Inequality in online job searching in the age of social media

Abstract

As hiring processes have increasingly moved online, having better digital skills could play an important role in successful job seeking. However, digital inequality suggests that people use the Internet in different ways with varying levels of skills raising questions about who is most likely to be able to search for jobs online, including on social media. This paper examines online job searching, including the role of digital job-search skills in the process. Results show that sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, race, education, and income) as well as online experiences, being a social media user, and having higher digital job-search skills relate to online job-seeking behaviors. These findings highlight the presence of digital inequalities in online job searching including differences by social media experiences.