According to the latest Global Index on Labour issued by Kelly Services, social networks are opening up more and more career opportunities for workers. Canadians will be even more inclined to use LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook when seeking a new job than their American neighbours.
Social networks have revolutionized our manner of communicating in general. In the area of job seeking, information can become viral to the extent that people pass on an offer on the networks. HR professionals, like all workers, clearly understand. In the latest Global Index on Labour published this month by Kelly Services, 39% of Canadians interviewed state that they have been contacted via social networks for a job offer over the last 12 months. This is a similar percentage to those found in the United States but nothing to compare with Brazil, where 74% of workers interviewed say they have been solicited through social networks.
Brazil still ahead
On the American continent, Brazil still has the highest percentage of people who have obtained a job directly through social networks, at 44%. It is followed by Mexico (25%), Canada (14%) and the United States (11%). As a general rule, workers appear to be more and more open to the idea of these new media. On the American continent, 55% of people interviewed think that social media are a good tool to transmit a hiring opportunity to a friend or colleague. They are therefore ahead of the Europeans (47%) but behind Asians (61%).
LinkedIn and Twitter can also guide a career-related decision. Discussions about the atmosphere of a company, working conditions and employee benefits are multiplying. The decision to go or to stay is also reflected today on the networks. In America, 32% of workers use these media to make decisions related to their career. This is less than in Europe (36%) or Asia (51%).
Toward a release from traditional methods
Behaviours are changing to such a point that 44% of Canadian workers would be more inclined to seek a job through social networks than through more traditional methods such as newspaper advertisements and job offer sites or recruiting firms. It’s higher than in the United States at 36%. In Europe, the percentage is down to 32% but it rises to 56% in Asia.