New research has revealed that office workers in the UK are job flirts, using social media to scout out the latest recruitment opportunities.

Taleo Research's 'UK Social Talent Management Report 2012' reveals that two in ten officer workers are actively looking for a new job, while a further five in ten are 'keeping their eyes open', using online networking services such as LinkedIn to make themselves visible to recruiters.

For passive job seekers, social networks are valuable for finding out about career opportunities, and keeping an eye on social networks is seen as an easy, quick way to identify available jobs within their sector. This can be clearly seen from the survey findings: 39% plan to use social networks to find new jobs, 40% to research prospective employees, and 32% to apply for job roles. Ultimately, employers run the risk of losing top employees by failing to utilise these networks by choosing to instead rely on intranets and company websites.

Social networks are used directly for professional purposes by 45 per cent, with 21 per cent using LinkedIn, which acts as an online CV.

Given that so many workers are using social networks to look for job opportunities, Taleo believes that employers are missing an opportunity to advertise internal job prospects via this platform.

'Too often, businesses see social networks as mere distractions,' the report says.

'In reality, these tools can provide a tremendous opportunity for leading-edge businesses.'