The Belfast Telegraph has topped an independent poll as the leading source for jobs among job seekers.

It holds more than half the market share (54%), according to a major new survey by Ipsos Mori.

The findings reveal that the Belfast Telegraph's nijobfinder supplements on Tuesday and Friday outpace other competitors in the field.

The nijobfinder.co.uk website has also secured a commanding lead over all other websites operating in the recruitment and jobs market.

And the Belfast Telegraph has emerged five times more popular as a source for jobs than rival newspaper Irish News (10%) and is rated nine times higher than the News Letter (6%).

The Belfast Telegraph's www.nijobfinder.co.uk, which is available online and in print, is also the clear market leader, trumping the jobcentre and nijobs sites.

In response to the question "Which of the following sources are you aware of that you could use when looking for a job?" nearly half those polled (47%) cited nijobfinder.co.uk as their top choice.

Other key results show:

• 41% would go straight to the Tuesday nijobfinder supplement while 38% would use the Friday newspaper.
• The Daily Mirror is ignored by 98% of job seekers, attracting just 2% of them to its pages.
• 47% of those polled listed nijobfinder.co.uk as their number one choice compared to 41% opting for jobcentreonline and 38% for nijobs.

Belfast Telegraph commercial director Simon Mann has welcomed the outcome of the key survey.

He said today: "This is a significant piece of research for the recruitment market in Northern Ireland.

"It tells both job seekers and recruiters where they should go for the most effective results.

"There are a lot of companies operating in this field but none has the penetration of the Belfast Telegraph newspaper or website ."

Mr Mann added: "We are very pleased with the results both for ourselves, our customers and our readers.

"We have always believed that the package delivered by the Telegraph in print and online is unrivalled and now this research has confirmed that view."

The research, commissioned by the Belfast Telegraph, involved 1,000 interviews, which gave a comprehensive portrayal of the recruitment market. International pollsters Ipsos Mori carried out the survey in Northern Ireland in February and March.

Nijobfinder.co.uk is available online and is also printed inside the Belfast Telegraph every Tuesday (public sector)and Friday (private sector).