News & Media

This resource for journalists and investors includes media releases, announcements and statements.

SEEK Employment Index

Media Contacts

Media representatives can contact Paul or Andrew Bassat (Joint CEO's) for information on topics such as:

• the origins and future of internet recruitment
• tips on how to conduct an effective online job search
• success stories and case studies of recruiters and job hunters who are using the Internet to fill — and find — jobs faster
• interviews with SEEK representatives

Contact SEEK by email, by phone on 03 9510 7200 (international 61 3 9510 7200 GMT +11 hours) or fax 03 9510 7244.

2008 Media Releases

• 07.10.08 SEEK Employment Index - Global Financial Instability Impacts Local Job Market
• 30.09.08 SEEK announces exclusive deal with Digital Network Sales
• 29.09.08 SEEK launches Premium Ads Self Service
• 18.09.08 ASX - SEEK Limited makes strategic investment in two leading Brazilian employment sites
• 17.09.08 ASX - SEEK Limited makes strategic investment in leading South East Asian employment website provider
• 15.09.08 SEEK recognised as a 'Best Employer' for the fifth time
• 15.09.08 SEEK Announces Changes to SEEK Executive Classifications
• 10.09.08 SEEK and Yahoo!7 Sign Exclusive Partnership
• 04.09.08 SEEK Employment Index - Job Market Steadies in August
• 18.08.08 ASX - SEEK announces Full Year 2008 Financial Results
• 06.08.08 SEEK Employment Index - Rapidly Rising Job Applications Drive Index Fall
• 30.07.08 Skills Shortage Creates Divide in Job Market
• 10.07.08 ASX - SEEK Limited increases investment in Zhaopin
• 08.07.08 SEEK Learning Launches in UK and Ireland
• 07.07.08 SEEK Employment Index - NSW, ACT, QLD Employment Markets Soften in June
• 04.06.08 SEEK Employment Index - Job Market Steadies in May
• 12.05.08 Internet attracting a new breed of volunteer
• 07.05.08 SEEK Employment Index - Demand for labour slows in eastern states
• 08.04.08 Government Employees Unhappy But Loyal
• 07.04.08 SEEK Employment Index - Job ads plateau, but applications rise
• 01.04.08 Are you getting paid what you're worth?
• 01.04.08 Healthcare and medical workers demand ethical workplaces
• 26.03.08 SEEK Blacks-Out for Earth Hour
• 12.03.08 SEEK Employment Index - Employment market more subdued in February
• 19.02.08 ASX - Strong performance continues across all drivers
• 06.02.08 SEEK Employment Index - Strong jobseeking activity to start 2008
• 30.01.08 Teachers Head Back to School - Craving Work-Life Balance
• 23.01.08 Most Australians Aren't Switching Off On Holiday
• 22.01.08 YouTube Video Ads a Welcome Addition to the SEEK Line-Up
• 14.01.08 SEEK Employment Index - Australian Labour Market Ends 2007 on a Strong Note

Global Financial Instability Impacts Local Job Market

The SEEK Employment Index

The stabilisation of Australia's employment market that occurred in August is no longer evident, as increases in job applications received outweighed the number of new job ads posted in September, according to the latest data from SEEK Intelligence.

Nationally the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, resumed the decline seen in the first half of the year, falling by 4% (seasonally adjusted) for the month.

Employment market softening was seen in every state and territory in September, except for the Northern Territory. While the number of job ads placed in Western Australia did not change in September, the Index fell by 4.9% as a result of increased applications received (4.9%). Jobseekers are obviously drawn to the opportunities provided by the resources and mining sector which has played such an important part in the strength of the WA economy.

Across the Eastern States, the ACT experienced the greatest fall in the Index of 10.9%, followed by Victoria (-6.8%), Queensland (-5.4%) and New South Wales (-5.3%).

Job Advertisements

The number of new jobs advertised nationally fell in September by 2.2%. Jobseekers in the Northern Territory enjoyed an increase in new job ads posted, up 5.6% from the month before. Tasmania, (-10.9%), ACT, (-6.6%), NSW, (- 4.3%) and Victoria (- 4.2%) experienced the most significant decreases.

Job Applications

Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions increased by 1.9% nationally. Tasmania experienced the highest increase by far with 8.8%, followed by Western Australia (4.9%) and the ACT (4.3%). Jobseekers in South Australia found less competition for roles with a drop in application numbers of 1.3%.

Commenting on the results, Joe Powell, Managing Director of SEEK Employment said:

"Given the backdrop of turbulence in global financial markets and the flow on effect to our economy, it's not surprising to see this spill over into the labour market.

"Employers and jobseekers alike are understandably nervous given the current environment. Until we see some stability in global financial markets this nervousness is likely to continue and may have a negative impact on the historically low unemployment levels."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:

• The SEEK Employment Index
• The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

SEEK announces exclusive deal with Digital Network Sales

SEEK Limited, Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website has today announced the details of a new media sales agreement with Digital Network Sales Pty Ltd.

Under the arrangement, Digital Network Sales will become SEEK's exclusive representative for all non-employment related advertising sales from 15 October.

Commenting on the agreement, SEEK's Agency and Display Sales Manager Nick Anderson said:

"We're delighted to be working with Digital Network Sales, in particular their Director Adam Hobson who brings considerable experience in the classifieds market to the relationship. Together we're excited about the opportunities that this arrangement might present both organisations."

The agreement was previously held by Tempest Media.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About SEEK
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site.

About Digital Network Sales
DNS is one of Australia's largest premium networks, delivering advertisers significant scale of a highly desirable audience across market leading sites and core audience segments. SEEK joins a network that reaches over 2.5 million Australians, with over 55 million page impressions delivered per month and boasts leading sites including www.australianopen.com , www.miniclip.com and www.missyconfidential.com.au.

SEEK launches Premium Ads Self Service

Making sure your job ad is top of the search results list just got a whole lot easier with SEEK Ltd, Australia's number one employment site, improving accessibility to its Premium Ads product.

The latest enhancement gives advertisers the convenience of checking availability, booking and managing Premium Ads from start to finish online at www.seek.com.au. The service also allows advertisers to receive email alerts if a Premium Ad which was unavailable later becomes available.

Premium Ads appear highlighted at the top of the search results page, providing increased prominence and exposure to the ad and giving the advertiser the luxury of owning the job search category.

According to SEEK Chief Information Officer, Carey Eaton, advertisers are always looking for ways to save time and SEEK works hard to continuously streamline their product processes.

"Premium Ads were launched two years ago and right from the start they were a very popular product. We've now evolved the offering to be more user-friendly by putting the control back in the hands of our advertisers who can manage their premium ads online whatever time of day or night suits them best."

"We understand that in the current employment market the quicker the recruitment process the better. Advertisers appreciate opportunities that allow them to reach the maximum number of suitable candidates in a simple and time efficient manner and Premium Ads Self Service is sure to be a welcome enhancement to the existing product." he said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About SEEK
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site. In New Zealand, over 20,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, nearly twice that of its nearest competitor.

About Premium Ads
Premium Ads are a proven, targeted method of attracting more jobseekers. A Premium Ad stays at the top of the search results page for 7 days and is only available to two advertisers per classification and location.

SEEK Limited makes strategic investment in two leading Brazilian employment sites

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK) announced today that it has agreed to acquire a 30% interest in Brasil Online Holdings, owner of Catho Online and Manager Online, two leading employment websites in Brazil. Settlement of the transaction is expected within 8-12 weeks to enable procedural steps to be completed.

SEEK will invest US$ 67.5m for its stake in Brasil Online Holdings. SEEK will take a seat on the board and will play an active role in driving the strategic agenda.

Consolidated Press Holdings Limited will invest alongside Seek to hold 5% of Brasil Online Holdings.

According to Andrew Bassat, SEEK Co-Founder and Joint CEO:

"SEEK has for some time been looking for opportunities to expand its international footprint in attractive markets following on from our investment in China. This plus the investment in JobStreet announced yesterday means that our international investments are now a substantial part of our business and hopefully a key driver of growth.

"Catho and Manager have already built leading positions in the Brazilian online employment market with excellent management and strong brands.

"The Brazilian market is very substantial, with a population of over 190 million, and a GDP of over US$ 1.3 trillion. With both internet penetration and online advertising growing rapidly off a low base in Brazil, the online employment classifieds market is expected to enjoy significant growth over the next few years.

"We are delighted to have found an opportunity to make an important and exciting investment in this market."

SEEK's Director of Corporate Strategy, Jason Lenga said:

"The business model in Brazil is different to Australia in that jobseekers pay for using employment sites. Employer-paid advertising products are in the early stages of development and will provide substantial upside in the longer term. We hope to add value to management by leveraging our expertise, enabling Catho and Manager to become even more formidable players.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Tiger Global Management, who will remain the majority shareholder in Brasil Online Holdings. Tiger has tremendous experience in the online space and has been a very successful investor, particularly in online employment.

"We will account for this investment as an Associate. We expect the investment to be earnings per share neutral in the short term as the business continues to build its capabilities. We are confident it will be significantly accretive in the longer term." Mr Lenga said.

SEEK has funded this investment from a new A$ 200 million syndicated loan facility, as outlined in yesterday's announcement. The syndicate comprises The National Australia Bank (lead arranger), ANZ Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Bank. The facility is structured on a senior unsecured basis, and comprises two equal tranches with terms of 2 and 3 years, with an opening margin of 125 and 130 basis points above the bank bill rate respectively.

About Brasil Online Holdings
Brasil Online Holdings is the owner of two leading online employment websites in Brazil; Catho Online and Manager Online, with approximately 200,000 job postings on each site. The leading player, Catho Online, has over 2.7m unique visitors per month and 70% brand awareness.

About SEEK Limited
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site. In New Zealand, over 20,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, nearly twice that of its nearest competitor.

For further details please contact:

SEEK Limited makes strategic investment in leading South East Asian employment website provider

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK) announced today that it has purchased through off-market trades a 10% interest in JobStreet Corporation Berhad (JobStreet, listed in Malaysia). JobStreet is a leading provider of online employment websites in South East Asia. Total consideration was MYR 55.1m (A$ 19.3m), or an average of MYR 1.78 per share compared to the 90 day VWAP (volume weighted average price) of MYR 1.72 per share.

JobStreet is a leading provider of employment websites in South East Asia with strong market positions in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, and an active presence in Indonesia and India, amongst other countries. The company has also recently announced a joint venture to enter the Thailand market.

In the second calendar quarter of 2008, the company grew its revenues at 35% YoY and grew EBIT at 38% YoY. JobStreet's Q2 2008 revenues were A$ 8.9m and EBIT was A$ 3.5m.

According to Andrew Bassat, Co-Founder and Joint CEO of SEEK:

"The online employment classifieds market in South East Asia is expected to enjoy significant growth over the next few years due to economic growth and the migration of classified advertising from print to online.

"JobStreet has a strong and widely respected management team which has delivered outstanding results. We are delighted to have become a shareholder.

"We will now seek to enter a dialogue with management to explore how we might provide our support and expertise."

SEEK's Director of Corporate Strategy, Jason Lenga said "Together with our investment in China, this investment positions SEEK strongly across the Asian region. We are very confident of JobStreet's prospects and ability to replicate its success in attractive emerging markets."

SEEK has funded this investment from a new $200 million syndicated loan facility. The syndicate comprises The National Australia Bank (lead arranger), ANZ Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Bank. The facility is structured on a senior unsecured basis, and comprises two equal tranches with terms of 2 and 3 years, with an opening margin of 125 and 130 basis points above the bank bill rate respectively.

About JobStreet Corporation Berhad
JobStreet Corporation Berhad operates the JobStreet.com online recruitment websites presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Thailand. The Group currently services over 50,000 corporate customers and over 5.0 million jobseekers. JobStreet (JOBST) is listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities. For further information, JobStreet's annual report is available on their website at: http://ir.chartnexus.com/jobstreet/report.php?h=MY

About SEEK Limited
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site. In New Zealand, over 20,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, nearly twice that of its nearest competitor.

For further details please contact:

SEEK recognised as a 'Best Employer' for the fifth time

SEEK Ltd continues to be recognised as a great place to work, receiving the runner up award in the 2008 Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand Study.

This is the fifth year in a row that the people behind Australia and New Zealand's most popular employment websites have been acknowledged by Hewitt and Associates and is the best result SEEK has ever received.

SEEK was also recently acknowledged by the Great Place to Work Institute as one of the best companies to work for in Australia. Both award wins were based on employee feedback and survey responses.

Commenting on the Hewitt award win, Joint CEO and co-founder Paul Bassat said:

"We are absolutely delighted to be recognised for the fifth year in a row by Hewitt and Associates, as well as the Great Place to Work Institute, as one of the best employers to work for. The great work culture that's come to life here at SEEK is the result of the contribution of every single team member across each department."

"Our business has experienced some significant changes over the past five years including shifting from a private to a public company and moving our head office to a new environmentally friendly building and it's great to see that despite these elements of change, our staff are even more passionate about working at SEEK," said Paul Bassat.

"Receiving runner up in the Hewitt Awards is not only a fantastic recognition of the work environment at SEEK, it also gives us that extra little bit of encouragement to aspire to go one better next year."

SEEK Human Resources Director Meahan Callaghan said the recent award wins were evidence of the success the company has seen in recent years in recruiting based on cultural fit.

"Working at SEEK is not just about having the skills to perform a certain role, it's also about being a part of the culture we have created. We have an exceptionally high level of staff engagement right across the business and many of our recruitment and staff engagement strategies, including the recently launched CSR program, have been staff initiated."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Nicole Gentle
Reputation
D: 02 8252 7003
E: ngentle@reputation.net.au

About SEEK
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site. In New Zealand, over 20,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, nearly twice that of its nearest competitor.

SEEK Announces Changes to SEEK Executive Classifications

SEEK Limited has today released six additional classifications within its SEEK Executive zone.

Based on customer feedback, these changes represent a program of ongoing improvement in customer search experience. The new classifications include the following:

• Construction & Property
• Education & Training
• Healthcare & Science
• Mining
• Public Sector
• Retail

In addition to the new classifications, several existing ones will be refined. For example, what was previously Accounting/Banking/Finance will now be split into two separate classifications of Accounting, and Banking & Financial Services.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Natalie Mactier
SEEK Limited
nmactier@seek.com.au
Tel: (03) 8517 4238
Mob: 0413 252 843

About SEEK
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site. In New Zealand, over 20,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, nearly twice that of its nearest competitor.

About SEEK Executive
SEEK Executive is a zone on seek.com.au catering to jobseekers looking for positions with a salary of $100,000 or more. Almost 3,000 job ads are posted monthly.

SEEK and Yahoo!7 Sign Exclusive Partnership

Yahoo!7, one of Australia's most popular online information and communications destinations, and SEEK, Australia's number one employment site, today announced an exclusive partnership.

The agreement sees SEEK become the exclusive jobs partner for Yahoo!7 and includes the development of a co-branded site featuring the functionality of seek.com.au to be promoted across the Yahoo!7 network.

MyCareer had held the agreement for the past three years.

According to Justin Lyster, SEEK Strategic Alliance Manager, partnering with Yahoo!7 is another step in the right direction for SEEK in delivering access to the largest possible online audience in Australia to SEEK's customers.

"SEEK's partnership with Yahoo!7 will make a significant contribution to our objective of delivering the most quality jobseekers to our advertisers. Having job ads in front of both active and 'passive' jobseekers is the most successful way of communicating with potential employees in the current employment market."

Karen Lawson, General Manager, Commercial Channels, Yahoo!7, said the partnership highlights the strong synergies between SEEK and Yahoo!7 users.

"Yahoo!7 is committed to building Australia's leading partnership network. Under the exclusive agreement with SEEK, we're excited to offer our users access to Australia's most popular employment resource, and ensure confidence that they're dealing with a trusted and respected brand".

The new Yahoo!7 and SEEK co-branded employment site (yahoo.seek.com.au) will be launched in four weeks. For all immediate Yahoo!7 job listings, please visit yahoo7.com.au, click Jobs and you'll be linked to seek.com.au

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About SEEK
In Australia, seek.com.au now hosts approximately 60% of all jobs on Australia's major job sites, equating to approximately 50% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in the country. In a given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au and approximately 2.89 million jobseekers visit the site. In New Zealand, over 20,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, nearly twice that of its nearest competitor.

About Yahoo!7
Yahoo!7 is one of the most comprehensive and engaging online destinations for Australian consumers and advertisers. Formed as a 50-50 partnership between the Seven Network Limited (ASX: SEV) and Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), Yahoo!7 brings together the successful Australian internet business, Yahoo! Australia & NZ, and the online assets and television and magazine content of the Seven Network, one of Australia's leading media companies. The company also combines the strengths of Yahoo! search and communications capabilities and its global internet network, with Seven's rich media and entertainment content and marketing capabilities.

SEEK Employment Index - Job Market Steadies in August

The SEEK Employment Index
The Australian employment market stabilised in August following several months of decline, according to the latest data from SEEK Intelligence.

Nationally the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, rose by 0.2% (seasonally adjusted) for the month.

Employment market stabilising was seen in every state and territory except Queensland, with the ACT (up 4.3%) and Victoria (up 1.7%) experiencing the greatest increases.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised nationally rose by 0.1% in August, to be 2.2% higher than a year earlier. This followed a modest fall of 0.5% in July.

Western Australia and Queensland remain the strongest states in terms of the number of job opportunities available, with new job ads up by 1.2% and 0.9% respectively in the month of August, and up 21.6% and 9.2% year on year.

Job Applications
Job seeking activity declined marginally in August with total applications for jobs placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions decreasing by 0.1%.

On a state by state basis, New South Wales (-3.4%), South Australian (-2.4%) and Victorian (-1.6%) employers received fewer applications on average for their advertised roles last month. The ACT and Queensland experienced the biggest increases in job applications received, rising 2.4% and 1.6% respectively.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said: "After several months of employment market softening, the slight increase in job market activity in August is encouraging and may suggest a 'soft landing' for the Australian economy."

"The stabilisation of the job market this month coincides with lower oil prices, a better outlook for inflation as well as interest rate cuts following this week's RBA decision."

"The good news for job seekers is that securing a role in August was a little bit easier than it has been for much of 2008. It could be that employers were looking to get through the busy period that is the end of the financial year before moving forward with their recruitment activities."

"It's too early to tell if this signals the end of the softening of the employment market based on one's month's data. Further observations over the next few months will be needed to decide whether the tide is turning, but it is an encouraging place to be early in the new financial year", said Joe Powell.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:

• The SEEK Employment Index
• The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

SEEK announces Full Year 2008 Financial Results

SEEK continued strong revenue and profit growth

SEEK Limited, the leader in the online employment market in Australia and New Zealand, today announced full year results for the period ending 30 June 2008, with Net Profit After Tax of $76.3M, an increase of 38% on prior corresponding period.

(1) Excludes Interest Income
(2) Excludes AIFRS Employee Share Options Expense

Commenting on the results Joint CEO, Mr Paul Bassat said: "Our focus on key drivers of growth remains consistent resulting in continued strong financial results."

"Growth in the Australian and New Zealand employment business has been driven by ongoing migration from print to online, a growing presence in SME, Healthcare, Education and Government markets, improved yield and the introduction of product extensions through Standout & Premium Ads".

"SEEK continues to benefit from its clear market leadership position in terms of brand recognition and job seeker metrics when compared to its competitors. A record 52% of job seekers now have a preference to search for a job online, which is more than double the preference for newspapers. More than 77% of job seekers time is now 2 spent on SEEK, and over the past 12 months we have increased job ad volumes by more than our two closest competitors combined."

"Looking ahead, we remain confident of growing our profitability in the current financial year, driven by the continued migration from print to online, a growing presence in new markets, improved yield and the continued growth of our Learning business."

Mr Andrew Bassat, Joint CEO said: "SEEK now has a diverse presence in education and training domestically, delivering strong organic financial growth over the past 12 months. With increased sales capability and new content partnerships, SEEK Learning had a strong second half, and with continued leverage of the SEEK brand we expect this momentum to continue."

"Our investment in IDP is delivering well ahead of expectations, with an implied EV/EBITDA ratio of 2.3 for our investment. Further, the buyout of the remaining IELTS minority (International English Language Testing business) is a key strategic achievement for IDP, enabling further growth and operational synergies between the two businesses".

"Our strategy to invest and build the Zhaopin brand is delivering fantastic results; online revenue growth over the last 12 months of 115% exceeding the market leader's growth of 36%. Zhaopin is increasing market share and is now on a par with it's competitors on key job seeker metrics."

"We continue to aggressively pursue our strategy to look for other international opportunities".

The board has declared a final dividend of 9.9c per share, fully franked, an increase of 29% from the corresponding period last year. This is in line with current dividend policy and will be paid on 17 October 2008 to shareholders who are registered at 12 September 2008.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK Employment Index - Rapidly Rising Job Applications Drive Index Fall

The SEEK Employment Index
A consistent picture of softening employment market conditions continued in July, driven by the rapidly rising number of job applications in response to a modest decrease in new jobs advertised, according to the latest data from SEEK Intelligence.

Nationally the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 4.4% (seasonally adjusted) for the month, to be 27% lower than a year earlier. The majority of this fall has been in the past five months, with the Index down 21.5% over that time.

Based on this month's data, Australian jobseekers may have witnessed increased competition for the jobs they applied for while businesses may be finding it easier to recruit appropriate staff.

Employment market softening was seen in every state and territory in July and was greatest in South Australia which experienced a significant (9.8%) drop, followed by Western Australia (-6%) and New South Wales (-5.4%).

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised nationally fell moderately in July by 0.5%. On an annual basis, these new job ads are 4.0% higher compared to the same month last year. Western Australian jobseekers enjoyed the greatest increase in new job ads posted, up 1.5% in July. South Australia (-3.6%), Victoria (-3.1%) and NSW (-3%) experienced the most significant decreases.

Job Applications
Jobseeking activity was on the rise yet again in July with total applications for jobs placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rising by 4%. Queensland experienced the biggest increase in job applications received for the month, rising 8.3%. Western Australia was the only state to record a drop in application numbers for the month (-1.1%), however applications there have surged by 29.7% since February 2008.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"It's interesting to see a surge in job applications this month in light of ongoing economic uncertainty. We're finding that these sorts of market conditions can have a significant impact on a person's job security which in turn drives them to seek out employment with greater long term stability."

"Many jobseekers are struggling with the increased cost of living and need to find a better paying role to simply make ends meet. We're also hearing about jobseekers looking for work closer to home to counteract rising petrol prices."

"Higher job application rates are obviously great news for employers but it remains to be seen what impact this will have on their own staff loyalty."

"Jobseekers are competing strongly for roles in the manufacturing, accounting and hospitality fields. On the other hand, we are witnessing strong demand from employers in a wide range of industries spanning everything from construction to legal to government to healthcare so there are definitely job opportunities out there.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:

• The SEEK Employment Index
• The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

Skills Shortage Creates Divide in Job Market

Australia's healthcare, defence, legal and construction employers were amongst the hardest hit by Australia's skills shortage last financial year, according to data from SEEK Intelligence.

The clear divide between Australia's skilled and unskilled work sectors was also evident in the data, which revealed the majority of the roles jobseekers were forced to compete fiercely for were unskilled, while it was skilled roles that were difficult for employers to fill.

Commenting on the results, SEEK spokesperson Natalie Mactier said:

"The 'skills shortage' has long been a concern of Australian employers and we're seeing it first hand with heavy jobseeker competition for unskilled roles such as retail sales assistants, housekeepers and call centre operators, while employers are struggling to recruit enough sonographers and private practice solicitors," said Natalie Mactier.

"For school leavers perhaps starting to think about their options for next year, the obvious take away is that having qualifications in a not so tight employment market substantially improves their employment chances. And for those already in the job market, up-skilling could be an option."

"It's particularly interesting to note that the Defence industry has struggled to recruit enough navy and air force personnel during the past 12 months. Defence jobs offer some great benefits to recruits, including competitive salary packages and the opportunity to take on apprenticeships and traineeships.

"Recruits can even get paid to undertake university degrees in areas such as engineering, technology, science, business and arts. With Defence ramping up recruitment efforts over the last year it will be interesting to see whether their efforts are rewarded with greater interest from jobseekers in the next financial year," said Natalie Mactier.

The top ten jobs employers found the most difficult to fill in Australia were:

In contrast, the ten most competitive occupations were:

"Month in, month out we see radiologists and sonographers in hot demand around the country so it's not surprising to see that they were the hardest employees to recruit in the last financial year,

"One of the issues the industry reportedly has to deal with is the growing workload of these medical professionals as the medical industry uses multiple and complex diagnostic imagery services. An occupation as a radiologist or sonographer can therefore be demanding but can also be a very rewarding way to be part of the medical community," said Natalie Mactier.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:
The SEEK Employment Index
The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation
Details of which can be found online at http://www.seek.com.au/investor/research.ascx

SEEK Limited increases investment in Zhaopin

SEEK Limited today announced that it will increase its investment in Zhaopin Limited, a leading employment website in China.

SEEK acquired an initial 25% interest in Zhaopin in September 2006, representing SEEK's first investment in an internet employment site outside Australia and New Zealand. Since this time, Zhaopin has dramatically improved its competitive position with many key metrics growing by approximately 100% in the past 12 months.

SEEK will invest a further US$45m to increase its shareholding to 42.9% on a fully diluted basis, taking into account both issued and authorised options. The transaction involves a fresh capital raising and a simultaneous buy-back of early stage venture capital investors.

SEEK will utilise existing debt facilities to fund this investment and, in conjunction with anticipated losses for Zhaopin in the current financial year, this investment will be earnings per share dilutive for SEEK in FY09. SEEK expects the investment to be strongly earnings per share accretive in the longer term as the Chinese internet employment market continues to increase in scale. SEEK will continue to account for its interest in Zhaopin as an associate as it will not be exercising control of the company.

Macquarie Capital (Macquarie) will also become a shareholder in Zhaopin, investing alongside SEEK to hold 29.1% on a fully diluted basis, taking into account both issued and authorised options.

According to Paul Bassat, SEEK Co-Founder and Joint CEO:

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to increase our investment in Zhaopin. Since our initial investment in 2006 Zhaopin's strong management team has made tremendous progress across all metrics we consider critical to long term success in the online classifieds space.

"We are also pleased to welcome Macquarie Capital as a shareholder in Zhaopin. We have had a long standing relationship with Macquarie, as they were an early stage investor in SEEK." Mr Bassat said.

SEEK's Director of Corporate Strategy, Jason Lenga said "The online employment classifieds market in China is still relatively immature and we anticipate that the very substantial growth in recent years will continue in the long term.

"Zhaopin has significantly improved its competitive position in the past two years. This investment combined with an outstanding management team and clear strategy positions Zhaopin well for long term sustained profitability. We do not anticipate that Zhaopin will raise any further capital prior to reaching breakeven," he said.

Zhaopin's CEO, Hao Liu said

"The investment by SEEK and Macquarie Capital will assist us as we work towards reaching our growth targets over the next few years. SEEK and Macquarie have a strong history of successfully working together. We believe this will help assist us to become an even more formidable player in our marketplace."

For further details please contact:
Natalie Mactier
SEEK Limited
W: 03 8517 4238
nmactier@seek.com.au

SEEK Learning Launches in UK and Ireland

Getting the skills you need for work just got easier with SEEK Learning recently launching in the UK and Ireland, and partnering with the region's leading job boards, reed.co.uk and Irishjobs.ie.

SEEK Learning, an online education provider of career-related training and development, provides distance-based education suited to people with busy lifestyles. The IT industry will be the first to benefit from the fast and flexible service with seeklearning.co.uk a licensed distributor of SkillSoft, the world's leading online IT certification training provider.

According to SEEK Learning UK Sales Manager Pat Aylmer, with busy lifestyles a reality for most people, high quality, self-paced education options are in hot demand.

"Balancing further education with all the other daily demands can be a massive struggle. SEEK Learning provides the most flexible approach possible to education, by offering high quality courses that allow people to study in their own time and at their own pace."

"Being able to complete your study requirements during your spare time means you are more likely to complete your course by minimising the impact it has on your family, social and work lives."

"After two years of delivering quality training outcomes to over 20,000 people in Australia we thought it made sense to bring our expertise to the UK and Ireland," he said.

Aylmer believes that the initial focus on IT and the association with both Reed.co.uk and Irishjobs.ie make a lot of sense.

"IT is an incredibly dynamic and competitive industry. Partnering with the leading job board in the UK and Ireland enables us to offer our services to an audience of over 2 million career-minded people. Reed.co.uk alone posts over 21,000 IT jobs, and has over 150,000 registered IT users, Ireland is the largest software exporter in the world and 20% of ads on Irishjobs.ie are IT related."

SEEK Learning UK's partners are excited about the association.

"Career-related education and training is of growing interest to an enormous group of people and businesses, however most are not sure where to go to find it. SEEK Learning makes the whole process easier and we want our jobseekers and recruiters to benefit from that."
Martin Warnes, Operations Director, reed.co.uk

"The options that SEEK Learning provide basically remove the need to attend a campus or classroom. People can now access industry recognised IT qualifications in a way that best suits their lifestyle and needs."
David Garland, General Manager, IrishJobs.ie

As a business, our objective is to help make education an easy and viable option for as many people as possible. SkillSoft has had great success with SEEK Learning in Australia and we look forward to continuing the partnership in the UK and Ireland."
Kevin Young, General Manager of SkillSoft
EMEA,

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Nick Derbyshire
SEEK Learning
Phone: +44 (0) 127322 4148
Email: nderbyshire@seeklearning.co.uk

About SEEK UK
SEEK first entered the UK market in March 2001 with seek.co.uk, a site specialising in connecting Antipodean job seekers with great professional opportunities based in the UK and Ireland. SEEK UK is a "shop window" to the Australian and New Zealand job seeker market, with the job ads also appearing across the SEEK Australia and SEEK New Zealand sites.

SEEK Employment Index - NSW, ACT, QLD Employment Markets Soften in June

The SEEK Employment Index
A consistent picture of softening employment market conditions in New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT was evident in June, as increases in job applications received outweighed the number of new job ads posted.

Nationally the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 5.1% (seasonally adjusted) for the month, to be 21% lower than a year earlier. This was the seventh consecutive monthly fall in the Index.

Employment market softening was greatest in NSW which experienced a significant 7.7% drop, followed by Queensland (-6.9%) and the ACT (-6.2%). Western Australia (up 2%) was the only state to experience a tightening of the SEI in June.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised decreased nationally in June by 3.8%, offsetting the rise in May of 3.3%. Overall new job ads are 10.4% higher than June 2007.

Significant drops in the number of new job ads in the past month was seen in NSW (-.5.2%) and South Australia (-5.8%) in June compared to the large increases seen in these states last month (4.9% and 10.7% respectively), suggesting a slowing demand for labour.

Queensland jobseekers enjoyed the greatest increase in job ads posted last month (up 1.4%).

Job Applications
Jobseeking activity increased again in June with total applications for jobs placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rising by 1.3%. This increase was on top of substantial growth in the previous three months.

Queensland experienced the biggest increase in job applications received for the month, rising 8.3%. Western Australia was the only state to record a drop in application numbers (-1.1%).

Commenting on the results, SEEK Joint CEO Paul Bassat said:

"The softening labour market observed in June in NSW, ACT and QLD could be attributed to the busy end of financial year period. Recruiting and hiring at this time of year are not necessarily high priorities with many businesses examining their HR requirements following planning for the new year and employee reviews.

"From a jobseeker point of view, job applications increased again in June. It could be that rising grocery, petrol and energy prices along with concern about interest rates is leading many people to explore other working options.

"Jobseekers are competing strongly for roles in the manufacturing, accounting and hospitality fields. On the other hand, we are witnessing strong demand from employers in a wide range of industries spanning everything from construction to legal to government to healthcare so there are definitely job opportunities out there.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

SEEK Employment Index - Job Market Steadies in May

The SEEK Employment Index
The Australian labour market stabilised in May, according to the latest employment data from SEEK Ltd, with a healthy rise in job ads placed and another month of increased job seeking activity.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 0.5% (seasonally adjusted) for the month, to be 14.9% lower than a year earlier. While this was the sixth consecutive monthly fall, it was a much smaller decline than the average 3.4% for the previous five months.

There was variation across the country, with South Australia seeing the greatest tightening of the SEI, increasing by 4.1%, while Victoria experienced the biggest softening with a 2.7% drop.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised increased nationally in May by 3.5%, the first increase observed so far in 2008, to be 20.2% higher compared to the same period a year ago.

The bulk of the rise occurred in New South Wales, where new job ads jumped by 4.9% to claw back half of the decline of 9.8% that occurred between December 2007 and April 2008.

Job Applications
Strong increases in job applications were the standout feature of the data from May. Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rose in all states and increased by 4% nationally to be 35% higher year on year.

South Australia again experienced the highest increase in job applications received for the month with 6.5% followed by the ACT (4.8%) and Victoria (4.5%).

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"The big story this month is around the surge in job application numbers and what implications this has for employers and the economy. We currently have an entire generation of workers who have only ever known a booming employment market For a long time now jobseekers have enjoyed a very strong bargaining position but increased competition for skilled work suggests this may be coming to an end.

"We anticipate that employers in many sectors will be pleased to receive more quality candidates for the jobs they advertise. However, it remains to be seen what impact if any this has on the loyalty of their current staff."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

Internet attracting a new breed of volunteer

Claims that Gen Y is the selfish generation could be eliminated with the current batch of 18-24 year olds more likely to volunteer their time compared to their older counterparts at the same age.

ABS statistics reveal that the number of people aged 18 to 24 years who volunteered their time was just 17% in 1995 while in the latest survey completed in 2006 this number had nearly doubled to 30%.

According to Helen Souness, Marketing Director and head of the 'SEEK Village' (the company's CSR program), the ease and accessibility of the internet allows a much wider variety of people to look at their options and step up to the volunteering challenge, including younger Australians.

"We believe many people would like to do some sort of volunteering activity and contribute something to the community. Let's face it though, with busy lifestyles a reality for most of us, finding the right volunteering opportunity is a must.

"We're hearing stories of many Gen Y volunteers finding opportunities through the site which they would have never otherwise considered, such as a 20 year woman who dedicates time to co-coaching a disabled AFL team," she said.

Lynda Dave, volunteer co-ordinator for the Children's Medical Research Unit and responsible for enlisting volunteers for projects such as Jeans for Genes Day, has had great success in sourcing volunteers through the internet.

"The Jeans for Genes campaign is a national one but with our offices based in Sydney it is difficult to find volunteers, particularly interstate. The internet and particularly SEEK Volunteer has been instrumental in putting us in contact with interested people in the Australian community who want to help us raise funds.

"Each time we submit a volunteer request we get dozens of replies and the majority of them become fantastic ambassadors for the Jeans for Genes cause and volunteer over and over again," she said.

SEEK, in conjunction with Volunteering Australia has made it easy for people to find a volunteering opportunity that suits them in terms of location, time and area of interest. Whether you have two hours a week to donate or just a one-off day, you can access www.seekvolunteer.com.au (SEEK Volunteer) and narrow your search to these fields.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Nicole Gentle
Reputation Pty Ltd
P: 02 8252 7003/M: 0421 848 428
E: ngentle@reputation.net.au

SEEK Employment Index - Demand for labour slows in eastern states

The SEEK Employment Index
A slowing of demand for labour in the Eastern states of Australia is evident in the latest employment data from SEEK Ltd, with the SEEK Employment Index softening in April as the number of new job ads decreased and activity by jobseekers rose.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 3.3% (seasonally adjusted) last month, indicating that Australian employers are finding it easier to fill positions while jobseekers are facing greater competition for roles.

South Australia experienced the greatest softening of the SEI, decreasing 7% followed closely by New South Wales which recorded a 6.7% drop.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised decreased this month by 1.6%, but remains 18.5% higher than in April last year.

Demand for labour remains strongest in Western Australia where job ads placed rose by 2.7% to be 36.8% higher year on year, as the state continues to enjoy the spoils of the mining boom.

Across the other states, NSW (-4.4%) and the ACT (-3.5%) experienced the greatest falls in the number of new jobs advertised in April while job advertisements posted increased marginally in Victoria and Queensland (0.2% and 0.8% respectively).

Job Applications
Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rose in all states in April and increased by 1.7% nationally. South Australia experienced the highest increase by far with 7% followed by Western Australia with 3.9% and NSW 2.3%.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"It's going to be very interesting to observe next week's federal budget announcement, and the subsequent policies and impact on the employment market and economy more generally. It could be that some employers are waiting to see how they will be affected by the Rudd Government's first budget before investing in recruiting new staff."

"South Australia saw the most extreme results this month with the SEI softening by 7% while job applications rose 7.1%. It could be that local issues such as the closure of the Mitsubishi plant in Adelaide and the subsequent impact on their employees and suppliers, has resulted in a sudden leap in job applications there."

According to Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Australia is facing an unusual economic situation at present:

"Policy makers face a difficult challenge in dealing effectively with a slowing economy, a resources boom and high inflation. The good news for homeowners is that further increases in interest rates seem unlikely in the short term based on the current economic climate."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications.

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

Government employees unhappy but loyal

Government employees are the most likely in Australia to hate their managers, hate their colleagues or be bored at work, yet they are the most likely to say they intend to stay working where they are for another 10 years or more.

The annual SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation survey conducted by SEEK Ltd found that 28% of Government employees hate the quality of overall management where they work, 17% hate their boss and 7% hate the people they work with. Compared with other industry sectors, Government employees are the most likely to report having left their last job due to poor management (55%), with feeling unappreciated at work (56%) and boredom (36%) also driving staff churn.

Yet despite the evidence that all is not well, the survey found that public servants are more likely than anyone else to have been with their employer for 11 years or more (17%) and the most likely to intend on staying with their employer for another ten years plus (7%). It appears that employment benefits such as leave and flexible work arrangements are a redeeming feature of Government employment with 20% of employees saying they love this aspect of their job.

SEEK spokesperson David Waite said that the government sector may well be the last bastion of the 'job for life' and that this is something of a double-edged sword.

"The public sector has really set the benchmark for providing flexible working conditions and clearly this is highly valued, resulting in a high staff retention level.

"However, there comes a point where conditions can become so comfortable that it is difficult for staff to move on when it's time. If staff members are bored, unmotivated and dislike their fellow employees and managers, then chances are their productivity isn't high and they're not achieving their potential.

"With a new Federal Government and a number of major policy changes taking place, now is the ideal time for public sector workers to consider a personal change, whether that be a shift in department or even a move to the private sector. There are many employment opportunities available right now, so these employees should think about making a change for the better."

Other interesting findings for the government sector include:

• These employees are keen; they are the most likely to finish one job and go straight into another (59%)
• The top three things that these workers love about the current job are the benefits/conditions (20%), their colleagues (15%) and their boss (13%)
• 69% of employees in this sector browse through job ads at least once a week
• Increasing their pay (40%), rewarding individual performance (37%) and promotion on merit rather than tenure (31%) are the top ways to encourage employees to stay with their current employer
• They are the least likely group of employees to hate their work hours – (only 4%)

For further information or to arrange an interview with David Waite please contact:

Nicole Gentle
Reputation Pty Ltd
P: 02 8252 7003
M: 0421 848 428
E: ngentle@reputation.net.au

About SEEK

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About the SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation Survey

The survey represents an online Australian audience. Invitations to participate in the survey were published online on seek.com.au, with 69% of respondents coming from SEEK. Invitations to participate in the survey were also sent in an email newsletter to over one million employees registered for Job Mail with SEEK and partner sites. The remaining 31% of respondents came from these sources. It is interesting to note year on year changes given that the sample is largely made up of SEEK jobseekers.

The sample represents both 'active' jobseekers who are actively looking for new employment, as well as 'passive' jobseekers, who are fully employed and may be browsing for new opportunities.

SEEK Employment Index - Job ads plateau, but applications rise

The SEEK Employment Index
Further signs that the Australian economy may be slowing are evident in the latest employment data from SEEK Ltd, with the SEEK Employment Index falling in March as the number of new job ads remained steady and activity by jobseekers increased.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, fell by 2.8% (seasonally adjusted) last month, meaning that it became relatively easier for employers to fill positions. Employment market softening was greatest in the three eastern seaboard states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland where the Index fell by 2.9%, 3.6% and 3.4% respectively.

Over the past year the decline in the SEI has been most pronounced in New South Wales, where a decline of 9.8% has been experienced.

Job Advertisements
The number of new jobs advertised held steady this month, and remains 23.9% higher than in March last year.

Across the states, NSW and Victoria experienced falls in the number of new jobs advertised in March (1.5% and 1.9% respectively) while job advertisements posted rose in South Australia (1.4%) and Western Australia (2.4%).

Job Applications
Total applications placed with SEEK in response to advertised positions rose by 2.8% in March following last month's downturn, possibly as more people had more time to apply for jobs due to Easter. The number of job applications submitted in March was 13.1% higher than a year ago.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"March was an unusual month for jobseeking activity due to Easter falling early this year, and we're cautious about jumping to conclusions about the employment market based on one month's data. Our experience year on year is that Easter impacts recruitment activity as many businesses are focussed on getting through their workload in fewer working days, leaving less time for recruiting new staff.

Meanwhile, a few days off work gives employees the chance to reflect on their happiness at work and assess their options.

It's also worth noting that NSW, the state that had one of the quieter job activity months in March, is also home to a fair chunk of Australia's banking and finance sector. With global uncertainty around the flow-on effects of the subprime mortgage crisis, it would not surprise me if employers in these areas were reluctant to recruit at the moment.

Across the quarter, job advertisement numbers in Australia are still up, so we don't think it's all doom and gloom just yet. Nonetheless, we will be looking at next month's figures with interest", he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said:

"The full extent of any slowdown, and its impact across the regions of Australia, will be affected by many national and international factors, the upshot of which remains uncertain."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

SEEK TOP & BOTTOM 5

About SEEK
seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately half of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 200,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over two million jobseekers lodge over 1.5 million job applications

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

Specifically, the SEEK Employment Index (SEEK EI) represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles ie: demand outweighs supply. This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market ie: supply outweighs demand and advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.

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Are you getting paid what you're worth? - SEEK launches The Great Australian Salary Survey

Every Australian worker has the chance to find out just how much they are really worth due to an exciting plan by Australia's leading employment website www.seek.com.au to develop a national comparison of salary packages and perks across all industry sectors.

The 'Great Australian Salary Survey', launched recently, will be the most comprehensive resource ever developed to help employees and their bosses negotiate salaries and pay rises based on accurate market information obtained directly from the people of Australia.

The survey relies on encouraging as many Australians as possible to spend five minutes online providing information about their own jobs and salary packages. As an incentive, over the next six months, one person every week will win the average weekly wage of $1103. People who refer the survey to friends and contacts will get an extra chance in the draw.

The confidential survey asks participants about their current role, earnings, benefits and past education and experience. All of the information received will be collated into an online SEEK Salary Centre available free to anyone who wants to compare salary packages and company benefits with others in similar roles.

Launching the survey, SEEK Product Director, Carey Eaton, urged members of the public to participate.

"Let's face it, we all want to be paid what we're worth but most of us hate salary negotiations. I can't think of a better way to prepare than getting a really good feel for what other people with similar skills and experience are earning.

"If Australians get behind this we'll have a really comprehensive guide that anyone can use to make sure they are getting a fair go in their workplace. It will also help employers who offer generous packages and added benefits such as paid maternity leave to get recognition for that", he said.

To take part in the survey and have a chance to win the average weekly wage go to www.seek.com.au/salarysurvey

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Healthcare and medical workers demand ethical workplaces

In a warning sign to the country's healthcare and medical employers, staff within their sector are the most likely to believe that good company ethics would highly improve their current workplace (31%) according to a survey by SEEK Limited.

The SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation survey also revealed that across all industry sectors, medical professionals were the most likely to hold hours of work (51%), the people they work with (45%) and the workplace environment (48%) as extremely important when looking for a new job.

Commenting on the findings, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"In an industry that often has to make tough ethical decisions it's not surprising to see that employees within the healthcare and medical sector want to work for companies that behave in an ethical way and expect their staff to do the same."

In another interesting discovery, nearly half of respondents (49%) only intend on staying with their current employer for a year or less, while 18% plan to stay on for three months or less.

"Healthcare and medical employers need to think about the demand for ethical workplaces and take these requirements into consideration if they hope to retain and attract staff," he said.

"The added check or difficulty that the healthcare and medical profession has is that unethical behaviour in their field often creates negative publicity that stays in the minds of potential future employees for a long time to come. It is far better to avoid these situations by creating an ethically sound workplace and a positive reputation, than try to overcome these barriers in the future," he said.

34% of respondents rated the 'company reputation' as extremely important when looking for a new job, exceeding the industry average of 27% The people they work with (24%), benefits and conditions (12%) and training and development opportunities (12%) are the top three things employees love about their job 42% of respondents are unhappy or very unhappy in their current job The top three hates in their current job are their stress level (25%), the lack of feedback/appreciation they receive (21%) and the quality of overall management (20%) Openness and honesty (77%), the ability to follow up words with actions (73%) and support of their team (67%) are the most respected leadership attributes for this group.

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SEEK Blacks-Out for Earth Hour

www.seek.com.au will go black this Saturday night, 29 March, as part of its commitment to Earth Hour.

SEEK recognises the significance of Earth Hour and wanted to do something visual to convey its support. SEEK has a large audience to convey the Earth Hour message to. In February SEEK had 2,799,345 unique browsers spend a combined 79 million minutes on the site (according to independent auditor Nielsen Net//Ratings). The black screen, which is a way of aligning with Earth Hour supporters worldwide who are switching off their lights for an hour, also uses less energy on some computer screens. In addition to blacking out the site, a series of banners will run across the SEEK website promoting the Earth Hour message to all users.

What else is SEEK doing?
Recognising that Earth Hour is only one event, SEEK is doing many other things to help the environment including:

Off-setting power at its Melbourne head office by purchasing green "hydro" power, unit for unit, effectively making energy consumption carbon neutral Encouraging a cycling culture by providing shower facilities and bike racks for those who cycle to and from work, and a number of communal bikes that staff can use to ride to and from external meetings Relocating its head office into an environmentally friendly building which includes light sensors in meeting rooms and offices which turn lights off when not in use, as well as plants around the office for better air quality

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SEEK Employment Index - Employment Market More Subdued in February

The SEEK Employment Index
Following two years of robust growth there was further evidence in February that the Australian employment market is entering a more subdued period.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the ratio of new job ads to job applications, rose by 0.7% in February, indicating that it was slightly more difficult on average for employers to fill vacant positions than it was in January. However, when this is viewed within the context of a 4.9% fall in the past quarter it seems that long term relief may be in sight for staff-strapped employers.

At the State level, however, South Australia is still showing strong signs of labour supply shortages. Supply constraints are still evident in Western Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

Job Advertisements
New jobs advertised increased by 0.4% in February (seasonally adjusted), maintaining the upward momentum of the last nine months. Although new job ads are 33.0% higher compared to the same time last year, they have risen only 2.8% since November 2007; the smallest quarterly increase in three years.

Across the states, growth in new job ads posted was moderate in South Australia (2.4%), Victoria (1.6%), Queensland (0.8%), NSW (0.4%) and Western Australia (0.4%). Slowing labour demand was evident in ACT (-4.8).

Job Applications
Total applications placed with SEEK in response to new jobs ads fell by 0.3% (seasonally adjusted) last month, following an overall increase in applications of 7.8% in the previous three months.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

"The data for the last three months suggest that the economy may be approaching a turning point. While we expect that the current strong employment market conditions have some way to run, it will be reassuring to employers that the gap between demand and supply may finally be starting to close. We are witnessing strong interest from jobseekers in a wide range of industries spanning everything from banking and finance, to manufacturing, to hospitality and tourism," he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: "The Australian economy continues to be subject to many strong and conflicting forces. Business investment and household disposable income are still strong, and credit is growing rapidly. But the US economy is clearly slowing, the Reserve Bank is increasing interest rates and the Federal Government is flagging a tightening in fiscal policy.

"Being a flow measure of new job ads and job applications, the SEEK indicators are well placed to be leading indicators of directional change in the economy."

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