This fall, OnRec launched its first domestic American conference. Even though ERE was running simultaneously, the show managed to garner about 300 attendees (delegates, as they say in England). The OnRec launch in America was a hit. We're looking forward to the next one in San Francisco this coming September.

Here are David's Top 10 for 2006:

• Acquisitions - Acquisitions have been prominent throughout the year, with suppliers joining forces and the media groups buying niche recruitment sites.  Interestingly, consolidation has rolled out as the strong acquiring the strong, and as a result, putting pressure on smaller businesses and start ups.  This will continue in 2007 and, I suspect, as UK based Jobserve.com has done recently with the acquisition of ComputerJobs.com, we will see more UK based organisations acquiring in the US, particularly given the current favourable exchange rates with sterling strong against the dollar.  Although this year we have also seen the acquisitions from the US, with dice.com acquiring the trans Atlantic business, eFinancialCareers.co.uk.
   

• Global - Not so much something that has happened, but something that will, from a jobboard perspective, we have yet to see a global online recruitment business to challenge Monster. I suspect we will see a global recruitment market develop. 
   

• Generalist sites - In the UK generalists are busy either acquiring niche sites or launching niche sites out of their existing platforms. Totaljobs and Jobsite have both done this in 2006.
   

• Niches - The niche sites have had an interesting year, balancing the amorous advances from potential acquisitive media groups, and on the other side defending territory against established generalist sites flexing their muscles into their sectors. 
   

• Technology suppliers /Applicant tracking - I suspect an area where the UK differs greatly from the US.  Suppliers are very busy and deals abound.  With UK corporates adopting online recruitment strategies, the next two years look busy for suppliers.   In the US, I perceive there has been a slow down in this area as new prospects are harder to find.
   

• Blogs et al - I know the blogging space is developing in the US as a possible method for recruitment. It certainly has as a method of talking about online recruitment!  The UK is yet to embrace the blog with such fervour, and I watch with interest as to how their use in the recruitment process rolls out in the UK. It will be interesting to see if networking sites will be used by UK recruiters.
   

• Google - One to watch. How this business develops and its treatment of job advertisements will be closely watched by many of us.
   

• Education - Both sides of the pond, this continues to be an important area.  A plug for Onrec.com here - something huge in 2006 for me has been development of our conferences in the UK and US and the sharing of information between interested parties is something that is as important as ever. 
   

• Corporates - In the UK coporates are embracing online recruitment. There is still a way to go but there is real momentum in the market.  A market in the UK that is, in my opinion, the most complex recruitment market in the world. With 14,000 recruitment agencies, 6 national newspapers, regional press, magazines, recruitment advertising agencies and jobboards all in the potential recruiting mix.
   

• Government - The end of 2006 sees what will be the almost certain demise of the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) with regulation of the online recruitment industry likely to become part of the remit for the Cabinet office.  This signals the importance of our industry within the public sector, as well as private.

John Sumser © TwoColorHat. All Rights Reserved.
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