The tough times seen by Internet companies in the past year have not diminished the success of online recruitment.

But the growth in the medium, which has spawned numerous specialist sites, has not resulted in the demise of the traditional jobs section of newspapers as the primary source of information for job-seekers. Instead, the partnership of print and new media in a revised approach to jobseeking is seen as a blueprint for how traditional and new media can work together.

The new online recruitment section of ireland.com, the website of The Irish Times, gives job-seekers access to all the jobs on offer in the Republic's largest newspaper appointments section, in addition to expert career advice, salary surveys and the latest job news.

The worldwide reach of the Internet has opened up new opportunities for employers in search of talent in a tight labour market and for job-seekers looking for a new challenge. The Coming to Ireland section of ireland.com/jobs offers a practical guide to living in the Republic for overseas workers.

Rather than being a threat to traditional media, online recruitment has tapped into the demand of a sophisticated, mobile labour market for timely information from a reputable source.

No other newspaper group in the Republic has managed this symbiotic relationship between the Web and newspaper journalism as well as The Irish Times. The ireland.com website recorded more than 20 million page impressions in January, the highest figure for an Irish site.

While it would be easy to be complacent in a time of unprecedented job creation, the longterm strength of the linkage between old and new media will be proven as the online market matures and users require more than just a browse through the jobs section.