Job seekers on the hunt for a position in the retail industry will now have a dedicated mobile app, launched by Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS), which they can use to look for openings.

Users can search for jobs in the retail industry based on the job type, sector, location and whether it is a full-time or part-time opening. They will then be matched and screened by the SIRS career services centre, which may recommend appropriate courses to help applicants meet the job requirements.

SIRS is hoping that that the job-matching function in the app will also help alleviate the manpower crunch in the retail industry. "Hopefully [the app] facilitates the entry of many these people who may otherwise not join the workforce. So we are providing this service to help our retailers to help partially address the manpower crunch," Mr Tan Jek Min, director of SIRS, told reporters on the sidelines of the SIRS Retail Seminar 2013 on Tuesday.

The service is free for both employers and job hunters. Some 80 retailers, such as electronics retailer Courts, have posted some 1,200 job vacancies on the app already, said Mr Tan. The app, Jobs & Courses @SIRS, is available on the Google Play store and the Apple App store.