Job seekers are steadily increasing their use of the internet as a key part of their job search, The Conference Board reported. In the most recent survey of workers who searched for a job between January and September 2007, 73 percent reported using the internet compared to 66 percent of job seekers in the same time period in 2005.

"The Internet has become the most popular method of job searching," said Gad Levanon, Economist at The Conference Board. "Newspapers are still popular as a major job search method, but job seekers reported using them less, dropping from 75 percent to 65 percent between 2005 and 2007."

Job Seekers Continue to Shift Toward the Internet

Most job seekers continue to use more than one method in searching for a job. Online and print ads were not mutually exclusive and are still the most frequently used methods of exploring job openings. However, over half (51%) of job seekers reported networking through friends and colleagues as part of their job search. About one quarter (24%) responded that they used other methods, such as employment agencies.

How Job Seekers Look for a Job — Internet is the most popular method in 2007

The research shows that the Internet is being used for a variety of job search functions, from gathering employer/job information (59 percent of job seekers), submitting resumes and applications (57 percent), to posting resumes on a website (40 percent), and signing up for email notifications (30 percent).

In September 2007, there were 4,270,000 online advertised job vacancies according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series™ (HWOL). There were 2.78 advertised vacancies online for every 100 persons in the labor force in September.

The data on job search methods is based on a nationally representative sample of 5,000 households surveyed monthly for The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index and is conducted on behalf of The Conference Board by TNS.