Google's job hunting service comes to UK

Google has secured several of the UK's largest recruitment services for a local version of its jobs-hunting tool.

Reed, Guardian Jobs, Haymarket and Totaljobs.com are among those providing listings, in addition to global sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor.

The facility automatically shows the "freshest and most relevant" openings based on a user's location when they type relevant terms into Google Search.

But one expert said those involved might come to regret the tie-up.

For now, the US tech giant is not charging employment sites to feature their listings nor using the service to place any extra adverts beyond those that normally appear within its results.

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Google lets users search for recent vacancies across a wide range of sites simultaneously
In addition, applicants must still click through to the individual third-party jobs platforms to apply for a post.

But one industry-watcher suggested this arrangement could change.

"Google is a behemoth of search, it controls the gateway to the internet - so I can understand why others feel they have to be part of its jobs service," commented Robert Jeffrey, editor of People Management magazine.

"But undoubtedly it will start charging for placement and other premium services.

"And for third-party sites that represents a risk."

Commute times
The Google For Jobs service already exists in the US, Spain and parts of Africa, where the firm claims to have already connected millions of people to new job opportunities.

In addition to the larger listing sites, Google has also partnered with thousands of smaller specialist platforms.

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The Google For Jobs service is triggered by relevant queries within its main search facility
"What job seekers get is the ability to find jobs from all over the internet," product manager Joy Xi explained.

"What the employers get is easier discoverability."

She added that there were also other advantages over individual sites.

For example, Ms Xi said Google's "search smarts" meant applicants would not have to carry out multiple searches to find similar posts listed under different titles - for example: programmer, software engineer and developer.

In addition, she said, the firm's Maps data had been referenced to let users see how long it would take to commute to each post.

Even so, one major vacancies site is refusing to share its data - Indeed.

The 14-year-old firm also acts as a listings aggregator and claims to be the world's most popular jobs hunt service with more than 200 million unique visitors a month.

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US-based Indeed is a subsidiary of Japan's Recruit Holdings
"At this time, Indeed has decided not to partner because we feel that's the best decision for jobseekers," its marketing chief Paul D'Arcy told the BBC.

"Moving forward, we will continue to evaluate this and other partnerships."

Indeed's recent efforts to maintain its lead include the acquisition of the CV-building service Resume.com, and launch of new tools for employers to help them tackle any hiring biases.

However, its decision to avoid the new service means links to Indeed pages now appear further down Google's results pages.

"Indeed is the biggest in the market at the moment, and it may feel like it's got the most to lose by getting into bed with Google," said Mr Jeffrey.

"But it's a brave move."