Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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715. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide computer facilities for persons to search for jobs in the Dún Laoghaire social welfare office in view of the fact that the office has had no online facilities for persons to use since mid 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39708/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Jobsireland.ieis a web service that enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to search and apply for these opportunities online. There are currently almost 6,500 vacancies advertised on the site.

The service has been available since the 1990s and was originally provided on a website operated by FÁS. When my Department took over responsibility for the public employment service, it was clear that the website did not provide the range of functionality offered by public employment services in other European countries. In addition, the site operated on old technology which is now obsolete.

Accordingly my Department tendered for the provision of a new multi-functional service. The new service was introduced in July 2016. It enables employers and jobseekers to search for each other using competencies and skillsets as well as the traditional job type classifications. It also operates in the background to automatically match candidate CVs to job specifications posted by employers and notify both the candidates and the employers when a match is found. Employers and candidates can communicate with each other using system messaging.

The new service will shortly integrate with my Department’s Intreo service and be of benefit to case workers as they support jobseekers in their efforts to find employment.

JobsIreland is accessible on a variety of devices such as Personal Computers, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones. Jobseekers can also avail of internet facilities provided by Jobs Clubs, Local Employment Service, JobPath providers and Library Service. In Dún Laoghaire, these are provided by the Southside Partnership Local Employment Service (and Jobs Club), JobPath (Skills Team Employment Service) and the public library.

My Department has a National Contact Centre which provides employers and jobseekers who use the JobsIreland website with information, advice and support. Anyone needing assistance can contact the Centre by email at jobsireland@welfare.ie or by phone on 1890 800 024.