DigiTV and Jobcentre Plus announce their partnership and successful new citizen focused service

Digital TV viewers can now use their TV sets for more than just watching football and films, they can search for a job anywhere in the country from the comfort of their sofa. Looking Local, the local government digital TV portal has teamed up with Jobcentre Plus to offer a real time, national job search engine – and it is proving incredibly popular.

Searching for a new job is one of the top three enquiries on local government websites, so it seemed logical to add it to the range of services available from local government on Looking Local. The partnership with Jobcentre Plus was perfect as their service was easily transferable to TV and with over 400,000 of the latest vacancies being held centrally, the viewer gets access to the widest possible range of available jobs, 24 hours a day.  

Digital TV is an important channel to reach those across the digital divide and now this free service is available to citizens across the country that have Sky, cable or broadband enabled Freeview boxes. So whether you are looking for a job in catering or childcare, IT or retail there are literally thousands of jobs to choose from, each with a full job description and details in terms of location, wages, benefits and how to apply.

The Jobcentre Plus service allows skilled and unskilled workers to investigate available positions from Penzance to Penrith and across the full range of job categories and types. On Looking Local all ads are searchable by postcode so job seekers can find jobs in order of distance from their home and by how far they are willing to travel. Searching for temporary or permanent posts is possible as is defining how many hours a week you want to work. By including all of these criteria, the service seeks to return the most appropriate jobs for the applicant, with all the relevant details to make an informed decision.  

Since its launch in late December the service has been really popular, with over 400,000 hits since launch. Usage of the service is growing week on week and proves that digital TV is reaching people who really need access to these services.

Steve Langrick, Kirklees Interactive Services Manager, who runs the DigiTV service on behalf of wider local government said: “Jobs are crucial in a citizen focused government offering and the partnership between DigiTV and Jobcentre Plus now brings useful content to those citizens without PC access. The wide range of vacancies of offer makes it of interest to job seekers of all ages and skills and offers some really relevant, current content to encourage regular use.”

 Employment Minister Jim Murphy said: “Jobcentre Plus helps 17,000 people into work every week. Customers can already access JCP services through around 1,000 locations nationwide, including over 800 JCP offices, as well as by phone and online. This new partnership with Digital TV provides a new means helping job seekers find work. 

“With over 70% of homes now owning at least one digital TV set a greater number of people have access to digital TV than the web. This is a great way to bring a comprehensive job search facility to those without access to the internet.”

The Jobcentre Plus service now sits alongside Transport Direct, Citizens Advice, the Legal Services Commission and a range of local authority services on Looking Local, and is shaping up to be a one-stop shop for local government services on digital TV, as well as some mobile platforms.  

With over 70% of homes now owning at least one digital TV set, it is becoming a vital communications channel. In a recent poll running on Looking Local, over 46% of participants said they did not have access to a PC, so could not use web services. Their preferred method of contacting government organisations was by telephone, in person or by letter, all of which cost a significant amount per transaction. Digital TV is helping to bring electronic services to those without PC access and encourage efficiencies; initiatives like Jobcentre Plus only serve to make it more useful.

There is a lot of movement and awareness around DiTV at the moment as the country ramps up into the analogue switchover timetable. There is a great opportunity for government services, both local and central, to integrate their services and widen their reach by using this simple and pervasive channel.

Released 10th April 2007

No embargo

Jobcentre Plus online: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

Use the links below to see some of the coverage this release received:

 Government Exchange (SOCITM)

 Digital TV Group

Digital TV .co.uk