Yahoo HotJobs: We can find local workers

Yahoo HotJobs on Tuesday announced a new service for businesses looking for local hires.

Recruiting companies can now make job opportunities stand out, Yahoo said, using special formatting to market listings for specific geographic locations.

The company also unveiled a new price structure for local job listings. The prices range from $39 to $275 per job, depending on geography and the number of listings bought.

As of Tuesday, the service was available for all regions of the United States, Yahoo said.

Yahoo said that more than half of all employers prefer local candidates who know their company.

"The new Yahoo HotJobs local solution is what the growing recruitment market needs--the right local reach at the right price," Dan Finnigan, general manager at Yahoo, said in a statement.

In addition, the company introduced new features for job seekers. A new search tool gives job seekers results that are more relevant, Yahoo said. The company said the tool saves job seekers time by enabling them to take advantage of continuous search refinement, rather than having to start over with new queries. People can make searches based on location, freshness of the listing, industry, experience and company.

Internet search companies are increasingly focusing on local search markets, be it for job listings or basic search, because of the many dollars spent on local advertising. Both Yahoo and Google have launched localized search services.