MORE THAN HALF of jobseekers would turn down a job that restricted access to social media, according to a new survey.
In the latest round of Cpl Employment Market Monitor research, 56% of the 1,154 respondents said that they would turn down a job offer from a firm that restricted social media use, or find a way to get around these restrictions if they were to take the job.
The 402 employers questioned in the survey said they believed staff waste up to 2 hours per day on social media. Despite this, just half of employers restrict social media.
Peter Cosgrove, Director of Cpl Resources, noted: “The prevalence of social media within the workplace is still quite surprising. Losing up to a quarter of an employee’s productivity is a significant burden on business and employers should take steps to remediate this where necessary.”
The questionnaire also found that companies are more likely to employ younger graduates, rather than mature job applicants.
Seven in ten employers stated that they’d hire a twenty-something over other age-groups for a job which required 3-5 years experience.
Cosgrove said that ageism is “a prevailing obstacle for more mature job seekers”.
The majority of employers – 80% – said they were planning to recruit in the next 12 months. A further 53% said they were planning to expand their operations. Industries expecting to grow further in the next year include engineering, IT, banking, sales and marketing.
One in three employers said they had used Government initiatives such as JobBridge to hire staff.
“Despite some jobseeker negativity, our report shows they are becoming a vital part of enabling businesses to expand while providing valuable retraining for candidates from sectors which are diminishing or falling away,” Cosgrove added.
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