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LinkedIn and the Value of Social Media in a Tight Job Market
By Andrew Lipsman - September 11, 2009
Last week’s report that the U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 9.7% in August is another stark reminder of the tough economic environment. With unemployment climbing 4 percentage points in the past year alone, it is no surprise that one of the fastest gaining online categories during that time has been Job Search, which is up 33% vs. year ago to 23.1 million visitors in July.
Despite the gloom of the current job market, every cloud has a silver lining, and in this case I think it is how the Internet is giving those affected by the job situation the critical resources to help navigate this treacherous environment. There is one online resource (not even included in the Job Search site category) that particularly stands out to me: LinkedIn.com. The business-oriented social networking site has become more important than ever for those looking for job opportunities and it has the growth to show for it. The U.S. audience at LinkedIn neared its all-time high in July with about 8 million visitors, a 66% increase vs. year ago.
posted by: gqpartner
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