Update (June 27, 9:29 am ET): Google says its job search tool only aims "to make job search as simple as possible."
What you need to know
- A Danish online job-search portal has filed an antitrust complaint versus Google for its job search tool.
- Jobindex has accused Google of stifling competition and undermining labor markets through its Google for Jobs service.
- EU regulators initially launched a probe into Google's job search service in 2019.
Google's massive presence in almost every corner of the internet makes it a favorite target of antitrust complaints and investigations, and not a single year goes by without the search giant encountering this type of regulatory hurdle. The most recent service to be scrutinized by the EU's antitrust watchdog is its job search tool.
Google is facing a formal antitrust complaint in Europe over its online job-search service called Google for Jobs, according to Reuters. In 2019, EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager began probing the service following a letter from 23 job search websites from across Europe, calling on regulators to probe Google's anti-competitive behavior in the recruitment sector.
The letter's signatories stated then that the search giant abused its market dominance by favoring Google for Jobs in search results. The service makes it easier for job-seekers to find work by aggregating listings from various careers sites.
This time, Jobindex, one of the signatories, has filed a complaint against Google. Jobindex has accused the Mountain View-based company of stifling competition in the recruitment segment and impairing labor markets.
Android Central has reached out to Jobindex for comment and will update this article once we hear back. Google did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
But in a statement to Reuters, Jobindex founder and CEO Kaare Danielsen said "Jobindex lost 20% of search traffic to Google's inferior service" after it entered the Danish market.
"By putting its own inferior service at the top of results pages, Google in effect hides some of the most relevant job offerings from job seekers," Danielsen said. "Recruiters in turn may no longer reach all job seekers, unless they use Google's job service."
The job search portal now wants the European Commission to stop Google's alleged anti-competitive behavior, levy a fine, and enforce compliance by requiring periodic payments.
Update
Google didn't directly address Jobindex's complaint, but maintained that its job search service helps both big and small job portals gain increased traffic.
"The job function in Google Search was created to make job search as simple as possible," a Google spokesperson told Android Central. "By partnering with jobs providers, we can make it easier for people to find more relevant information in Google Search, and direct them to websites with job listings that are relevant to them."
"Any jobs provider - big or small - is able to take part and companies are seeing increased traffic and job matches as a result of this feature," the company's representative added.
