For the first time, more than one in three of Belgian jobseekers applied via smartphone. In the Brussels Capital Region and Antwerp, the share of applications made via mobile phone is the highest, whereas in Namur & Luxembourg, it is significantly lower.
Another finding shows that job advertisements in the construction sector reached an important mobile milestone in 2019. An analysis by job site StepStone based on its own data and studies reveals that more than ever mobile optimized recruiting is the future.
1 in 3 Belgians applied through their smartphone in 2019
In 2019, more than 33% of the Belgian jobseekers started the application process through their smartphone. Over the last two years, this share grew from 19,8% (in 2017) to 21,4% (in 2018). This means that over the last twelve months the share of mobile applications has increased by an impressive 12,3 percentage points.
However, we see that the number of mobile visitors in 2019 was a lot higher (55%) than the share of eventual applications via smartphone. We can assume that jobseekers still like to use their computer to eventually apply & prefer the comfort of their keyboard & mouse.
Highest share of mobile applications in Brussels and Antwerp, lowest in Namur & Luxembourg
When we look at these numbers on a more granular level, we see minor differences between the different provinces of Belgium throughout last year. For 2019, the shares of mobile applications throughout the regions were as following:
On the one hand, we notice that the provinces in the North of Belgium have a higher proportion of mobile applications. All rank higher than their Southern counterparts in above table.
On the other hand, provinces with larger cities – and therefore also a larger population share – also seem to give more weight to smartphone use when applying for a job.
Important milestone in 2019: more than half of job ad visitors for the construction sector were mobile users
More mobile users than ever visited job advertisements in the construction sector throughout 2019. For the first time, the threshold of 50% was exceeded with more than half of users visiting via their smartphone (52%). When comparing this to the average growth in percentage points (+5% for 2018 to 2019), we see that the construction sector grew at a faster rate (+6%).
When comparing this to sectors with the most & least mobile visits, the share of mobile visitors for job advertisements looks as follows:
While our data didn’t point towards a definite reason for the difference between the sectors, we notice that sectors with a lower share of mobile visits often involve employees using a computer on a daily basis, whether at work or at home.
StepStone as official HR partner for BATIBOUW
To enhance this mobile growth & evolution in behavior, StepStone has once again been selected as the official HR partner for BATIBOUW in 2020. Expect at the fair, among other things, a true “Job Wall” on which vacancies from the construction sector are displayed.
Meet StepStone at BATIBOUW 2020 from Saturday 29th of February through Sunday 8th of March at Brussels Expo. Save the date & practical information can be found on the official website.
Methodology
The percentage for the number of (mobile) applications was based on the total application processes started at StepStone.be throughout 2017, 2018 & 2019. All data mentioned was gathered in-house & fact-checked by our data analysts.
About StepStone
StepStone is a Job board and the Belgian market leader in candidate delivery. StepStone’s success comes from connecting employers with dream candidates and thousands of people to their dream jobs.
StepStone is present in 23 countries today and is also a founding member of “The Network”, an alliance of more than 50 leading recruitment websites globally.
Results are crucial, but above all StepStone is a people company. Worldwide over 3,000 ‘StepStoners’ go the extra mile day in, day out for each and every customer. This is why StepStone is the go-to destination for employers and talent.
You can find more information on the official website: www.stepstone.be.