GrabJobs grabs funding to grow jobs portal for retail, restaurants

Singapore-based startup GrabJobs has raised funding, it revealed today, as expansion of its jobs portal continues, with users dotted across Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, and Thailand.

GrabJobs now has an extra US$681,000 in seed funding, bringing its total raised so far to US$1.8 million.

The fledgling portal focuses on people seeking jobs in the retail and restaurant sectors, which generally struggle to hold onto staff for long periods.

Photo credit: kyryll ushakov / Unsplash

“The highest number of employers and job seekers are in Singapore and the Philippines. We are also currently running pilots in Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, and India,” a GrabJobs representative tells Tech in Asia.

Its job seekers post 50,000 applications per month via its app. No data on active users is available.

GrabJobs is also installing kiosks – basically tablets on a stand – in places where youngsters who typically go into retail and restaurant positions hang out:

Photo credit: GrabJobs

GrabJobs has put kiosks in establishments run by Singapore restaurant firm Spa Esprit Group, and is in discussions with multiple colleges to put them on campus.

Started in 2015, the startup now has 25 employees across its Singapore HQ plus offices in the Philippines and Myanmar.

The startup makes money from recruiters, who have the option to purchase monthly subscriptions for full access to the service or buy credits to shortlist applicants individually. The subscription starts at S$79.90 a month (for three jobs per month, with unlimited applicants), while credits cost S$4 to $5 per credit, with one credit needed to shortlist one applicant.

So far, GrabJobs has 650 paying corporate clients.

Converted from Singapore dollars. Rate: US$1 = S$1.36.