• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, February 5, 2002

A recent news release shows that readership of newspaper classified ads in 67 metro markets surveyed by The Media Audit declined more than 11 percent in three years, and more than 25 percent of those who regularly read employment ads do so on the web.

Bob Jordan, co-chairman of The Media Audit, said "The recruitment classified market alone is generally estimated to be in excess of $10 billion." Collectively, recruitment, automotive, real estate and all other classified advertising often produces as much as 40 percent of a daily newspaper's total revenue. "It appears to us that it is the newspaper's employment/recruitment classified advertising that is under the most competitive pressure," says Jordan. The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) recently said on its web site: "online media…has firmly established itself in recruitment."

The 67 markets surveyed have a combined population of approximately 118.4 million. Of that total:
- 3.4 percent, or 3.9 million people visit web classified job sites regularly
- 9.6 percent or 11.3 million people read newspaper employment ads regularly
- 35 percent of regular readers of employment ads are also regular visitors to employment web sites on the Internet
- 41 percent of regular visitors to employment web sites on the Internet are regular readers of employment ads in newspaper classified sections

"What the numbers are saying," says Jordan, "is that the duplication between newspapers and web sites is less than 42 percent. Most people are searching employment ads in one medium or the other, not both."

The research shows significant differences in household incomes between those who search employment ads on the web versus those who do the same in newspaper print.
- Households with incomes of less than $25,000 are more than twice as likely to search for employment opportunities in the newspaper.
- Of those searching newspaper employment ads, 16 percent have household incomes of less than $25,000. That figure is 7.2 percent on the web.
- Over 18 percent of those searching newspaper employment ads have household incomes of $25,000 to $35,000. The comparable figure for the web is 10.5 percent.
- When household incomes are $35,000 to $50,000 newspapers and web sites are virtually the same.
- Beyond $50,000 the web classifieds start pulling away. Of those searching web employment ads, 25 percent have household incomes between $50,000 and $75,000. The comparable number for newspapers is 20 percent.
- More than 31 percent of those searching web employment ads have household incomes of $75,000 or more while the comparable percent for newspapers is 17.8.
- Of those with incomes of $100,000 or more, 17 percent search the web for jobs compared to 7.8 percent who search newspapers.

Find out more here.