News: Online Job Seekers Up by Over 100,000 in Five Months - National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, at the weekend reported a growing increasing in completed online applications for jobs in the country, moving from 212,409 recorded last May to 313,694 by the end of September, representing about 50 per cent

The Bureau, in its latest Online Recruitment Report published at the weekend, noted however that despite the surge in completed applications during the five month review period, the number of vacancies posted remained relatively stable, from 3,897 in May to 4,441 in September, implying some relative competitiveness over the period.

It also reported that while the majority of applicants were between the ages of 20 and 30 years with over 70 per cent of them possessing degrees from tertiary institutions, the Trade/Services industry dominated in the number of vacancies posted, with over two thirds of vacancies were posted by companies operating within this industry, and an average of 36 per cent of applications made during the period made to such companies.

When analyzed based on applications by location, the NBS reported that Lagos was the most active and dominant state during the reference period, ac­counting for over half of both applications and vacancies posted. It also found that over 7,000 of the applicants were liv­ing outside the country.

NBS clarified further: "The information published in this report covers the period May to September 2015 and is by no means a replacement to data generated from our regular Quarterly Job Creation Survey or the Quarterly Labour Force Survey.

It is simply additional labour market information, specifically on online recruitment activities, generated for the purpose of enriching the already existing database. Though Jobberman occupies the largest share of the online recruitment market in Nigeria, the information published in this report is only indicative of the activities in the industry and not necessarily conclusive.

Over the period the number of applications received grew considerably, from 212,409 in May to 313,694 in September, showing that the number of applications grew by roughly 50 per cent. There is a clear upward trend in the number of applications; every month saw an increase apart from July, when the number fell by 56,563 or 21 per cent.

The largest increase in the number of applications was between July and August, when the number increased by 73,625, or 34 per cent, the Bureau added.

On the vacancies trend, the agency found that in contrast to the number of applications, the number of vacancies posted had been relatively stable each month, despite an increase over the period, from 3,897 vacancies in May to 4442 in September, representing a 14 per cent increase. This compared to the number of applications which rose by 50 per cent over the same period.

It hinted that the highest number of vacancies that were recorded in any month was 4,915, in August while the lowest amount of vacancies record­ed was in May with 3,897 posted.

The number of vacancies fell by 10 per cent in September, and the highest growth recorded in the number of vacancies in any month was 15 per cent in June.

The Bureau expatiated on the educational qualifications of the covered applicants, stating that the majority of applicants online were well educated, with 64 per cent having a degree, and 76 per cent having a degree or higher (including MBBS, MBA, MSc and MPhil/PHD.

Source: National Mirror