JobShark, Canada’s largest independent online recruitment firm, being acquired by global leader JobServe of United Kingdom

British company seeks JobShark’s reach, expertise and technology for major North American expansion

OTTAWA AND TORONTO – JobShark Corporation, Canada’s largest independent online recruitment firm, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by global leader JobServe Ltd. of the United Kingdom. The two privately-held companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal.

JobServe, the world first online recruitment company, has its global headquarters in Essex, United Kingdom. The fast-growing British firm has been aggressively acquiring competitors in the United States and elsewhere in the world. JobShark is its first Canadian acquisition in what has become a rapidly consolidating industry.

Chris Klotz, JobShark CEO, said the agreement was “truly an example of success building on success. Our considerable, common strengths will allow both companies to extend their reach, deploy best-of-breed technology and provide clients with unsurpassed service. The new JobShark is now poised to become the ‘go-to’ online recruitment company across Canada. We will offer greater exposure for advertisers and deliver better qualified candidates, while providing job seekers with superior matching and the opportunity to search employment opportunities across JobServe’s global network.”

“We place a high value on JobShark’s managerial expertise and future growth prospects,” said Robbie Cowling, JobServe’s founder and Managing Director. “Together, our partnership will see JobServe grow to provide unquestioned leadership in the North American Internet-based recruitment industry. I warmly welcome Chris and his team to the JobServe family.”

As part of the agreement, JobShark’s executive team will remain in place to assist JobServe in extending its global presence beyond Europe and Australasia into the Americas. It is expected that JobShark will be rebranded as JobServe Canada over time.

About JobShark

JobShark, headquartered in Ottawa with extensive corporate operations in Toronto, is the country’s largest independent online recruitment company. Founded in 1997, JobShark is one of the very few Canadian ‘dot.com’ success stories, having weathered the tech meltdown and rebounded to nearly 1 million registered members and over 4 million annual users in a highly fragmented market. Much of JobShark’s success is due to its proprietary technology platform, ‘JAWS’, that allows for more discrete and precise matching between client needs and registrants’ skills.

About JobServe

JobServe Ltd., founded in 1993 and based in Essex, United Kingdom, was the world’s first on-line recruitment company. It currently operates Web-based job boards in 17 industry sectors and posts job opportunities from all over the world. JobServe advertises a remarkable 2.5-million jobs a year and receives over ten million ‘hits’ a month. Recent American acquisitions have included ComputerJobs.com, CareerBoard.com and Computerwork.com. JobServe was advised by Daniels & Associates.

Information: Chris Klotz, CEO, JobShark Corporation 613-762-3265
Robbie Cowling, Managing Director, JobServe 011 44 1621 817335