Evaluation of the Job Match service connecting job seekers to Canadian employers

Job Bank is Canada's national employment service, available as a website and mobile app. Since April 2015, the Job Bank online platform provides for new advanced job search features, including the Job Match service which connects job seekers with job opportunities based on their education, experiences, skill levels and other criteria. For each match, an algorithm assigns a matching score on the quality of the fit. Upon receiving a match job seekers may view the job posting and apply for it, while employers can follow-up with candidates and invite them to apply. This report provides an overview of the profile of employers and job seekers who use the Job Match service. It also examines the effectiveness of the Job Match service in linking job seekers with employers. In terms of job seekers, the focus is on those in receipt of Employment Insurance regular benefits.

The evaluation presents the following main findings: (1) Job seekers have positive views on the value-added of the Job Match service with 60 per cent of users recommending it to others. On the other hand, employers and partners views were more critical; (2) The effectiveness of the Job Match service is dependent on the completeness of information provided by job seekers. In addition, Job Match is limited by its heavy reliance on the National Occupational Classification system, which was not designed to support sophisticated matching algorithms; (3) Job Match users are more likely to view a job posting when the matching score is high. However, other factors besides the match score influence employers following up with job seekers; (4) Overall, results indicate that the Job Match service has a limited effect on the exhaustion of Employment Insurance regular benefits; and (5) Employment Insurance claimants who used Job Match and had higher than average job matching scores were more likely to return to work rapidly. However, there is insufficient evidence to attribute this outcome to the Job match service alone.

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