CASE STUDY Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Australian JobSearch (JobSearch) www.jobsearch.gov.au JobSearch is a suite of online employment services that are delivered at no charge to job seekers, employers, Job Network members and recruitment agencies. The service was introduced in late 1996 and is delivered via the Internet and by more than 2400 Touch Screen kiosks that are located in the offices of Job Network members, Centrelink Customer Service Centres, and some community sites and is publicly available through Internet PCs in Centrelink Employment Self Help centres. page 20 E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies
JobSearch has become a key enabler of the Job Network and provides a comprehensive range of online employment services: find a job provides access to over 40 000 jobs Australia-wide, that can be searched by occupation, location, postcode and keywords the information is updated every 20 minutes; build a resumé allows job seekers to register on the site and create resumés that are matched against all new vacancies and can be viewed by prospective employers. Job seekers are notified of matches by messages that are retrievable from a personal page, by email, a telephone call service or via a short message service (SMS) text messaging service. Approximately 100 000 resumés are currently held; advertise a job allows employers and recruitment agencies to advertise vacancies directly on JobSearch before they are displayed, all vacancies are screened to ensure compliance with site terms and conditions; find staff allows employers to search resumés to find job seekers who match their requirements subsequent contact is made by email; Harvest Trail is designed to help job seekers looking for seasonal work around Australia; and specialised sub-sites provide specific vacancies for IT, government, defence, and graduates and a sub-site supports the activities of recruiting agencies that are members of the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA). E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies page 21
The groups participating in JobSearch services are both government and non-government. Non-government Public Involvement View/search job vacancies Build and lodge resumés Use the job matching function Access employment advice Business Advertise jobs Search resumés for candidates with particular skills Business intermediary (employment agencies) Advertise jobs Search resumés for candidates with particular skills Government (Federal) DEWR Involvement Develop, host and maintain site, coordinate national vacancy database and other information Provide computers to Centrelink and the offices of some Job Network members Defence Other agencies Provide access to the Defence Recruiting sub-site Publish Commonwealth Gazette vacancies Provide access to the graduate program sub-site Goals JobSearch is strongly aligned with a number of Department of Employment and Workplace relations (DEWR s) strategic goals. It meets the government obligation to provide a free, universally-available employment service; and it provides strong support for the labour market by enabling Australian enterprises to advertise and fill jobs quickly and efficiently. JobSearch was initiated as a proactive measure to meet customer demand by automating core business functions and to meet internal efficiency needs. Overall, customer alignment is very high as reflected by the redesign of business processes to meet customer needs; a high level of customer involvement in design of the service interface for the kiosks and the Internet; and inclusion of customer suggestions into subsequent releases. The site has been designed to maximise public trust, confidence and accountability through compliance with existing legislative requirements (which include anti discrimination), fair-trading and privacy laws; and contains a conditions of use and privacy statements as a means of reassuring clients. The site was also developed to increase the accessibility and availability of employment services to remote and rural Australia, which in turn is in alignment with the e-government strategic goals. The JobSearch Internet site is accessible 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week and provides greater geographic reach to DEWR services than conventional bricks and mortar service delivery. page 22 E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies
Benefits The major benefit DEWR sought was to provide an up-to-date fast efficient and accessible online employment service to citizens and business. When planning the site, DEWR identified the stakeholder groups and planned benefits they were likely to enjoy. Citizen/job seeker Improve efficiency of job searching and reduce periods of unemployment 24-hour-a-day 7-days-a-week access to national job listings Improved currency of vacancies on display Ability to create, submit and update online resumés Automated matching of jobseeker s resumés and advice of results from a personal page, by email or telephone message service or SMS text messaging More comprehensive information on vacancies available simply and quickly Job Outlook information (career, training information courses/locations) Business/other government agencies Improved staff recruitment via: job vacancies gaining national exposure search resumés to find suitable job seekers immediate display and cancellation of job vacancies Intermediaries Facilitates vacancy filling activity of Job Network members and other recruiting agencies Increased public exposure of vacancies owned by other Internet sites, e.g. mycareer or JobNet Training course information displayed for training providers DEWR Better provision of employment services Labour market efficiency E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies page 23
In developing JobSearch, some unanticipated benefits were also identified. Citizen/job seeker Increased ability to search across a wider geographic labour market Increased job seeker self reliance (empowering the job seeker) Business Quicker response times to vacancies accelerated recruitment processes Responses from a broader audience (geographical and skill based) Increased exposure to job seekers who are not unemployed Increased use of the Internet to fill vacancies Intermediaries Support for employment service market arrangement (all participating JobNetwork member vacancies can be viewed from one site) Other government agencies More public exposure of vacancies Increased responses to vacancies Web site a channel to other government service links DEWR Greater macroeconomic role (more effective management of the labour market) Global recognition (Smithsonian Institute Award for Public Administration and United Kingdom service used JobSearch kiosks as a model for their Job Centres) Increased local profile of DEWR as an innovator The initial kiosk-based implementation of JobSearch was undertaken at a cost of $31 million. It is estimated that the return on investment was achieved within the first 12 months of operation due to internal efficiency gains and increased flexibility of service delivery. Social benefits accrued significantly from improvements to service quality to both job seekers and businesses by facilitating employment opportunities and shortening the recruitment cycle. Significant improvements to service quality have also been achieved through greater accessibility and greater geographical reach of JobSearch into rural and remote areas of Australia. The provision of a number of specialist sites has also been very successful and enabled job seekers to better focus their job search, e.g. JobSearch IT to support information technology vacancies and the Harvest Trail to support seasonal work. JobSearch provides a free professional Internet employment service to many recruitment agencies as well as Job Network members. The aim of JobSearch is to increase the exposure of local vacancies to the national labour market, and thereby increase the potential number of suitable applicants. An additional professional benefit is that employers, recruitment agencies and Job Network members can list job vacancies immediately, and the lead time to fill vacancies will be reduced as a benefit to both the professional organisation and to job seekers. page 24 E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies
The table below details the barriers to realising the planned benefits of JobSearch and the actions taken to address them. Identified barrier Low public profile of JobSearch particularly amongst employers Communication lines limiting access by browsers and downloading information via modems Action taken to address identified barriers Marketing to private, pubic and community sectors is undertaken on an ongoing basis. Marketing intensifies to coincide with new software releases and seasonal factors. Accessibility and useability testing is conducted to determine the best ways of presenting information and managing content. Provision of text only versions of software to compensate for low-grade communication lines and modems. Internet access costs for unemployed job seekers, Up to 2000 JobSearch kiosks are being placed in Job Network particularly from home member sites across the country from May 2003. Another 1000 from December 2003. These kiosks will provide accessibility for job seekers who do not have private Internet access. Security levels of the web site restrict what can be placed on it Development limited by the resources available As a national vacancy database JobSearch encompasses the broadest possible audience, and a high level of useability ensures the service is effective. The site addresses citizen and business trust issues ensuring information is used only for the purpose intended. Security levels will be maintained due to the nature of the site. System changes are subject to a rigorous change management process. This gives priority to changes that support new policy, business improvements and essential maintenance. Demand and take-up Demand for the site has exceeded expectation and subsequently, DEWR was able to use the JobSearch Internet site as a platform to meet it s government online obligations. The market share of the JobSearch employment vacancies, as a percentage, of all vacancies advertised on the Internet is illustrated below. Per annum 1999 2000 2001 2002 Internet vacancies (no.) 420 978 1 015 241 895 891 786 215 JobSearch vacancies (no.) 191 118 326 166 283 273 322 211 Internet vacancies by JobSearch (%) 45 32 32 41 Source: ANZ Internet Jobs Survey Note: Data for 1999 is from July onwards only. Initially there was no planned take-up projected for the JobSearch Internet site. However, take-up has been rapid and continued growth is driving further investment. During 2001 02, JobSearch displayed an average of 47 000 online vacancies daily. This represents approximately 38 per cent of online vacancies as measured by the ANZ Internet Jobs Survey. The JobSearch site consistently rates as the number one employment site measured in terms of pages accessed, with approximately 9 million page visits per week. DEWR has identified a number of ways to improve take-up: rebuild the online resumé facility to make it more attractive to customers; rebuild the automatic matching tool to improve matching to posted vacancies; increase the number of vacancies provided by employers and recruitment agencies; conduct a publicity campaign to promote JobSearch; and promote awareness of the site via Centrelink, especially to job seekers on income support. E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies page 25
Costs The initial costs for the JobSearch web site were included as part of developing the Touch Screen kiosk system. This was a $31 million suite of online employment services aimed at providing enhanced self-service capabilities and improved relationships with both individuals and business. The expenditure for the JobSearch Internet service (excluding costs related to JobSearch kiosks) between 2000 and 2002 was $14.66 million. Ongoing development of JobSearch is now part of the normal DEWR budgeting process. JobSearch functionality is provided at no charge to stakeholders. To overcome accessibility issues, DEWR has made computers publicly available in Centrelink Employment Self Help Centres, the premises of some Job Network members and in various community locations. Unforeseen costs DEWR has incurred over the life of the project have included changes in software and hardware requirements, additional servers and different contractor skills due to unexpected demand, which was pushing forward the technology and development of the JobSearch Internet site. Return on investment JobSearch has been instrumental in maintaining and increasing provision of a government funded employment service by enabling the operation of the Job Network. Additional value has been seen with the expansion of site information, for example to include volunteer and training opportunities. JobSearch (excluding costs related to JobSearch kiosks) will be delivered at a total cost of $19.96 million between 2000 and the end of the 2002 03 financial year. Impact on the organisation Business processes have evolved dramatically with Internet growth and are now more integrated and aligned with the Job Network. JobSearch provides a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week online service instead of a 9-to-5 walk-in service previously only available from Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) or Centrelink offices. JobSearch has one of the largest and most volatile database of job vacancies in Australia. Initially, the JobSearch information architecture was developed separately from the existing Job Network structures to aid speed of delivery. DEWR is now aligning these information architectures to support common business processes. Lessons learned Executive support Strong executive support can overcome unforseen difficulties if they arise. By briefing senior executives, expectations can be managed and the results that can be delivered within the timeframe and budget will be realistic. Client needs You can increase the support from clients for the program by having value-added services and targeting niche markets. Clear identification of clients is essential. Don t assume you know what the client wants, seek feedback and confirm their needs. Business intermediary (job network) and commercial providers Design Work with commercial providers of similar services to establish an understanding early in the program to demonstrate the value add to their services. Design should meet accessibility standards by being simple, intuitive, use non-specific language and provide direct navigation and useability from the clients perspective. Be aware of cross platform issues when developing a program for a broad population or user base and the restrictions or limitations they may introduce. In the case of JobSearch, a partial text-only version was provided for other browsers. page 26 E-government Benefits Study Agency Case Studies