Job search methods: Internet versus traditional

In the current “e-commerce” boom, much attention has been paid to how the Internet is transforming product markets. At the same time, the Internet also is transforming labor markets, altering the way workers look for jobs, and the way firms recruit workers. More than 2,000 Internet job search sites now exist, yet little is known of their effects on labor markets. What percentages of unemployed (and employed) Americans use the Internet to search for jobs? This article examines the frequency and incidence of Internet job search among U.S. workers, by race, gender, and other demographic characteristics, the location of the job search (from home, from work, or from other access points), and the relation between Internet search and traditional job search methods. Internet job search data are from a special supplement to the December 1998 Current Population Survey (CPS), which asked respondents about computer and Internet use. The traditional job search methods are from the monthly CPS, where they are used by the BLS to determine if a respondent is an active jobseeker. The nine traditional methods are: • Contacted employer directly • Contacted public employment agency • Contacted private employment agency • Contacted friends or relatives • Contacted school employment center • Sent résumés/filled applications • Checked union/professional registers • Placed or answered ads • Used other active search methods Note that there is a possibility of overlap between search for a job via the Internet and the traditional methods outlined in the CPS. For example, unemployed jobseekers who say they “contacted employers directly” may have done so through the Internet, perhaps submitting a résumé via e-mail (Internet search) or they may have actually mailed or personally delivered a copy of the résumé to potential employers (traditional search).