people as possible. SkillSoft has had great success with SEEK Learning in Australia and we look forward to continuing the partnership in the UK and Ireland."
Kevin Young, General Manager of SkillSoft
EMEA,

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Nick Derbyshire
SEEK Learning
Phone: +44 (0) 127322 4148
Email: nderbyshire@seeklearning.co.uk

About SEEK UK
SEEK first entered the UK market in March 2001 with seek.co.uk, a site specialising in connecting Antipodean job seekers with great professional opportunities based in the UK and Ireland. SEEK UK is a “shop window” to the Australian and New Zealand job seeker market, with the job ads also appearing across the SEEK Australia and SEEK New Zealand sites.

SEEK Employment Index - NSW, ACT, QLD Employment Markets Soften in June

The SEEK Employment Index
A consistent picture of softening employment market conditions in New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT was evident in June, as increases in job applications received outweighed the number of new job ads posted.

Nationally the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 5.1% (seasonally adjusted) for the month, to be 21% lower than a year earlier. This was the seventh consecutive monthly fall in the Index.

Employment market softening was greatest in NSW which experienced a significant 7.7% drop, followed by Queensland (-6.9%) and the ACT (-6.2%). Western Australia (up 2%) was the only state to experience a tightening of the SEI in June.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised decreased nationally in June by 3.8%, offsetting the rise in May of 3.3%. Overall new job ads are 10.4% higher than June 2007.

Significant drops in the number of new job ads in the past month was seen in NSW (-.5.2%) and South Australia (-5.8%) in June compared to the large increases seen in these states last month (4.9% and 10.7% respectively), suggesting a slowing demand for labour.

Queensland jobseekers enjoyed the greatest increase in job ads posted last month (up 1.4%).

Job Applications
Jobseeking activity increased again in June with total applications for jobs placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rising by 1.3%. This increase was on top of substantial growth in the previous three months.

Queensland experienced the biggest increase in job applications received for the month, rising 8.3%. Western Australia was the only state to record a drop in application numbers (-1.1%).

Commenting on the results, SEEK Joint CEO Paul Bassat said:

"The softening labour market observed in June in NSW, ACT and QLD could be attributed to the busy end of financial year period. Recruiting and hiring at this time of year are not necessarily high priorities with many businesses examining their HR requirements following planning for the new year and employee reviews.

"From a jobseeker point of view, job applications increased again in June. It could be that rising grocery, petrol and energy prices along with concern about interest rates is leading many people to explore other working options.

"Jobseekers are competing strongly for roles in the manufacturing, accounting and hospitality fields. On the other hand, we are witnessing strong demand from employers in a wide range of industries spanning everything from construction to legal to government to healthcare so there are definitely job opportunities out there.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

SEEK Employment Index - Job Market Steadies in May

The SEEK Employment Index
The Australian labour market stabilised in May, according to the latest employment data from SEEK Ltd, with a healthy rise in job ads placed and another month of increased job seeking activity.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 0.5% (seasonally adjusted) for the month, to be 14.9% lower than a year earlier. While this was the sixth consecutive monthly fall, it was a much smaller decline than the average 3.4% for the previous five months.

There was variation across the country, with South Australia seeing the greatest tightening of the SEI, increasing by 4.1%, while Victoria experienced the biggest softening with a 2.7% drop.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised increased nationally in May by 3.5%, the first increase observed so far in 2008, to be 20.2% higher compared to the same period a year ago.

The bulk of the rise occurred in New South Wales, where new job ads jumped by 4.9% to claw back half of the decline of 9.8% that occurred between December 2007 and April 2008.

Job Applications
Strong increases in job applications were the standout feature of the data from May. Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rose in all states and increased by 4% nationally to be 35% higher year on year.

South Australia again experienced the highest increase in job applications received for the month with 6.5% followed by the ACT (4.8%) and Victoria (4.5%).

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"The big story this month is around the surge in job application numbers and what implications this has for employers and the economy. We currently have an entire generation of workers who have only ever known a booming employment market For a long time now jobseekers have enjoyed a very strong bargaining position but increased competition for skilled work suggests this may be coming to an end.

"We anticipate that employers in many sectors will be pleased to receive more quality candidates for the jobs they advertise. However, it remains to be seen what impact if any this has on the loyalty of their current staff."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

Internet attracting a new breed of volunteer

Claims that Gen Y is the selfish generation could be eliminated with the current batch of 18-24 year olds more likely to volunteer their time compared to their older counterparts at the same age.

ABS statistics reveal that the number of people aged 18 to 24 years who volunteered their time was just 17% in 1995 while in the latest survey completed in 2006 this number had nearly doubled to 30%.

According to Helen Souness, Marketing Director and head of the 'SEEK Village' (the company’s CSR program), the ease and accessibility of the internet allows a much wider variety of people to look at their options and step up to the volunteering challenge, including younger Australians.

"We believe many people would like to do some sort of volunteering activity and contribute something to the community. Let's face it though, with busy lifestyles a reality for most of us, finding the right volunteering opportunity is a must.

"We're hearing stories of many Gen Y volunteers finding opportunities through the site which they would have never otherwise considered, such as a 20 year woman who dedicates time to co-coaching a disabled AFL team," she said.

Lynda Dave, volunteer co-ordinator for the Children's Medical Research Unit and responsible for enlisting volunteers for projects such as Jeans for Genes Day, has had great success in sourcing volunteers through the internet.

"The Jeans for Genes campaign is a national one but with our offices based in Sydney it is difficult to find volunteers, particularly interstate. The internet and particularly SEEK Volunteer has been instrumental in putting us in contact with interested people in the Australian community who want to help us raise funds.

"Each time we submit a volunteer request we get dozens of replies and the majority of them become fantastic ambassadors for the Jeans for Genes cause and volunteer over and over again," she said.

SEEK, in conjunction with Volunteering Australia has made it easy for people to find a volunteering opportunity that suits them in terms of location, time and area of interest. Whether you have two hours a week to donate or just a one-off day, you can access www.seekvolunteer.com.au (SEEK Volunteer) and narrow your search to these fields.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Nicole Gentle
Reputation Pty Ltd
P: 02 8252 7003/M: 0421 848 428
E: ngentle@reputation.net.au

SEEK Employment Index - Demand for labour slows in eastern states

The SEEK Employment Index
A slowing of demand for labour in the Eastern states of Australia is evident in the latest employment data from SEEK Ltd, with the SEEK Employment Index softening in April as the number of new job ads decreased and activity by jobseekers rose.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 3.3% (seasonally adjusted) last month, indicating that Australian employers are finding it easier to fill positions while jobseekers are facing greater competition for roles.

South Australia experienced the greatest softening of the SEI, decreasing 7% followed closely by New South Wales which recorded a 6.7% drop.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised decreased this month by 1.6%, but remains 18.5% higher than in April last year.

Demand for labour remains strongest in Western Australia where job ads placed rose by 2.7% to be 36.8% higher year on year, as the state continues to enjoy the spoils of the mining boom.

Across the other states, NSW (-4.4%) and the ACT (-3.5%) experienced the greatest falls in the number of new jobs advertised in April while job advertisements posted increased marginally in Victoria and Queensland (0.2% and 0.8% respectively).

Job Applications
Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rose in all states in April and increased by 1.7% nationally. South Australia experienced the highest increase by far with 7% followed by Western Australia with 3.9% and NSW 2.3%.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"It's going to be very interesting to observe next week's federal budget announcement, and the subsequent policies and impact on the employment market and economy more generally. It could be that some employers are waiting to see how they will be affected by the Rudd Government's first budget before investing in recruiting new staff."

"South Australia saw the most extreme results this month with the SEI softening by 7% while job applications rose 7.1%. It could be that local issues such as the closure of the Mitsubishi plant in Adelaide and the subsequent impact on their employees and suppliers, has resulted in a sudden leap in job applications there."

According to Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Australia is facing an unusual economic situation at present:

"Policy makers face a difficult challenge in dealing effectively with a slowing economy, a resources boom and high inflation. The good news for homeowners is that further increases in interest rates seem unlikely in the short term based on the current economic climate."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

Government employees unhappy but loyal

Government employees are the most likely in Australia to hate their managers, hate their colleagues or be bored at work, yet they are the most likely to say they intend to stay working where they are for another 10 years or more.

The annual SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation survey conducted by SEEK Ltd found that 28% of Government employees hate the quality of overall management where they work, 17% hate their boss and 7% hate the people they work with. Compared with other industry sectors, Government employees are the most likely to report having left their last job due to poor management (55%), with feeling unappreciated at work (56%) and boredom (36%) also driving staff churn.

Yet despite the evidence that all is not well, the survey found that public servants are more likely than anyone else to have been with their employer for 11 years or more (17%) and the most likely to intend on staying with their employer for another ten years plus (7%). It appears that employment benefits such as leave and flexible work arrangements are a redeeming feature of Government employment with 20% of employees saying they love this aspect of their job.

SEEK spokesperson David Waite said that the government sector may well be the last bastion of the ‘job for life’ and that this is something of a double-edged sword.

“The public sector has really set the benchmark for providing flexible working conditions and clearly this is highly valued, resulting in a high staff retention level.

“However, there comes a point where conditions can become so comfortable that it is difficult for staff to move on when it’s time. If staff members are bored, unmotivated and dislike their fellow employees and managers, then chances are their productivity isn’t high and they’re not achieving their potential.

“With a new Federal Government and a number of major policy changes taking place, now is the ideal time for public sector workers to consider a personal change, whether that be a shift in department or even a move to the private sector. There are many employment opportunities available right now, so these employees should think about making a change for the better.”

Other interesting findings for the government sector include:

• These employees are keen; they are the most likely to finish one job and go straight into another (59%)
• The top three things that these workers love about the current job are the benefits/conditions (20%), their colleagues (15%) and their boss (13%)
• 69% of employees in this sector browse through job ads at least once a week
• Increasing their pay (40%), rewarding individual performance (37%) and promotion on merit rather than tenure (31%) are the top ways to encourage employees to stay with their current employer
• They are the least likely group of employees to hate their work hours – (only 4%)

For further information or to arrange an interview with David Waite please contact:

Nicole Gentle
Reputation Pty Ltd
P: 02 8252 7003
M: 0421 848 428
E: ngentle@reputation.net.au

About SEEK

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About the SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation Survey

The survey represents an online Australian audience. Invitations to participate in the survey were published online on seek.com.au, with 69% of respondents coming from SEEK. Invitations to participate in the survey were also sent in an email newsletter to over one million employees registered for Job Mail with SEEK and partner sites. The remaining 31% of respondents came from these sources. It is interesting to note year on year changes given that the sample is largely made up of SEEK jobseekers.

The sample represents both ‘active’ jobseekers who are actively looking for new employment, as well as ‘passive’ jobseekers, who are fully employed and may be browsing for new opportunities.

SEEK Employment Index - Job ads plateau, but applications rise

The SEEK Employment Index
Further signs that the Australian economy may be slowing are evident in the latest employment data from SEEK Ltd, with the SEEK Employment Index falling in March as the number of new job ads remained steady and activity by jobseekers increased.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 2.8% (seasonally adjusted) last month, meaning that it became relatively easier for employers to fill positions. Employment market softening was greatest in the three eastern seaboard states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland where the Index fell by 2.9%, 3.6% and 3.4% respectively.

Over the past year the decline in the SEI has been most pronounced in New South Wales, where a decline of 9.8% has been experienced.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised held steady this month, and remains 23.9% higher than in March last year.

Across the states, NSW and Victoria experienced falls in the number of new jobs advertised in March (1.5% and 1.9% respectively) while job advertisements posted rose in South Australia (1.4%) and Western Australia (2.4%).

Job Applications
Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rose by 2.8% in March following last month’s downturn, possibly as more people had more time to apply for jobs due to Easter. The number of job applications submitted in March was 13.1% higher than a year ago.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"March was an unusual month for jobseeking activity due to Easter falling early this year, and we’re cautious about jumping to conclusions about the employment market based on one month’s data. Our experience year on year is that Easter impacts recruitment activity as many businesses are focussed on getting through their workload in fewer working days, leaving less time for recruiting new staff.

Meanwhile, a few days off work gives employees the chance to reflect on their happiness at work and assess their options.

It’s also worth noting that NSW, the state that had one of the quieter job activity months in March, is also home to a fair chunk of Australia’s banking and finance sector. With global uncertainty around the flow-on effects of the subprime mortgage crisis, it would not surprise me if employers in these areas were reluctant to recruit at the moment.

Across the quarter, job advertisement numbers in Australia are still up, so we don’t think it’s all doom and gloom just yet. Nonetheless, we will be looking at next month’s figures with interest", he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said:

"The full extent of any slowdown, and its impact across the regions of Australia, will be affected by many national and international factors, the upshot of which remains uncertain."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University’s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

back to index

Are you getting paid what you're worth? - SEEK launches The Great Australian Salary Survey

Every Australian worker has the chance to find out just how much they are really worth due to an exciting plan by Australia's leading employment website www.seek.com.au to develop a national comparison of salary packages and perks across all industry sectors.

The 'Great Australian Salary Survey', launched recently, will be the most comprehensive resource ever developed to help employees and their bosses negotiate salaries and pay rises based on accurate market information obtained directly from the people of Australia.

The survey relies on encouraging as many Australians as possible to spend five minutes online providing information about their own jobs and salary packages. As an incentive, over the next six months, one person every week will win the average weekly wage of $1103. People who refer the survey to friends and contacts will get an extra chance in the draw.

The confidential survey asks participants about their current role, earnings, benefits and past education and experience. All of the information received will be collated into an online SEEK Salary Centre available free to anyone who wants to compare salary packages and company benefits with others in similar roles.

Launching the survey, SEEK Product Director, Carey Eaton, urged members of the public to participate.

"Let's face it, we all want to be paid what we're worth but most of us hate salary negotiations. I can't think of a better way to prepare than getting a really good feel for what other people with similar skills and experience are earning.

"If Australians get behind this we'll have a really comprehensive guide that anyone can use to make sure they are getting a fair go in their workplace. It will also help employers who offer generous packages and added benefits such as paid maternity leave to get recognition for that", he said.

To take part in the survey and have a chance to win the average weekly wage go to www.seek.com.au/salarysurvey

back to index

Healthcare and medical workers demand ethical workplaces

In a warning sign to the country's healthcare and medical employers, staff within their sector are the most likely to believe that good company ethics would highly improve their current workplace (31%) according to a survey by SEEK Limited.

The SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation survey also revealed that across all industry sectors, medical professionals were the most likely to hold hours of work (51%), the people they work with (45%) and the workplace environment (48%) as extremely important when looking for a new job.

Commenting on the findings, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"In an industry that often has to make tough ethical decisions it's not surprising to see that employees within the healthcare and medical sector want to work for companies that behave in an ethical way and expect their staff to do the same."

In another interesting discovery, nearly half of respondents (49%) only intend on staying with their current employer for a year or less, while 18% plan to stay on for three months or less.

"Healthcare and medical employers need to think about the demand for ethical workplaces and take these requirements into consideration if they hope to retain and attract staff," he said.

"The added check or difficulty that the healthcare and medical profession has is that unethical behaviour in their field often creates negative publicity that stays in the minds of potential future employees for a long time to come. It is far better to avoid these situations by creating an ethically sound workplace and a positive reputation, than try to overcome these barriers in the future," he said.

34% of respondents rated the 'company reputation' as extremely important when looking for a new job, exceeding the industry average of 27% The people they work with (24%), benefits and conditions (12%) and training and development opportunities (12%) are the top three things employees love about their job 42% of respondents are unhappy or very unhappy in their current job The top three hates in their current job are their stress level (25%), the lack of feedback/appreciation they receive (21%) and the quality of overall management (20%) Openness and honesty (77%), the ability to follow up words with actions (73%) and support of their team (67%) are the most respected leadership attributes for this group.

back to index

SEEK Blacks-Out for Earth Hour

www.seek.com.au will go black this Saturday night, 29 March, as part of its commitment to Earth Hour.

SEEK recognises the significance of Earth Hour and wanted to do something visual to convey its support. SEEK has a large audience to convey the Earth Hour message to. In February SEEK had 2,799,345 unique browsers spend a combined 79 million minutes on the site (according to independent auditor Nielsen Net//Ratings). The black screen, which is a way of aligning with Earth Hour supporters worldwide who are switching off their lights for an hour, also uses less energy on some computer screens. In addition to blacking out the site, a series of banners will run across the SEEK website promoting the Earth Hour message to all users.

What else is SEEK doing?
Recognising that Earth Hour is only one event, SEEK is doing many other things to help the environment including:

Off-setting power at its Melbourne head office by purchasing green "hydro" power, unit for unit, effectively making energy consumption carbon neutral Encouraging a cycling culture by providing shower facilities and bike racks for those who cycle to and from work, and a number of communal bikes that staff can use to ride to and from external meetings Relocating its head office into an environmentally friendly building which includes light sensors in meeting rooms and offices which turn lights off when not in use, as well as plants around the office for better air quality

back to index

SEEK Employment Index - Employment Market More Subdued in February

The SEEK Employment Index
Following two years of robust growth there was further evidence in February that the Australian employment market is entering a more subdued period.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, rose by 0.7% in February, indicating that it was slightly more difficult on average for employers to fill vacant positions than it was in January. However, when this is viewed within the context of a 4.9% fall in the past quarter it seems that long term relief may be in sight for staff-strapped employers.

At the State level, however, South Australia is still showing strong signs of labour supply shortages. Supply constraints are still evident in Western Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

Job Advertisements
New jobs advertised increased by 0.4% in February (seasonally adjusted), maintaining the upward momentum of the last nine months. Although new job ads are 33.0% higher compared to the same time last year, they have risen only 2.8% since November 2007; the smallest quarterly increase in three years.

Across the states, growth in new job ads posted was moderate in South Australia (2.4%), Victoria (1.6%), Queensland (0.8%), NSW (0.4%) and Western Australia (0.4%). Slowing labour demand was evident in ACT (-4.8).

Job Applications
Total applications placed with SEEK in response to new jobs ads fell by 0.3% (seasonally adjusted) last month, following an overall increase in applications of 7.8% in the previous three months.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"The data for the last three months suggest that the economy may be approaching a turning point. While we expect that the current strong employment market conditions have some way to run, it will be reassuring to employers that the gap between demand and supply may finally be starting to close. We are witnessing strong interest from jobseekers in a wide range of industries spanning everything from banking and finance, to manufacturing, to hospitality and tourism," he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: "The Australian economy continues to be subject to many strong and conflicting forces. Business investment and household disposable income are still strong, and credit is growing rapidly. But the US economy is clearly slowing, the Reserve Bank is increasing interest rates and the Federal Government is flagging a tightening in fiscal policy.

"Being a flow measure of new job ads and job applications, the SEEK indicators are well placed to be leading indicators of directional change in the economy."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

back to index

Strong Performance Continues Across All Drivers
Revenue growth of 43% to $99.9m, EBITDA growth of 49% to $51.5m

SEEK Limited, the leader in the online employment market in Australia and New Zealand, today announced a Net Profit After Tax of $35.6m for the half year to 31 December 2007, an increase of 49% on the prior corresponding period.

Highlights of the Half Year Results include:

_{(1) Excludes Interest Income
(2) Excludes AIFRS Employee Share Options Expense}

Commenting on the results Joint CEO, Mr Paul Bassat said: "By focussing on growth opportunities for the business and capitalising on our strong leadership position, we have ensured that our momentum of the past five years is continuing.

"We continue to enjoy a strong market leadership position and in January we attracted a record 2.8 million unique browsers to our site. Three out of every four minutes Australians spend searching the major three employment jobs sites is spent on SEEK. Our lead in unaided brand awareness also continues to increase.

"Over the past six months we have delivered growth across all key drivers. We have seen increased advertising volumes, improved yield and the launch of new products such as Standout Ads."

"In particular, we have seen strong growth in our early stage markets. Compared to the same period last year, advertising volumes have increased by 78% in the Government market and 74% in the education sector.

"Looking ahead, we anticipate strong top and bottom line growth for FY08 and expect the ongoing migration of employment advertising from print to online to continue."

Mr Andrew Bassat, Joint CEO said: "We continue the organic expansion of our SEEK Learning business and have also secured three new partnerships over the first half.

"The recent investment in Amadeus significantly increases our exposure to the education value chain and is a tremendous step forward for the SEEK Learning business. Our investment in IDP Education Australia is delivering great results and continued investment in its infrastructure and platform will drive future growth."

"Our strategy to aggressively invest and build the Zhaopin brand and grow market share in major regions across China is starting to deliver fantastic results. The increased brand awareness is now driving significant increases in traffic to the Zhaopin website. Total user registrations grew by 125% on the prior comparative period. Zhaopin has enjoyed growth of 92% in the number of page views for the site compared to competitor growth of 20%"

"We are also continuing with our strategy of looking for other international opportunities.

The Board has declared an interim dividend of 8.7 cents per share, fully franked, an increase of 45% from the dividend of 6 cents paid in the same half last year. This is in line with current dividend policy and will be paid on 14 March 2008 to shareholders who were registered at 29 February 2008.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

back to index

SEEK Employment Index - Strong Jobseeking Activity to Start 2008

The SEEK Employment Index
There are early indications that Australia may finally see an easing in employment market conditions during 2008, with strong jobseeking activity evident in January.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 3.8% in January, on the back of a 3.2% softening in December 2007.

In the previous ten months to November 2007 the SEI increased by 9.4%, buoyed by 37.4% growth in total job ads posted on SEEK (seasonally adjusted) which was unmatched by job market supply.

But in January, all states and territories experienced a softening of the SEI indicating a reprieve for employers looking to fill roles and greater competition among jobseekers in their respective industries.

Job Advertisements
Demand for labour continued to rise in January with the number of new jobs advertised increasing by 1.0% (seasonally adjusted) compared to an average monthly growth rate of 2.5% during 2007.

SA jobseekers enjoyed the greatest increase in job ads posted last month (up 6.2%) while NSW experienced the greatest decrease (-2.1%).

Job Applications
Jobseeking activity increased in January, with the number of job applications jumping by 4.8%. This figure equals the total growth seen in 2007, and suggests that some balance may finally be returning to Australia's employment market.

One of the most noticeable trends has been the sustained rise in job applications in Western Australia. Last month applications (seasonally adjusted) stood 15.3% higher than just a few months earlier in September 2007.

Job applicant activity increased in all states with South Australia recording the most significant increase (10.8%) and NSW the smallest (1.5%).

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"In January we witnessed record jobseeking activity, with almost 2.8 million jobseekers or nearly 27% of the total Australia labour force visiting SEEK. This is good news for the economy and for Australian employers who have been struggling to fill positions. While it's too soon to tell if this is a genuine easing of labour market conditions, we have certainly seen many more people than usual return from the Christmas break with a desire to move jobs."

Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: "In the coming months, expected interest rate rises, together with continuing uncertainty about the US economy and the sharemarket may start to pull back growth in the demand for labour. This will help to reduce market pressure for wage increases if job market supply continues gathering pace," he said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

back to index

Teachers Head Back to School
Craving Work-Life Balance

Many of us can only dream of being entitled to the leave that school, TAFE and university staff receive but it might not be all it's cracked up to be with employees in the education and training sector the most likely to be looking for a better work-life balance, according to a survey by Australia's leading employment website, seek.com.au.

The SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation survey found that those within the education and training sector were the most likely to have left their last job because they weren't achieving work-life balance (26%) and that 27% of these staff would move employer to achieve a better work-life balance.

According to SEEK spokesperson David Waite, there is a perception amongst the general community that education workers have it easy with numerous school, university or TAFE holidays to enjoy throughout the year but the reality is quite different.

"Holiday time for education workers such as teachers and lecturers is often not an opportunity to kick back and relax. For many, it's filled with writing reports, marking assignments and preparing for the upcoming term or semester. The danger with this is that holiday time and work time are never completely separate, which doesn't allow staff to ever truly switch off from their job.

"A recent poll we conducted found that the majority of Australian workers who took leave during the Christmas period were still accessible to work either via their mobile phone, blackberry or laptop. In an age of increased access and technology use, achieving work-life balance can be increasingly difficult.

"With 69% of education and training workers searching through job ads at least once a week, our advice to employers hoping to retain their staff is to provide opportunities for them to complete as much of their work as possible at work or run the risk of burnt out staff who are willing to search elsewhere to achieve their personal and professional goals," said Mr Waite.

The top three things they love about their current job are the people they work with (17%), benefits and conditions (15%) and their boss (17%). It is the most likely sector to believe that benefits and conditions such as leave and flexible time are extremely important when looking for a new job (53.21%). The top three things that would encourage these employees to stay with their current employer are increased pay (39%), rewarding individual performance (34%) and flexible work conditions (29%) A higher proportion of these workers have left their previous job due to stress (29%) than any other sector The education and training sector is the second most likely to believe that subsidised childcare would improve their workplace and their likelihood of staying with their current employer (14%). (Most likely is HR and recruitment) Only 37% of these employees claim to be happy or very happy at work The top three things they hate about their current job are their stress level (24%), quality of overall management (21%) and feedback and appreciation (18%).

For further information or to arrange an interview with David Waite please contact:
Ben Hornbrook
Reputation Pty Ltd
P: 02 8252 7004
E: bhornbrook@reputation.net.au

Most Australians Aren't Switching Off On Holiday

A poll conducted by SEEK Ltd, the leading online employment website, has found that an alarming 85% of Australians who took annual leave over Christmas were accessible to work.

The results, based on close to 1000 responses, revealed that three out of four Australian workers (76%) took holidays over Christmas. Of these, 63% were available for work calls on their mobile phone, 13% checked emails using a blackberry and an unfortunate 9% used their laptop to work remotely. Only 15% of people enjoyed a complete break while on holiday.

How accessible were you to your employer over the Christmas break?

According to SEEK Human Resources Director, Meahan Callaghan, this trend is not sustainable and it shouldn't be left to employees to argue that their time on holidays is their own.

"Our recent Satisfaction and Motivation survey revealed that stress is the most hated aspect of the job for Australian employees. Employers need to take this on board and start tackling this issue from a policy perspective.

"Technology like mobile phones and laptops is great, but it was supposed to allow people to work flexibly, rather than take over their personal lives. We know that employees who are engaged and happy are those who have struck a balance between being productive and appreciated at work and enjoying a life outside as well.

"Some employees are also their own worst enemies. This makes it doubly important that organisations have clear policies in place that ensure that staff take regular holidays throughout the year and are provided the support that allows them to literally switch off", she said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

YouTube Video Ads a Welcome Addition to the SEEK Line-Up

Progressive employers are about to discover a competitive edge online, with SEEK Ltd, the leading online employment website, now enabling the integration of YouTube video in job adverts and company profiles on their site.

According to Product Director Carey Eaton, employers are searching for creative ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors and entice potential candidates, whilst jobseekers are increasingly hungry for more information about the roles and companies they apply for.

"SEEK Video Ads give advertisers more scope to showcase things that appeal to jobseekers such as lifestyle and workplace culture, and massively increase the volume of information they impart to jobseekers about the opportunity on offer.

"The increase in information in these ads helps attract better matched candidates and potentially provides a way of engaging with Gen Y jobseekers, positioning the advertising organisation as being as up to date as their audience.

"Using the new feature is free of charge and simply involves advertisers providing the address of their YouTube video into the appropriate field on their job ad.

"Since introducing video, we've already seen a number of highly creative advertisers experiment with forms of job ad content that are really quite different to the traditional content people write in job ads. Examples include filming a 'day in the 'life' of the advertised role, a personal chat to the potential employee from the hiring manager, and some highly entertaining depictions of company and team cultures.

"We want to stress that video ads don't need to be polished, corporate-style, expensive productions. In fact our prediction is that honest realistic portrayals of the organisation and role are likely to work better than an over-produced sales pitch. Even a small employer can easily grab a handy-cam and inspire jobseekers to work for them which is what some enthusiastic team members at SEEK have done.

"With the range of content options available we're not sure exactly which style of YouTube ad will be most effective but we will communicate our findings with advertisers as trends emerge," he said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK Employment Index - Australian Labour Market Ends 2007 on a Strong Note

The SEEK Employment Index
After a year of steady tightening, the Australian labour market ended 2007 on another strong note according to the latest employment data from SEEK. In a year that saw the resource and mining booms in Queensland and Western Australia take centre stage, employers were forced to rethink their recruitment and retention strategies in the face of a tight employment market.

The SEEK Employment Index, which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 2.9%for the month as recruitment activity slowed in the lead up to Christmas. However the Index maintained a 7.7% increase in the second half of 2007, indicating that it has become considerably more difficult for employers to fill vacant positions.

Job Advertisements
Demand for labour continued to grow in December with the number of new jobs advertised increasing by 0.9% (seasonally adjusted) from November. During 2007, new job ads rose by 35.5%, with a particularly strong rise of 22.9% from June to December.

Both during December and throughout the year, the growth in new job ads was particularly strong in Western Australia and Queensland, as resources development continues to drive the Australian economy. NSW experienced the lowest annual growth in new job ads at 20%.

Job Applications
Jobseeking activity decreased slightly again in December, with the number of job applications falling by 0.9% on a national basis. Jobseekers in Western Australia were the most active, posting a 4.2% increase in job applications.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"NSW experienced the lowest annual growth in new job ads posted during 2007. At first glance it might seem that the state is lagging behind its counterparts, however on closer examination, it probably means that NSW is actually enjoying a more stable employment market where employers are having more success in filling positions.

"WA and QLD provided the major talking points of 2007. Galloping demand for skilled positions relating to the mining sector, and a considerable lag in supply served as a handbrake on Australia's economic growth and is an area we need to continue to watch in 2008.

"January is traditionally a peak period for jobseeker activity and active recruiters will benefit from first move advantage. Targeting this group as part of your recruitment strategy for 2008 is a vital first step," he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: "Without rising inflation, it is clear that in 2008 the economy will not be able to handle a continuation of the pace of growth of labour demand evident in 2007, with the supply of labour now rising less rapidly than demand.

"Both monetary and fiscal measures may be necessary to curtail demand growth, although the need for policy measures may be moderated by interest rate rises emerging from global trends and by the growing possibility of recession in the USA."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

back to index