Google Launches a new Feature to help Job seekers in UAE, rest of the Arab world

Google has just rolled out a new feature that now makes it easier for job seekers in UAE to look for new vacancies. The global tech giant announced that it has enhanced its search homepage and app, allowing users in the country and 14 other states in the Middle East to save time and effort when searching for job opportunities.

With the new feature, a simple job search on Google will now yield more detailed results, which can include important data, such as how much salary is being offered and what people are saying about the potential employer.

People looking for jobs can also receive email alerts about new vacancies that crop up within their area of interest, further “simplifying” the job search and application process.

“Starting today, users will find a series of results from across the web on the main Google Search results page, after entering a job-related query in Arabic (Example: ‘marketing jobs in Riyadh’) that meet their unique needs,” said Google in a press release

“The results will include details under each job position like salary information, reviews and ratings of the employer, as well as different options to apply for a job, or use a location filter to see jobs in the areas that are convenient to the user.”

More and more job seekers in the Arab world are using Google to look for employment opportunities. According to Google Trends data, Arabic job-related queries trended the most in August 2015. The data also suggested that more people tend to look for jobs in the summer.

Google’s new feature has been made possible through the firm’s partnership with 11 local and regional job portals from across the Middle East and North Africa, including Bayt, WUZZUF, Forasna, Emploitic, Novojob, Rekrute, Jobzella, Wzayef, Akhtaboot, Laimoon, and GulfTalent.

“Every month, over four million people land on our site from Google, in their search for a better career, and searching for a job can highly benefit from a streamlined and distinct experience that begins right on the search result page,” said Omar Tahboub, general manager of Bayt.com.

“Even in the pilot state, we have already seen the impact this makes on the recruitment process for companies and job seekers.”

The new enhancement is also available to users in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

Google launches search feature for job seekers in India

To improve the job search experience for users across India, Google has launched a new search experience that makes it easier and quicker for job seekers to find relevant employment opportunities. Users can now directly type in the related job profile into the web and get job listings from across the popular job listing websites, online classifieds, and companies.

To have a comprehensive job list, Google has partnered with Aasaanjobs, Freshersworld, Headhonchos, IBM Talent Management Solutions, LinkedIn, QuezX, QuikrJobs, Shine.com, T-Jobs, TimesJobs, and Wisdomjobs.

The search will also allow users to refine the results using filters, save the job listings they like, share them with their contacts, and sign up for job alerts.This feature is currently available in English on the Search app on Android and iOS, and in Google Search on the desktop and mobile.

To help MSMEs make their job discoverable, Google has also released open documentation, using open structured schema.org web markup standards that Google supports in this new search feature.

"In Q4 last year, we saw more than a 45 percent increase in the number of job search queries, and this number is continuously growing. However today, the job search experience is not always effective. On the other hand companies -- especially SMEs --  that are the largest job creators are often unable to make their listings discoverable. This new job search experience powered by our partners and our open platform approach attempts to bridge this gap," Rajan Anandan, Vice President India & Southeast Asia, said.

Now, when users search for "jobs near me," "jobs for freshers," or similar job-seeking queries, they will see a special module that can be expanded. Clicking on any job in this listing opens an at-a-glance view of comprehensive information about the posting such as job title, location, whether it is full-time or part-time, and several other details. From here, users can directly proceed to the job listing page on the website and apply there.

Google, Facebook Target Paris as a Center for AI Expansion

Paris is gaining ground as a European hub for artificial intelligence research as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. pledge to hire staff and invest in labs after their top executives met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Google said it will create an AI lab dedicated to fundamental research on themes like automatic learning, language and a computer’s ability to see, with the aim of applying findings to fields from health to the environment. The end-goal is to grow this group to a size similar to Google’s existing team of 120 engineers who do applied research in Paris, working on developments for Chrome and YouTube, a company spokeswoman said.

Facebook, which already has an artificial intelligence lab in Paris, said it will double the team there to 100 people by 2022 and spend 10 million euros ($12.2 million) on items including hardware equipment. Both announcements came as part of a broader series of promises by these companies to increase budgets in France, with Google and Facebook also separately vowing to train citizens on digital tools.

“France has all the assets to succeed. It has top engineers, great entrepreneurs, one of the best education systems in the world, great infrastructure, and successful global companies,” Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post. He reaffirmed a broader hiring target to reach 1,000 employees at Google’s headquarters in the French capital, from 700 today.

Pichai and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg are guests of Macron’s on Monday, among 140 top executives from a variety of industries. In Versailles, company chiefs were invited to attend presentations by ministers, as well as private meetings and dinner with the president -- a full-fledged investor roadshow meant to convince CEOs to invest more in France, as they prepare to head to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.

SAP SE CEO Bill McDermott is also on the guest list. Europe’s biggest software company said it will invest 2 billion euros over five years in France on research and development, as well as backing and acquiring startups.

SAP also announced Monday it’s buying a French company called Recast.AI that specializes in artificial intelligence. Recast.AI, which develops conversational chatbots, will be part of SAP’s efforts to add voice recognition to its products.

Macron’s strategy to woo investors and bring more funds to the French ecosystem dates back before his days as president, and tech has always been at the core of it. When he was still economy minister two years ago, Macron used the grandeur of Versailles to try and convince technology-focused venture-capitalists, including Andreessen Horowitz and Accel Partners, that France is a good place for their money.

The French president has also expressed the goal of establishing France and Europe as leaders in global artificial intelligence innovation, to rival the U.S. and China. France is waiting for a report by a member of Parliament, Cedric Villani, expected soon before it unveils a national strategy on AI.

Still, Macron has toughened his stance on technology companies in recent months on issues like taxes. He brought it up with Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook during a meeting at the French presidential palace in September.

Taxation of tech companies will be part of talks in Versailles Monday, but they’re not the reason for Macron’s meetings with Pichai, Sandberg and others, according to an official at the president’s office.

The dinner will be held at the Gallery of Great Battles in the Versailles Palace, where Macron hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin last year. Catering will include meals imagined by Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse.

Google Is Hiring Thousands More People Across the U.S

The Mountain View, the California-based company is expanding or opening offices in nine states, Google (GOOG) CEO Sundar Pichai said. "We plan to hire thousands of people across the U.S. this year," said Pichai. "Last year in the US we grew faster outside the Bay Area than in the Bay Area. To support this growth, we will be making significant investments in offices across nine states, including Colorado and Michigan."

Typically considered a Silicon Valley company, the plans are consistent with Google's U.S. hiring in recent years. The company currently has an office or a data centre in 21 states.

The Alphabet-owned company will also open or build five new data centres in the United States in 2018. The company currently has six open data centres in states including Oklahoma, Iowa and North Carolina.

Google posts its first $100 billion year

A single data centre only employs between 70 and 350 people. Though their data centres don't generate huge numbers of jobs, tech companies typically receive local and state tax incentives in exchange for picking certain locations.

Google is also busy planning a massive expansion into San Jose, which is only 13 miles from its current headquarters in Mountain View.

There's been increased attention on tech company hiring in the United States, and political pressure to invest and create jobs locally.

Facebook has five data centres across the country and plans to open five more. Apple recently said it would invest $30 billion in facilities and create 20,000 jobs in the United States over the next five years. Amazon has turned its search for a second headquarters' city into a highly publicized contest -- dangling the promise of 50,000 new jobs for local tax break offers.

Google and Coursera launch new programme for entry-level IT jobs

Google and US-based online education company Coursera on Wednesday launched Google IT Support Professional Certificate programme that will help create entry-level IT support jobs globally, including in India.

The industry-relevant curriculum will allow learners to share their information with companies looking to hire entry-level support professionals, including Bank of America, Walmart, Sprint, GE Digital, PNC Bank, UPMC, and Google.

The programme will help anyone with no prior experience to be ready for an entry-level IT support job in eight to 12 months."We developed this curriculum to address this problem head-on. We are looking forward to working with Coursera, our nonprofit grantees and participating corporations to create opportunities for thousands of learners," said Ben Fried, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Google.

Learners in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate will have access to courses designed and taught by Googlers, hands-on labs and widgets and intrapersonal "soft skills" guidance.

"Our collaboration with Google and top employers is designed to provide anyone, regardless of their prior experience or training, with the resources they need to succeed as IT professionals," Raghav Gupta, India Country Director, Coursera, said in a statement.

Since its launch in 2012, Coursera has grown to 30 million registered learners who can choose among 2,400 courses, 236 specialisations and four master's degrees.