Despondent job seekers increase, as does unemployment

Now in its eighth edition, the biannual survey, presents recruiters as well as marketers with an insight into the mindset of the South African working public.

The latest statistics show that the level of employment has levelled off between 13 and 13.1 million, down 6.5% from the approximate 14 million employed at the end of 2008. Similarly, 25% of the South African labour force remains unemployed, with the highest rates registered in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, and the lowest in Limpopo.

Approximately 114 000 new job seekers entered the market between the end of the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter 20111, and the number of despondent job seekers has increased over the last year to 2.2 million.

Survey in print, websites

The survey, which garners a better understanding of job search practices of employees in the work place as well as identifying opportunities and highlighting trends in the market over time, is conducted as an in-paper questionnaire in newsprint titles of Business Times, The Times, The Herald, Sowetan, Daily Dispatch, Weekend Post and Sunday World, and as an online questionnaire posted on the group's websites including the job portal CareerJunction.

Over 3100 responses were captured. Newsprint questionnaires were analysed by independent research agency Interserv and Interact RTD hosted and collected the data from online questionnaires.

Results

In terms of the respondents' profiles, 92% are currently employed (up by 8% from 2009), 7% are self-employed, with just under a third working flexi-time. Job security is high, with over 70% feeling secure in their positions. White and Indian sentiment in this regard is higher, with black respondents feeling the least secure - a trend that has changed little over the last few years.

When it comes to employment opportunities, half of all respondents stated that they were seriously seeking a new job. The dominant reason for which was money, at the expense of both career prospects and job satisfaction. What's more, job seekers prefer transparency in job ads - salary, benefits and location being the preferred prerequisites.

At 82%, the recruitment pages in newspapers are still the most popular resource when looking for employment - The Sunday Times Careers supplement continuing to dominate the arena as the most popular newspaper environment to do so.

The Internet continues its upward trend with 7 in 10 job seekers utilising it to search for jobs. CareerJunction leads this space, followed by Careers24. Social media platforms were measured for the first time this year and results indicated that 17% of respondents have used it to look for a job. The use of technology in the recruitment process is also increasing. Almost 80% say they don't mind applying for jobs online, while two thirds prefer responding to job ads by means of email - a significant increase from 50% in 2009.

Nearly three quarters of respondents have loaded their CV's onto a database with the hope of being contacted for an interview, of which more than half have been approached by prospective employers.

Politics, race still dominate issues

Political and racial issues are still seen as being highly influential in the job market, with 70% seeing racism as a major factor. 56% percent of respondents believe BEE candidates receive preferential consideration for positions and 46% believe they get better remuneration and benefits.

Respondents to the survey strongly indicated they want to see a synergy in thinking between the people of South Africa and the government with regards to job creation and decreasing unemployment.

Equipped with the data provided by the survey, recruiters, head-hunters and marketers are able to facilitate the national effort to drive employment and recruitment by understanding job seekers' habits and preferences.