By Kathy Gibson – Google has introduced a new jobs search feature that will help job-seekers find relevant employment.
Unemployment is a massive issue in Africa and South Africa. But, despite a 26,7% jobless rate, there is still a battle to fill positions – 34% of companies struggle to fill the roles they have available.
There are many challenges in matching job seekers with employers. “The job here is how to build hat bridge and make it easier for both parties to find one another,” says Mzamo Masito, chief marketing officer for Google Africa.
Users can explore relevant jobs near them, customise filters to refine their search, and save searches or get alerts.
“This makes it easier for job-seekers to keep abreast of the jobs they are looking for,” Masito explains.
The jobs initiative is already running in the US, and is being launched today in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.
Any recruitment parts may make their information available on Google, and open documentation I available online.
Partners are encouraged to give feedback on their experience, to help Google improve the service.
Luke McKend, country director for Google in Africa, says the new development fits into Google’s mission to make information accessible to all users.
“What has become apparent to Google is that there is an increasing digital divide. We need to recognise how to bridge that gap,” he says.
“In Africa, we recognise that we have to build products that are actually for everyone – that are not just useful in California, but useful in situ, in Africa.”
Once the digital divide is bridged, though, a content divide remains, McKend adds. “If people don’t have content that is relevant to them, then the web itself is irrelevant.”
