Staff enlisted to tackle jobs site ‘teething problems’

The Department of Social Protection has had to draft in additional resources to deal with queries because a new version of the Jobsireland.ie website has been experiencing “teething problems”.

The free website enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to look for those opportunities online. The service is currently being upgraded because, as Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar admitted, “at 20 years old, the original website was showing its age”.

“For example, although it enabled jobseekers to search for job opportunities based on job type and location, it wasn’t possible for employers to search for suitable jobseekers on the site; they had to rely on candidates finding and applying for a job from among the many thousands hosted on the system.”

Last year, the department tendered for the development and implementation of a new service to enable employers and jobseekers to search for each other using competencies and skillsets as well as the traditional job-type classifications.

“As part of the new service, candidate profiles will be automatically matched to job specifications posted by employers with both candidate and the employer notified via email and/or SMS when a suitable match is found,” the minister said in answer to a parliamentary question from Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae.

“Candidates can also use the site to apply for the jobs advertised. The system will also integrate with the Department of Social Protection’s Intreo service and will include other new features such as allowing jobseekers to post CVs and video profiles if they wish.”

The contract to update the system has been awarded to a firm currently building and delivering the new service from a base in Cork.

“The service is being implemented on a phased basis which means, unfortunately, that there is some service disruption while work is ongoing,” said Mr Varadkar, adding that there had also been some “teething problems” and additional personnel had been allocated to help process queries.

He said employers or anyone experiencing difficulties with the website can contact the department’s National Contact Centre on 1890 800 024 for assistance.