‘Huge opportunity’: TikTok hiring spree underway as Australian audience skyrockets

The Chinese-owned video sharing platform is expanding its workforce

‘Huge opportunity’: TikTok hiring spree underway as Australian audience skyrockets

TikTok is in the midst of a hiring spree for its Australian office as the video sharing app’s audience continues to grow.

Owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance Ltd, TikTok is reportedly looking to add 100 new staff to its growing base.

The social media platform began hiring for its Sydney office early this year and has continued to recruit despite the pandemic.

A spokesperson for TikTok told HRD: “As we work to build a positive and safe environment for users, our focus is on continuing to grow our local operations and invest in our growing community.

“This includes hiring the right local talent to support the Australian TikTok community across the content, operations and commercial side of the business.

“We are also investing further in our local users, creators, and brands. We see huge opportunities to further scale at a rapid pace in Australia and this continues to be a priority market."

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that according to industry insiders, TikTok is looking to add a hundred employees by the end of the year.

According to job postings viewed by HRD, TikTok is currently advertising for 23 jobs in the Sydney office, including roles in finance, marketing, sales and media communication.

In September, ByteDance Ltd announced plans to set up its TikTok HQ in Singapore.

At that time, a similar hiring spree was underway in the city-state with TikTok adding to its 400-strong workforce.

The boom in job roles comes after a huge spike in audience growth, both in Australia and globally.

Its user base grew by over 850,000 (+52.4%) during the first half of 2020, marking TikTok as Australia’s fasted growing social media company this year.

The research by Roy Morgan found over 70% of users were Generation Alpha (born from 2006 until today) and Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012/15), with women and girls making up the majority of Australian TikTokers.

Over an average four weeks, nearly 2.5 million Australians were using the platform – equivalent to 10.5% of the population.

TikTok has come under fire in the past over potential security threats after Donald Trump threatened to ban ByteDance from the US market.

In September, representatives from TikTok appeared before an Australian Senate inquiry into foreign interference through social media.