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Johannesburg - Jobs in the information technology sector were in demand among picky applicants in 2017, according to Careers24 2017 job seeker statistics.
The research showed that among the top five sectors for job posts during 2017, the IT sector had 6 264 posts, a slight increase from 6 210 vacancies in 2016.
The career portal also showed candidates were highly selective about job applications and that the number of vacancies applied for were the same, if not slightly lower, than in 2016.
Careers24 said that this could be an indication of the economy, highlighting that there was little growth in the business sector or, more importantly, uncertainty in the market and that job seekers are being more selective about the companies they want to work for.
In total, over 680 000 searches were made on Careers24 during 2017 compared to a little more than 550 000 in 2016.
However, the total number of applications made went down from more than 650 000 in 2016 to just under 560 000, showing candidates are thinking carefully about which companies they would like to work for.
Despite the static application numbers, 2017 was still active for first-time job seekers, who surged into the market with well over 100 000 candidates searching for opportunities.
“We’ve also noticed that the amount of people currently employed and seeking other opportunities outweighed the number of people currently unemployed and actively looking for work,” said Careers24 brand manager Shaun Clarke.
Of the 300 000 candidates reviewed, 160 000 were employed while 140 000 were unemployed.
In 2017, over 500 000 new candidates registered on Careers24 and more than half of these new job seekers registered on a mobile device.
“The trend towards more and more traffic being generated through mobile devices has been long predicted, but 2017 was the first year where we’ve consistently seen general mobile traffic make up as much as 70% of all traffic on Careers24,” said Clarke.
“The last quarter of the year generally sees a decline in activity in the recruitment market. Most people are planning for their holidays and some of the lucky ones are sitting tight, waiting for their bonus cheque. January is a time for new resolutions so we are currently seeing activity increase sharply,” added Clarke.
“We’ve also noticed an increased interest in researching a company thoroughly before applying to work there. On our Company Showcase pages, companies have the opportunity to tell candidates about their corporate culture, graduate programmes and the like,” Clarke said.
In 2016 these Company Showcase pages were viewed 466 000 times. In 2017, this shot up significantly to just under 1.4 million views - a clear indication of candidates wanting to make more informed decisions.
*Both Fin24 and Careers24 are part of Media24.
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