Google is making interesting moves into the Australian real-estate classifieds market. Google Maps is an useful tool, and it’s not difficult to imagine its application in a job search capacity. Already, job boards are incorporating Google Maps in their search engines.

In light of this move, it makes sense to wonder if Google will rejuvenate its neglected job classifieds product – Google Base (Currently there seems to be only around 1300 Australian jobs listed)? It doesn’t look like an immediate priority, but given its domination with anything to do with ‘search’, it would be foolish to write Google off.

Large amount of employment related activity continues to be a hallmark of Google. Its domination of the search space means that it will continue to be the preferred platform to start a job or an employer search. Also, Google profile, if it catches on, is likely to drive more job seeker and employer traffic to the site. By the day, Google makes it easier for job seekers and employers to find one another.

Similar to its out of the blue Chrome announcement, it will not be out of place if Google makes a fresh move into the employment space.

Taught in every MBA course, Harvard professor Michael Porter’s Five Forces model is an useful tool to make sense of the competitive environment of a particular industry. By mapping the various forces influencing an industry, Porter’s model helps in assessing the attractiveness (profitability) of a market, and the planning of corporate strategy. Whether you are a job board operator, a recruitment agency, an ATS provider or a consulting firm, the Five Forces model is a quick and useful framework to assess competitors, threats and opportunities. For example, the competitive environment of job boards can be briefly illustrated by using Porter’s model (refer chart)

(Crudely, the deeper the red arrow is inside the square box the more influential the particular force is)

Currently, the jostling for larger market share is the dominant force (box 1) dictating the job board industry in Australia. With close to 300 job boards competing for a slice of the revenue pie, rivalry is intense. Job board technology is available freely, barriers to market entry is almost nil. Every month a new job board sprouts up, while another vanish into obscurity.  Brand name is a powerful differentiator in the job board industry. It is tough for a new entrant to make a mark. New entrants will not cease but they are unlikely to be a major force (box 4).

There is currently a lot of noise and debate around box 5. Are social networks emerging as a substitute to job boards? What about Internet sourcing? Recruitment firms? Linkedin? Resume database? Free classifieds players? Online referrals? Without doubt the threat from ‘substitute service providers’ is a major force dictating competition in the industry. How incumbents react to substitute providers often varies, some embrace change, some deny it, some fight it.  We will see a lot more activity in this space, including redefining what a job board is.

Advertisers (box 2), both recruiters and employers, wield enormous power in the current environment.  Advertisers are more discerning and rates are under pressure (we are seeing a lot of freebies lately).  Advertisers posses all the bargaining power, but will flock where ever candidates go; reaching out with whatever tools are available and effective.

From where I sit, box 3 is the key force. I think candidates wield enormous power and it is increasing by the day. The options and opportunities for job seekers to find employers are increasing by the day. The fortune of many players will be dictated by whether candidates rejects them or not. In summary, I think job boards ought to pay attention, in order of importance, to box 3, 5, 2, 1 and 4. What do you think?

(note: In the coming days, I’ll explore each forces in greater details. I will also include a framework for the recruitment industry. Also, check out Job Board Landscape)

WHAT: Job aggregators or vertical job search engines.

HOW: Aggregators, unlike traditional job boards, do not own the jobs listed on their website. Like search engines, they merely act as a platform to redirect job seekers’ traffic. Many job boards depend on them to increase their own traffic. Offer candidates convenience and a wide range of jobs not available on a single traditional job board. Can increase traffic to corporate career website significantly.

COST: Mostly free. Many aggregators crawl and list jobs without any formal arrangement. A preferable method is to register on their website and provide them with a structured job feed, to ensure better update and categorising of your jobs. Paid services includes Google style pay-per-click services and sponsored jobs with priority listing.

WHO: About 16 international and local players compete in the market.

Job aggregators in Australia

1. All Jobs
www.alljobs.com.au

2. Careerjet
www.careerjet.com.au

3. Govt Jobs
www.govtjobs.com.au

4. J Seeker
www.jseeker.com.au

5. Job Sites
www.jobsites.com.au

6. Jobjett
www.jobjett.com.au

7. Jobs in Oz
www.jobsinoz.com.au

8. Jobsense
www.jobsense.com.au

9. Jobsniffa
www.jobsniffa.com.au

10. Jobland
www.jobland.com.au

11. MySpider
www.myspider.com.au

12. Plus Jobs
www.au.plusjobs.com

13. Recruit.net
http://australia.recruit.net

14. Simply Hired
www.simplyhired.com.au

15. Salty Fish
www.saltyfish.com.au

16. Workcircle
www.workcircle.com.au

Source: Job Board Report 2009

The Job Board Report 2009 is ready and available for FREE download.

If ‘numbers’ is a yardstick, Australia is currently witnessing a ‘golden age’ of Job board activity. Our report lists 236 job boards in operation, with new players introduced on a regular basis. The job board tapestry is colourful, and every conceivable niche – geographic, regional, professional, job type and industry sector – is represented by one or more job board. A declining print classifieds market, the easy availability of technology, the continuing demands by employers to reach new pockets of audiences is fuelling the growth. In spite of the existence of alternatives, job boards continues to offer a cost-effective solution, and remains a preferred channel to reach out to talent.

The report also navigates the Australian recruitment technology landscape, and registers more than 40 national and international recruitment technology providers, signalling the breadth and variety of solutions available to employers and the recruitment industry. It is likely that the number of vendors are higher, given that many international players offer their solutions as an ASP model.

The Job Board Report 2009 is available for FREE download here (No registration required….yay!).

Once again, we are grateful to our sponsors below for their generous support.

SixFigures International is a niche job board for high income earners and senior executives

ResourceWare is a leading provider of recruitment, HR and case management workflow systems in Australasia and Europe

nt3 provides online resume database for Australian/NZ recruiters and employers

Recruit.net is Australia’s leading search engine for jobs

JobAdder is Australia’s leading job posting and distribution provider

Job boards in the US are witnessing high patronage. Behaviour in Australia is no different.

The recently unemployed will continue to flock to job boards. The rest who still have jobs will browse around to see what’s out there, just in case.

In times of economic upheavals, job boards are like sanctuaries. Perhaps, it’s because they offer a semblance of certainty in times of uncertainty.  Somehow, a jobseeker feels good to head to a destination where he is greeted by hundreds of new opportunities. Calming frayed nerves is a job board service which is yet to be given due credit.

From here, the dual combination of alarmists parroting stories of doom and an economy that had seen better days will drive record traffic to job boards around the country.

Which is why it is perplexing to see very little effort by job boards to go beyond the normal call of duty. Downturns present a great opportunity to be different.  To offer help beyound what’s required. To experiment. To reach out to new visitors. To be candidate centric. To cement a brand on visitors.

What can job boards do?  Strategy will be determined by market, audience, resources available and intent. The point is, any effort to help job seekers is unlikely to go down as ‘waste’, ever. Soon enough, potential advertisers will notice. They are more likely to trust job boards who looked after their future employees.

An opportunity to stand out should not be squandered.  Downturns don’t come around too often.