Universal Jobmatch

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Universal Jobmatch was a British online job site created by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with Monster Worldwide. It replaced older JobCentre Plus tools and was part of moving government services online. The site allowed employers to post jobs and jobseekers to search, with the DWP able to monitor activity to support benefits claims. By early 2013 it had about 2 million registered users and hundreds of thousands of employers, with millions of searches each day. It faced criticism for fake or misleading adverts and rising costs, and there were reports it might be scrapped when the contract ended. In 2018 it was replaced by Find a job, and users were advised to back up their data because logins would not transfer. The scheme also raised privacy concerns, with some jobseekers targeted by scams and others worried about being asked to share account access with the DWP. A 2014 Freedom of Information release showed Monster did not win the initial tender, and compensation was paid to other bidders after a later re-tender. From 2013, advisers could require claimants to use the site, and refusing could lead to benefit sanctions under the Welfare Reform Act 2012.