Groot-Bijgaarden/Kobbegem, 28 May 2019 – DPG Media (the new name of De Persgroep) and Mediahuis intend to unite their activities within the Belgian job and recruitment market by forming a joint venture that is still to be established. This decision was inspired by the rapidly evolving and digitising job and recruitment market, and should enable both parties to maintain a strong position in the future.
The job and recruitment market is currently in full transition. The needs and expectations of both employers and prospective employees are changing rapidly, and the war for talent is raging fiercely. A far-reaching digital transformation and the fact that large international platforms are also increasingly venturing into the recruitment market make large investments necessary in the field of technology.
Within this context, Mediahuis and DPG Media are joining forces and intend to merge their activities within the Belgian job and recruitment market, more specifically Jobat and Vacature.com, by setting up a new joint venture. Joining their forces should enable both local players to achieve the necessary scale at a technological level, and, in this way, continue to claim a strong and strong position in the future.
Both Vacature.com and Jobat are currently leading players in the job and recruitment market. Together, both platforms will offer the largest reach, making full use of the media reach of both DPG Media (Het Laatste Nieuws, HLN, De Morgen) and Mediahuis (Het Nieuwsblad/DeGentenaar, De Standaard, Gazet van Antwerpen, Het Belang van Limburg). As a result, the new joint venture will launch a unique and high-quality offer to employers onto the market, whereby, through the intelligent use of data, not only active, but also latent job seekers can be detected. Both partners will also continually respond to the constantly changing needs of the market, and, together, will invest in the technology and the further expansion of their services.
Mark Maldeghem, the current Business Director at Jobat Media, will be in charge of the new joint venture. Both parties will start the transition to the new joint venture, and the new organisation will continue to take shape in the coming weeks and months.
Paul Verwilt, COO Mediahuis: “Within its classifieds strategy, Mediahuis will focus fully on those markets in which we can play a leading role. We are already doing this today with Jobat within the job and recruitment market. The collaboration with DPG Media, in which we combine the strong brands Jobat and Vacature.com into one strong offer for both employer and job seeker, will permit us to continue to claim a strong position and to achieve further growth in the coming years.”
Lauri Koop, CEO Online Services DPG Media: “We are focussing on the development of a portfolio of premium brands in the classifieds segment. The cooperation with Mediahuis creates a convincing one-stop solution that supports people in their career ambitions. It provides companies with a simplified recruitment process, as the joint venture offers a unique reach, both in active and latent job seekers.”
Mark Maldeghem, Business Director at Jobat Media: “Companies are currently finding it increasingly difficult to find suitable candidates. Together, Jobat and Vacature.com intend to unburden employers even more from now on, by connecting them not only with active, but also with latent job seekers. It is our absolute ambition to develop into the job and recruitment partner par excellence through the new joint venture, on the basis of the relevant provision of services that are supported by strong technology, the extensive market knowledge of both teams, and the belief that, as a strong local party, we can make the difference.”
Ruben Van Goethem, Business Manager Vacature.com: “With the media coverage of the six news brands (on paper and digital), the joint venture reaches 67% of all working Flemish people every day. By focussing on career content and smart data in this interesting network, we are able to detect talent on a large scale, and link it to the right job or the right company. You can therefore expect the joint venture to provide even more high-quality candidates for your vacancies, and even more high-performing employer branding solutions.”
