SPH’s jobs app launches new features for blue-collar roles

Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) FastJobs app is rolling out two new features to better match employers and job seekers for blue-collar roles.

One is a chat system that will enable employers to contact job seekers directly. It will be able to field a number of automated questions to potential candidates, which will make the screening process more convenient and efficient, said Mr Julian Tan, head of SPH Digital.

The app will also tap big data based on a job seeker's browsing behaviour to recommend suitable posts via e-mail and app notifications.

Both features are expected to be rolled out by the end of next month, Mr Tan told The Straits Times.

"For us, the focus is increasingly on getting hires for employers and not just responses," he said.

Besides beefing up its app functions, FastJobs is also keeping an eye on moving into new markets beyond Singapore. The app was launched in Malaysia in February and the Philippines in May.

Mr Tan said there are plans to expand further across South-east Asia in the longer term.

"The space (for such apps) is not yet crowded, and there are very few that focus on the jobs that FastJobs looks at. And there's a huge labour force in the region, with the majority of the people in non-executive jobs," he said.

"The population is sizeable and growing, and the mobile penetration rate is high. All of this means the opportunity is there."

Mr Tan noted that FastJobs has been gaining traction. Revenue from the app tripled over the last year, although he declined to reveal figures.

FastJobs was ranked No.1 in the business category in Singapore by the number of downloads on iOS and Google Play in the first half of this year, based on app market data and insights company App Annie.

The app, which was launched in April 2015, has garnered more than 800,000 downloads globally.

It receives an average of 52 applications for each job ad and 90 per cent of the ads receive a response within a day.

It has received 3.3 million job applications to date, while the number of job listings more than doubled in the past year to reach 442,000.

FastJobs counts among its customers brands such as NTUC, 7-Eleven, Giant, Cold Storage, Don Quijote, Watsons, Miniso, Uniqlo, Japan Food Holdings, Pizza Hut, KFC, Yoshinoya, Deliveroo, Foodpanda, Uber, Grab, Marine Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 30, 2017, with the headline SPH’s jobs app launches new features for blue-collar roles. Subscribe