Universal Jobmatch

[Gay_guy1986]

Hi everyone

 

A few days ago a message has come up on Jobcentre plus stating that Universal Jobmatch is coming on the 19th of November, but what is this about? does it mean that if you apply for the job does Jobcentre get notify of it?

 

Just a bit confused over this and what does it involve.

[SWLABR9]

At Taunton JC they appear to be telling claimants unless they've got a computer. internet and an account with UJ then they can't get JSA. There's a copy of that JC's advice to a claimant about it floating around Twitter this evening, only been on there about an hour or so.

[louise2012]

more info about universal jobmatch department for work website under frequently asked questions section - done a search on google.

[Salixne]

Pretty much everything is on the Consent.me.uk site

 

I'm still confused as to weather it is manditory for all JSA claimants to sign up

[LaughingGirl]

I'm confused about this, too - I signed on tuesday, and it wasn't mentioned to me at all.

[Salixne]

Literally just back from the JCP office, i wasn't handed a form, but was asked if i'd like to participate in the new site being launched on Monday, being a glutton for punishment, i agreed and had to put my email address on a sticker on my JSA file the JC keep my signing form in. No discussion on weather it was mandatory as i was foolish enough to help the JC out with a wrongly categorized job on their system...¬¬ Anyhoo, i can't wait to see it crash and burn, according to Flumps (whoops not Fluffy) in another thread, this hasn't been tested in JCP offices at all

 

[EDIT] and when i say "sticker" i mean a label with "Email:.............." thats it, no other words on it.

 

[EDIT 2] Just to clarify, Universal Jobmatch requires you to sign up to the site to hunt for jobs. It's been developed my Monster ( ¬¬ ) and will track the jobs you've applied for and will be visible to DWP staff (apparently) though how they will do this is anyone's guess. Still no clarification as to weather it's manditory, FOI requests have been denied as guidelines haven't been published. Wish i could post links lol, theres a full FAQ on the Gov website

Edited November 15, 2012 by Salixne

[LaughingGirl]

Yeah, i've read the stuff on the website, I just can't tell if it's mandatory. Suppose i'll just have to wait and see what they suprise me with. i've got no problem with it as long as it actually works!

[Gay_guy1986]

I have no problem if its mandatory as I always apply for jobs

[Surfer01]

As they have your email address, is there any way they could intercept your emails?

[flumps1976]

Universal Job Match is to replace the current LMS (Labour Market System) that is available via gov.uk, jobseeker direct and the job points.

Eventually all jobseekers will be required to have a universal jobmatch account as part of their claim.

[David-B]

Hello Everyone,

 

I attended a local JCP today and was told that I would be sanctioned if I did not participate. I have only recently started claiming and signed twice. Also mentioned that I would have to give them access or print out all the data from the site to show them. Was also told from next year you would be expected to job hunt for 35 hours a week.

 

Personally I don't think there is any need for this. The direct.gov was redone under Gordon brown I'm sure and I think the current job site would go down better with a few more tweaks.

 

What needs looked at is the stupid job points that think the other end of the country is local:S

 

To answer Surfer01's question if you use the same password as your email address then any website owner can access your emails if they wanted to.

[flumps1976]

The passwor you have to have on your universal jobmatch account is unusual to say the least, it has to have letters and numbers in it and I think (it has been a few weeks since my pc based training) and quite possibly a symbol or two!

This is all part of the customer actively showing what job search has been completed as per the contract (Job seekers agreement) and working toward the whole actively seeking for 35 hours per week!

[Nystagmite]

I seem to remember that under universal credit, the amount of hours work you're looking for, (so, as a disabled person, I can only do between 16 & 25 hours per week) you must job hunt for that amount of time per week. Is this anything to do with the stuff to do with the job match?

[LaughingGirl]

I've probably missed a huge segment of conversation somewhere, so forgive me for asking...how in god's name do you prove you've been looking for Work for 35 hours a week? I've just totted it up in my head, and i'd say I spent 20-22 hours last week, if you leave out the hour and a half signing on. I can't think of anything else that I could have done!

[Nystagmite]

I'm wondering the same thing. There's only so many websites, jobs you can apply for, etc.

[LaughingGirl]

I do a tailored cv for each job, I actually go into the agencies rather than ring them, I try to get to at least 2 or 3 potential employers a week to drop in cv's (i'd go to more, but it gets expensive on the bus fair front). would doing free online courses count? researching interview techniques? I could probably bump it up by another couple of hours if I tacked things like that on.

[SWLABR9]

Sounds like the whole point of this is to give people impossible tasks to do so as to kick them off benefits when they can't do them. No doubt it will crash and burn when like every government IT project ever the entire system is proven to be impractical. Not been tested on the JC offices then, eh? My my... anyway, what's their justification for the hours in front of it? Surely, if it's automated, then once you program it with your CV it should send you alerts when it finds compatible work. Why are claimants being asked to sit in front of it? How can they do that if they've got pay as you go phone web access? What if there's no internet where you live, not even in the library if there's one left after the cuts? Why aren't Labour screaming about this? I can't see how they can begin to justify forcing this system on people when clearly it's not accessible to many, many claimants. If they did it properly it could be useful assuming non-IT-literate employers can put jobs on it easily. Aspects could indeed be useful but not the way they're doing it.

[flumps1976]

The exact details about the 35 hours per week job search haven't been released but it is a waiting game, it all falls in with universal job match and universal credit.

The universal jobmatch will log activities that you take for jobseeking and it will be for the customer to prove what they have done not just be able to say I've searched onine used the local papers phonied agencies etc, and with the new universal jobmatch it will show if you have met every step ofyour jobseekers agreement so if you are required to complete certain activities (contact agencies daily, search universal job match daily, contact 3 employers per week and search local papers on job supplement day) but you miss one element (e.g you contact one employer) then it has to be an automatic referral to DMA the signing team or advisers are not allowed any discretion

I don't recall saying the 35 hours is in place now only that it is due to be implemented at some point in the future and this is all in preparation for it. Unfortunately I don't write the legislation sorry

[antone]

The exact details about the 35 hours per week job search haven't been released but it is a waiting game, it all falls in with universal job match and universal credit.

The universal jobmatch will log activities that you take for jobseeking and it will be for the customer to prove what they have done not just be able to say I've searched onine used the local papers phonied agencies etc, and with the new universal jobmatch it will show if you have met every step ofyour jobseekers agreement so if you are required to complete certain activities (contact agencies daily, search universal job match daily, contact 3 employers per week and search local papers on job supplement day) but you miss one element (e.g you contact one employer) then it has to be an automatic referral to DMA the signing team or advisers are not allowed any discretion

I don't recall saying the 35 hours is in place now only that it is due to be implemented at some point in the future and this is all in preparation for it. Unfortunately I don't write the legislation sorry

 

This will go well.

 

Edit: Sorry, phrasing from another forum I frequent. What I mean is, um, this is a disaster waiting to happen.

[osdset]

Pretty much everything is on the Consent.me.uk site

 

I'm still confused as to weather it is manditory for all JSA claimants to sign up

 

http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/universal-jobmatch-the-brutal-farce-at-the-dwp-continues/

[flumps1976]

It is mandatory yet as the system hasn't rolled out but I would say that bu next year all new claim will have to sign up by tyeir duagnostic appointment or they will receive a direction to do it and then existing claims will be required to sign up by an agreed date again if it isn't done by that date then a direction will be issued so yes it will become mandatory as part of the conditions for claim JSA.

 

The Jobseekers Agreement has been revised to include the new Universal Jobmatch from this month so the Job Seekers Agreement that is updated will include the Universal Jobmatch.

[osdset]

It looks very much to me like the government are trying to subvert the data protection act, revenge for claimants refusing to sign data waivers.

[LaughingGirl]

Again, if it works I'm ok with it, but the logistics are puzzling me. if we're not working by the end of this month. Our internet is gone, can't afford it. I live in a town that has a library with 12 pc's and a jcp that has 2. there are 1092 unemployed people in the town. I can't see how it's going to Work.

[osdset]

It's not going to work which is the whole point of the exercise, to force claimants off the dole by limiting their ability to comply. Who on benefits can afford internet cafe's? Even at £0.50 per hour that works out to £17.50 per week to meet the 35 hour jobsearch criteria.

 

Libraries wont cope, nor will JCP, I expect things to get even worse if they manage to roll out UC as all claims will be internet based. IDS is hell bent on crushing the welfare state, he has taken a swipe at every benefit on the books, even if someone does manage to claim ESA or JSA after finding the extra cash for internet connectivity, and paying the council tax shortfall there won't be enough to live on anyway.

Edited November 16, 2012 by osdset

[joeski]

if you don't apply for job's that the universal jobmatch matches you to will you be sanctioned?