Emap PLC - one of the UK's leading media companies loses 14% of recruitment adverts to internet rivals.

In its Trading Update for the six months ending 30 September 2005, Emap PLC announced:

"Recruitment advertising has deteriorated markedly since the second half of last year, down 14% for this half year. The decline is from our public sector titles, and in particular Nursing Times where volumes are expected to be down 30%.  This decline is due to a combination of factors: the tighter budget criteria under which the NHS is being managed, and the introduction of NHSjobs.com, a free internal website for all NHS recruitment."

In the UK, the public sector has been a soft target for recruitment publishers. Employment within the UK public sector has grown at a higher rate than the private sector and the Government has been accused of allowing extravagant recruitment spending. Leading publishers have benefited from significant government spend, particularly within education, local government and the NHS.

Emap's underlying revenues rose by 1 per cent, with growth in b2b, consumer magazines and radio. Amongst its publications, Heat, Closer and Zoo all increased advertising. Emap's own consumer internet advertising rose by 80 per cent.

Emap PLC - ONE OF THE UK'S LEADING MEDIA COMPANIES

Emap employs around 5,500 people based in over 50 offices in the UK, France and around the world

Emap's business activities focus around three main areas:

• Over 150 top selling consumer magazines in the UK, France and around the world
• Over 200 business to business events, magazines and conferences, many of them market leaders
• 19 UK local analogue radio stations, eight digital music TV channels and one of the biggest digital radio networks in the UK