Indians still believe the traditional referral method works best when it comes to finding a new job.
Some 70% of Indian respondents in a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said referrals—including from friends and family—are more effective than the internet. Moreover, 85% of the respondents in India said they were using referrals, compared to only 10% who used internet websites to look for jobs.
BCG, along with Recruit Works Institute, a survey and research data provider, interviewed over 13,000 respondents across 13 countries, including 1,600 in India. The main objective of the survey was to gauge the “experiences and perception of people looking for employment.”
These results are influenced by national policies, economics and culture, the BCG survey explained. In all other countries though, between 25% and 52% of the respondents said that internet was most effective.
The internet penetration is still low in India—only around 20%—compared to other countries. Nonetheless, the number of India’s internet users is poised to surpass those in the US.
“The survey provides a good view of things to come for Indian companies as internet penetration catches up,” Rahul Guha, partner and director, people and organisation practice, BCG India, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the survey also found that 51% of the Indian respondents see no change in their income when they shift jobs. In China, 76% reported an increase in salary.
However, a majority of respondents was satisfied with their jobs after a change.