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Number of job ads posted online plummets to 2004 levels

Posted Jan 20, 2010

The number of online jobs advertised has plummeted to levels not seen since January 2004, according to the 'Online Recruitment Index' which monitors the number or roles advertised by many of the leading job sites on the web.

The index, hosted by AllJobsUK.com, has fallen below the 1,000 mark to 836.75 - a similar level to that achieved six years ago in January 2004, reflecting the dramatic fall in fortunes for the recruitment sector over the past year.

Although the current measure comes at a quiet time in the year for the recruitment industry, a significant recovery will be needed to restore the index to anywhere near its peak level of 2,357.15 during May 2007.

According to the index, 9 out of 10 of job sites monitored at sitting at less that 51% of their peak job advert levels (with 6 at 31% or less). Sites monitored include Fish4jobs, Jobserve, Jobsite, Monster and Reed.

The index was launched in August 2000, with a base level of 1000. The lowest reading was 728.66, recorded in December 2002. The sute uses the published volumes of active job adverts from leading job sites to generate a composite figure.

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