Facebook reintroduces local job listings

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Facebook is bringing jobs back, again. 

Meta, never one to resist slapping a new feature onto one of its apps, has decided that the social network where your aunt posts minion memes is also the perfect place to find your next gig. 

The company is relaunching Facebook Jobs, a feature it first debuted way back in 2017, only to quietly shut down in 2023. 

This time, it’s back with a more local, blue-collar focus: think restaurant gigs, trade work, and entry-level roles, not “remote blockchain NFT strategist.”

The new Jobs tab lives inside Facebook Marketplace, the same section where people sell used couches and suspiciously cheap “Apple” headphones. 

Businesses can post openings directly on their pages, and Meta says job listings will also show up in relevant Facebook groups, which, let’s be honest, is probably where people were already finding local jobs anyway.

Not everyone can post everything, though. 

Meta’s updated rules ban adult services, drug-related jobs, and even in-person childcare, which is odd, given the number of Facebook groups dedicated entirely to finding nannies. 

So no, you can’t hire a babysitter through the new tool, but you can find someone to work the fry station at your burger joint.

Early listings, at least in cities like Seattle, suggest that small businesses are using it much like a digital “Help Wanted” sign. And that fits Facebook’s sweet spot, connecting people locally. 

After all, it’s still where many of us go to ask why a helicopter is circling the neighborhood at 10 PM.

This reboot comes with a bit of baggage. 

The original Facebook Jobs feature got tangled in controversy when some advertisers used it to exclude people from seeing job ads based on gender or religion, a major no-no. 

Meta says this new version comes with stricter anti-discrimination policies to prevent that kind of targeting.

The refreshed Facebook Jobs feature is rolling out today, but only in the US for now. 

It’s Meta’s latest attempt to make Facebook more useful, or at least, a little more relevant than just birthday reminders and marketplace scams.