SINGAPORE - Local jobseekers will have access to more job posts on MyCareersFuture.sg, when enhancements to the national job search portal are rolled out by June.

Employers, meanwhile, may be able to save time in identifying suitable candidates.

Workforce Singapore (WSG) - which runs the portal - said in a media release on Friday (Jan 4) that it is testing technology that could recommend the most relevant job applicants to employers based on information in their curricula vitae.

There are an average of 23,000 job posts on the site each month, and this will rise to more than 35,000 by June, an increase of about 50 per cent, said the statutory board. This is because the portal will also display a selection of posts from global job site Indeed, which has signed an agreement with WSG. The job posts are by locally registered companies.

Jobseekers looking for jobs on Google, LinkedIn, JobsCentral and Jooble are now also able to see vacancies from MyCareersFuture.sg, which was launched in April last year to replace the interface of the existing Jobs Bank for users.

The new portal is more high-tech and can prioritise search results according to the relevance of a job seeker's skills with the aim of better matching jobs eekers to vacancies.

More than 500,000 people have visited the portal so far, said WSG in its first official update on the site.

On average, there are about 250,000 active users every month, said a spokesman for WSG. Of these, 43 per cent have used the skills matching feature to look for jobs. But only a quarter of the users who are recommended jobs after using the skills matching feature clicked through to view the full job post.

The spokesman said WSG is unable to provide figures on successful placement rates as employers may not update them on the outcome of the job posting.

Employers cannot post on the portal yet, and must still use the existing Jobs Bank. Their posts are displayed on MyCareersFuture.sg. WSG said it plans to launch the employer section of the portal by June, and will announce more details later.

In the meantime, it is testing new technology to help employers.

For example, it is working with Netherlands-based software company WCC to rank and recommend jobseekers.

WCC chief operating officer Jan Muchez said the technology uses machine learning algorithms to create profiles of jobseekers, by categorising data from curricula vitae and adding related terms to increase the chances of a match. The portal can then recommend to employers the most suitable candidates, including those who have indicated they are open to receiving job offers but have not applied to a specific job ad.

"This broadens their candidate list since they are not necessarily dependent on active jobseekers who apply. They can now also approach the 'latent' job seekers," he said.

For jobseekers, the skills matching technology being used is provided by local startup JobKred, which WSG has been working with on a pilot basis since the portal's launch. It analyses online labour market data points such as job descriptions and resume data to identify emerging job titles and the relevant skills, said the company's co-founder Gary Gan.

JobKred then uses machine learning to train an AI engine to match a jobseeker's current competencies and skills to the latest careers and jobs that require those skills.

"This helps jobseekers to open up their awareness of potential careers and jobs that they may have suitable skills for. For example, a public relations executive who reports their public relations and copywriting skills may be recommended to digital marketing or social media marketing jobs, modern careers that require those skills," said Mr Gan.

Besides offering more posts and new technology through MyCareersFuture.sg, WSG said it is also beefing up content in the Careers Toolkit section of the portal, which contains articles on career guidance and industry insights, for example.

WSG chief executive Tan Choon Shian said it hopes to collaborate with more partners to make MyCareersFuture.sg a one-stop job portal providing Singaporeans with trusted job matching services and information.
"By means of such collaborations between the public and private sectors, it allows us to create innovative solutions to address the needs of jobseekers and employers, and bridge the gaps by effectively connecting them," he said.