Facebook is adding job listings, again

Meta, a company that is not shy about bolting new features onto its platforms, is bolting another new feature onto Facebook: jobs. This one is actually a throwback — Facebook initially introduced job postings in 2017, only to retire it less than five years later. But jobs are back now, with an emphasis toward local entry-level, service, and trade work.

Job listings are featured in a tab in the Marketplace section of Facebook, but Meta says they may also be surfaced in relevant groups. Business pages can also post their own listings. Jobs are available only to those 18 and older, and must meet Facebook’s guidelines. There are a few obvious exclusions — no adult services or drugs — but in-person childcare is also off limits. That’s funny, because there’s at least one Facebook group in my neighborhood dedicated entirely to finding and hiring nannies.

Scrolling through some of the job listings in Seattle, it looks like it’s being adopted so far as a digital version of hanging up a “Help Wanted” sign on the door of your restaurant or business. And it makes sense, because outside of Nextdoor, a lot of local connection happens through Facebook groups. It’s certainly my preferred platform when I want to find out why the county sheriff’s helicopter is circling the neighborhood on a Tuesday afternoon.

This update actually marks a return for jobs on Facebook. The company first introduced job listings in 2017 in the US and Canada, expanding to more than 40 countries in 2018. In 2022, Facebook reverted to supporting only the US and Canada, and finally shut down the program in 2023. The platform still allowed people to post listings in the form of ads — which didn’t go great for Facebook when organizations advertising jobs used targeting to exclude groups based on gender and religious background from seeing them. This conduct is prohibited by the discrimination policy that applies to anyone using the new job posting tool, thankfully. Facebook’s re-launched jobs feature is available starting today, and only in the US.