Job advertisements and personal networks: two specific channels in the Spanish labour market

Abstract

Drawing on an employee labour survey, this article explores job-finding channels in the Spanish labour market and points out that social networks are the most important way of finding a job. It focuses on a comparison between an informal channel (relatives and close personal relationships) and a formal one (job advertisements), and demonstrates that these channels serve two specific segments in the labour market. The most important results concern workers' profiles: advertisements are highly selective because they tend to focus on tangible reference points (education level, prior work experience, age, sex), while social networks exclude people with poor connections in the labour market but might favour applicants without qualifications or experience.