LOCAL newspapers - like The Gazette - are by far the best source of information for job-seekers, according to new research.

More than half (51 per cent) of the people surveyed on behalf of the Newspaper Society said they would turn to their local newspaper as the first port of call for a new job.

The second choice was JobCentre Plus, at nine per cent, according to Human Capital, which carried out the research.

Twenty-three per cent of people had found their current, or last, job from their regional newspaper.

This was second only to word of mouth (30 per cent), while recruitment agencies had helped 11 per cent of people.

Overall, 47 per cent of people had applied for a job advertised in their local newspaper in the past two years.

Other findings include:

Fifty-three per cent of people said their local newspaper is the best place to look for a job close to home, and a further 25 per cent named the local newspaper website.

Fifty-one per cent said there was a wide selection of employers advertising on their local newspaper website, followed by national recruitment websites (42 per cent).

A total of 48 per cent said it is easy to apply for a job advertised in a local newspaper, followed by national recruitment websites at 39 per cent and recruitment agencies at 32 per cent.

Thirty-six per cent said job advertisements and descriptions in local newspapers are well maintained and kept up to date. This was followed by national recruitment websites at 31 per cent.

Nineteen per cent thought it is easiest to find interesting jobs in the local newspaper, followed by national recruitment websites at 17 per cent and recruitment agencies at 15 per cent.

Tim Ewington, founding director of Human Capital, said: "Regional newspapers and their online services have long been an essential meeting place for people to seek out local employers.

"The results prove interesting reading and confirm the role and strength of local newspapers.

"More than 20 per cent of people are actively looking for a new job and a further 30 per cent would consider applying for a new job if they came across it.

"Of these people, more than half start their search by looking in their local newspaper."

Robert Ray, marketing director of the Newspaper Society, said: "This survey demonstrates that the regional press has a strong position in the recruitment advertising market and that, by embracing new technology and investing in websites, it is holding its own.

"People like to work close to home, and, because of this, the regional press is the dominant port of call for people looking for work."