|
5 February 2007
Microsoft’s
MSN China site to launch jobs channel
By Sophie Taylor
Reuters News
(c) 2007 Reuters Limited
SHANGHAI, Feb 5 (Reuters)
- Microsoft Corp.'s online portal MSN.com will launch
a China job search service this year to attract young
netizens in the world's second-largest Web market, a
company spokesman said on Monday .
“We are going to
offer a job-hunting service in the next few months,
but at the current stage we do not have any detailed
information to disclose on this topic,” Richard
Feng told Reuters.
Industry sources said
MSN’s China Web site ( www.msn.com.cn ) is in talks
with several local partners, including international
and local human resource firms, in preparation for launching
the Chinese-language online job search channel.
The move potentially
brings the software giant up against heavyweights 51job
Inc., ChinaHR.com, controlled by U.S. powerhouse Monster
Worldwide Inc., and Zhaopin.com.
Those companies hold
the top three positions with a combined 35 percent of
domestic market share, state media has said.
China’s online job market
was worth an estimated 1.15 billion yuan ($148.2 million)
in 2006, up 43.8 percent from a year ago, according
to consultancy iResearch.
“It seems likely
that MSN is becoming a media company that can compete
with other media online in China,” said Doug Crets,
analyst at Media Partners Asia.
“This seems like
a good move, because it incorporates another revenue
channel into their model. And a lucrative one.”
MSN’s China site
is a 50-50 joint venture between software giant Microsoft
and Shanghai Alliance Investment, a major city investment
firm run by Jiang Mianheng, the son of former Chinese
President Jiang Zemin.
TARGETS OFFICE WORKERS
“MSN wants to
target office workers in China -- a job search service
is exactly what they want,” said a source close
to MSN’s China Web venture.
Microsoft’s online
communication tool, MSN Messenger, has already become
part of everyday life for teenagers and young professionals
in China.
So far, MSN Messenger
has over 20 million users in China, the world’s
second-largest Web market with around 137 million users.
However, Microsoft has
recently met some setbacks in its online services in
China, including the resignation of a top executive
responsible for the company’s Windows Live unit
in China late last year.
Earlier this month,
industry sources told Reuters that Microsoft was setting
up a research and development centre in Shanghai for
its online MSN service, its first such centre outside
the United States.
“2007 will be a key year for MSN China,” said a second source close to MSN's Shanghai-based venture. “You will see more online channels and more content services on the MSN China (Web site).”
Last month, China's largest online travel agent, Ctrip.com , said it had signed an agreement to become strategic partner with MSN China to cash in on the country's growing class of young and affluent consumers looking to splash out on travel.
The two online firms launched an online travel channel last month -- the first new channel launched by MSN China this year. ($1=7.76 Yuan)
|
recent stories 