Traffic at job sites soar

President Barack Obama inspired many Americans to take their future into their own hands. "The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and our universities, in our fields and our factories, in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest working people on earth," he said, during his State of the Nation speech. "What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face and take responsibility for our future once more."

 

Based on the latest Nielsen Online survey of traffic to job sites, it looks like Americans are taking responsibility for their future, by taking the first step - finding a job and getting prepared for a new one.

 

The traffic to career development sites grew to 49.7 million last month, up 20% from the same month a year ago, according to the survey. While CareerBuilder Network was the No. 1 destination, with 20.8 million unique visitors, Simply Hired saw a 209% increase in traffic. USAJOBS traffic more than doubled and Indeed saw a 79% increase in traffic. Additionally, traffic to the career-development category also grew 20%.

 

Notably, people over 65 years old are going to job sites in higher numbers, reflecting the fact that people are living longer and probably need to save more money in light of the economic downturn. The number of unique visitors over 65 to these sites jumped 41% to 3.6 million, the largest annual increase for any demographic.

 

“There’s an opportunity for publishers and advertisers to appeal to this niche market by providing content that’s relevant to longtime career holders looking for their next position and trying to shore up their retirement savings,” said Chuck Schilling, research director, agency & media, Nielsen Online.