Airtasker and CareerOne partner to expand job opportunities

On-line Australian start-up Airtasker has joined forces with internet job search website CareerOne to make short-term work opportunities available to full-time job seekers.

Airtasker, which was founded last year, connects people and businesses seeking to outsource everyday tasks such as deliveries, office work or odd jobs around the house with trusted, reliable people able to complete those tasks.

Under the partnership, CareerOne’s 1.3 million monthly job seekers will be paired up with relevant task-based employment opportunities on Airtasker while searching for full-time jobs on CareerOne.

Airtasker’s co-founder and chief executive, Tim Fung, explained to StartupSmart that under the partnership, if someone searched for a media job on CareerOne, tasks on Airtasker that might relate to the search, such as a graphic design project, would show up in the search results.

“We get to distribute our content in a really big user environment,” he says of the connection with CareerOne.

Fung says revenue generated under the partnership would be shared between Airtasker and CareerOne but declined to provide details.

He says CareerOne, which is a joint venture between News Corp and Monster Worldwide, is not taking any equity in Airtasker under the deal and that Airtasker would remain an independent start-up and everything on its platform “stays as is”.

CareerOne’s chief executive, Karen Lawson, says in a statement the partnership with Airtasker enabled job seekers to tap into all types of employment opportunities in one place as the number of casual and flexible job types grow.

“Employers, whether they be businesses or individuals are increasingly looking for people to help with individual tasks or short-term projects,” she says.

“The burgeoning ‘task economy’ is a natural extension of the online job market and we see plenty of opportunity for both job seekers and employers to benefit by making it easier for them to connect.”

The statement says that, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 13.1% of the workforce were looking for more work or were “discouraged” jobseekers unable to find work because employers consider them too young or old, lack necessary training or experience, or cannot find a job locally.

It says the figures signal an emerging opportunity for more flexible, task-based employment for Australians seeking additional work.

Fung says Airtasker is looking at opportunities to expand overseas.

Airtasker generates revenue by taking 15% of the final price agreed for a task to be completed between the person needing a task done and the person who completes the task.