[Josy]

The government's Jobmatch website is carrying bogus vacancies from nine online recruitment agencies run by a Baptist deacon in Coventry, who makes money by encouraging visitors to post their CVs.

More than 11,000 positions currently advertised on the government's Universal Jobmatch website may be bogus, an investigation by Channel 4 News has found.

The jobs, which range from sous chefs to dry cleaners, account for almost one-in-50 of all those posted in Britain on the site and, in some areas, a third of all the jobs available on Jobmatch, may be fake.

Since March 2013 it has been mandatory for all jobseeker's allowance claimants to register and use the Jobmatch website.

Those who fail to do so can have their benefits cut entirely. But if some of the jobs on the site are not genuine, the claimants who have applied for them may have been wasting their time.

The investigation found that nine apparently unconnected recruitment websites, advertising thousands of positions across the UK, are all controlled by one man in Coventry - Mark Coward, a businessman and Baptist deacon who has posted thousands of jobs.

More at the link

http://www.channel4.com/news/why-is-...ref_map=%5B%5D

[Loukas]

i hate that website with a passion. Ugh Universal Jobmatch is a load of tripe

[Shaun]

could be because they're a bunch of out-of-touch figure-bending arseholes

[Vicky.]

Because they dont give a ****. You can be sanctioned for not applying for them too.

In the space of about a week when I was looking really hard for a job, I reported around 30 fake jobs, and it took hours and hours for them to be taken down too. Most of them were total scams...they have attractive pay/perks and such, you ring a mobile number, they tell you to ring the main boss on another number, and it turns out the other number costs £3 per minute or something. Its disgraceful. But they don't care, why would they? Its only the unemployed/poor.

[HD]

I've not registered to Universal Jobsmatch and I point blank refuse to use it.
I'm happy using TotalJobs

It's actually a recruitment agency issue, and not a government one. Agencies use sites like this to increase the numbers of candidates available to work.

I advertise for jobs myself, and they have made it so each vacancy you register with them is supposed to be for a definite role, and they issue job numbers, so this can be audited at any time.

I would imagine it is the industrial agencies that do this, as they will need lots of unskilled workers, but not necessarily all at the same time, so they keep vacancies running, even though they may not have specific jobs available.

[Josy]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

It's actually a recruitment agency issue, and not a government one. Agencies use sites like this to increase the numbers of candidates available to work.

I advertise for jobs myself, and they have made it so each vacancy you register with them is supposed to be for a definite role, and they issue job numbers, so this can be audited at any time.

I would imagine it is the industrial agencies that do this, as they will need lots of unskilled workers, but not necessarily all at the same time, so they keep vacancies running, even though they may not have specific jobs available.

It's the jobcentre/government issue when they continue to constantly allow these scammers and fraudsters to advertise non existent jobs and then have the audacity to sanction peoples benefits for refusing to apply for them.

[Loukas]

when i was signing on at the job centre before i got picked to go on the work program they MADE me sign up on the website, if i didn't use this website they told me i would be sanctioned. wtf BS.

[HD]

Originally Posted by Josy

It's the jobcentre/government issue when they continue to constantly allow these scammers and fraudsters to advertise non existent jobs and then have the audacity to sanction peoples benefits for refusing to apply for them.

Originally Posted by Loukas

when i was signing on at the job centre before i got picked to go on the work program they MADE me sign up on the website, if i didn't use this website they told me i would be sanctioned. wtf BS.

I question my advisor over it and she gets all flustered and moves on

Originally Posted by Josy

It's the jobcentre/government issue when they continue to constantly allow these scammers and fraudsters to advertise non existent jobs and then have the audacity to sanction peoples benefits for refusing to apply for them.

I agree on that, but the website is probably being bombarded with new vacancies on a continual loop, adding to that the fact these services are vastly understaffed, then it's a recruitment agency issue.

The website should be monitoring them, but it's easy enough to get round it by saying that they've filled those vacancies through offline recruitment, then re-issue the vacancy a couple of days later.

I've used that system, so I could fly through the loopholes, but it's the predatory non-skilled agencies that are to blame.

[King Gizzard]

Terrible website, regardless of whether this isn't there problem or not

[Josy]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

I agree on that, but the website is probably being bombarded with new vacancies on a continual loop, adding to that the fact these services are vastly understaffed, then it's a recruitment agency issue.

The website should be monitoring them, but it's easy enough to get round it by saying that they've filled those vacancies through offline recruitment, then re-issue the vacancy a couple of days later.

I've used that system, so I could fly through the loopholes, but it's the predatory non-skilled agencies that are to blame.

The universal jobsmatch department should have enough staff to constantly monitor new vacancies that are being added, I don't care how bombarded they are, a website that is asking for millions of peoples personal details and cv's should be at the very least safe.

Instead the DWP hit out with responses like this

In response, the Department for Work and Pensions said they would vet employers to ensure that the jobs posted on the site are genuine.

That should be one of the first things that's done IMO rather than waiting on reports about cv details being sold on.

I'm not disagreeing that there's dodgy agencies adding the jobs but the root of it lies with the DWP/government, they are to blame for allowing these fake agencies and vacancies to be allowed on the website in the first place.

Originally Posted by Josy

The universal jobsmatch department should have enough staff to constantly monitor new vacancies that are being added, I don't care how bombarded they are, a website that is asking for millions of peoples personal details and cv's should be at the very least safe.

Instead the DWP hit out with responses like this



That should be one of the first things that's done IMO rather than waiting on reports about cv details being sold on.

I'm not disagreeing that there's dodgy agencies adding the jobs but the root of it lies with the DWP/government, they are to blame for allowing these fake agencies and vacancies to be allowed on the website in the first place.

The numbers involved here makes monitoring it without errors, nigh on impossible.

They do have measures in place that that if used correctly, provide them with the evidence and proof they need, but there are ways round it, that are impossible to close without clogging the whole system up.

I always had to provide lots of information about my clients, and they always followed up on my vacancies, and I had to provide feedback on every single candidate they ever sent me, about why they were unsuccessful or I forwarded them across.

I completely agree with your issue here, but I'd never class myself as a government sympathiser, and yet I understand how this mess happened.

[Kate!]

Originally Posted by Loukas

when i was signing on at the job centre before i got picked to go on the work program they MADE me sign up on the website, if i didn't use this website they told me i would be sanctioned. wtf BS.

Yes I've experienced this as well. Sanctions on benefits that are, by the Governments own definition, the MINIMUM amount people NEED to live on are disgusting.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by *Kate*

Yes I've experienced this as well. Sanctions on benefits that are, by the Governments own definition, the MINIMUM amount people NEED to live on are disgusting.

Gavin got one for not turning up to an appointment he had. Which sounds fair enough, until you factor in that they only SENT the letter for the appointment on the day of the appointment. It arrived 3 days later. With both the sending date and the appointment date saying the same, so his got overturned once someone with common sense got hold of it, but seriously. Monkeys could do a better job than the people they have.

[HD]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Gavin got one for not turning up to an appointment he had. Which sounds fair enough, until you factor in that they only SENT the letter for the appointment on the day of the appointment. It arrived 3 days later. With both the sending date and the appointment date saying the same, so his got overturned once someone with common sense got hold of it, but seriously. Monkeys could do a better job than the people they have.

Ridiculous, you couldn't make it up.

[Vicky.]

http://www.theguardian.com/money/201...rsal-jobsmatch

At least they are finally realising that their site is crap. Though I suspect the main problem is the cost, not the problems to the unemployed...

[Me. I Am Salman]

That website is SO bad and difficult to use
always skip past links to it on job sites

[michael21]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/201...rsal-jobsmatch

At least they are finally realising that their site is crap. Though I suspect the main problem is the cost, not the problems to the unemployed...

it is the cost or there would stop it assp not wait till 2016 the feckers