Facebook are refusing to comment on speculation that the social network is on the verge of launching their own, branded jobs board.


Speculation is growing after multiple sites quoted an unnamed source suggesting that Facebook will be launching their own jobs board imminently.


With apps BranchOut, Jobvite, and Work4Labs all currently available on the Facebook platform and being accessed by hundreds of thousands of users each week, it might seem a logical expansion for the social networking colossus.

However, Facebook quickly batted away the story via a spokesperson: "We don't comment on rumour and speculation."

Whilst Facebook are unwilling to divulge any potential moves, there may well be some legs to the rumour. 

In October, Facebook announced a partnership with the U.S. Labour Department and other partners to provide job-hunting resources. At the time, Facebook said that the "partnership will explore and develop systems where new job postings can be delivered virally through the Facebook site at no charge."

But with the global online job-recruitment industry is estimated to be as big as $4.3 billion (approx £3m) Mark Zuckerberg and company could be forgiven for this imaginative foray into the jobs, employment and recruitment industries.

Or maybe not.

“Anyone remember Google Base, eBay’s Kijiji (now eBay Classifieds), MySpace Jobs (powered by Simply Hired), or Yahoo! HotJobs (acquired by Monster)?” said Joel Cheesman, former Senior VP at the job board Jobing disparagingly to SourceCon.

He may have a point - how many job boards have tried and failed? The reason Facebook is so popular is because it connects friends in a social medium. Who would really go on looking for a job? Would a potential candidate want their prospective employer seeing some of their more candid, unprofessional pictures or unusual interests? In a social sphere, Facebook is king. But as a jobs board?

And what of their competition? LinkedIn has built a very recognisable brand (though not without its problems) and Facebook would struggle to steal a large demographic from such an established outlet.