Government’s employment portal JobsCayman is set for a major overhaul, Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman Director Jeremy Scott has said.
The portal has not achieved the kind of user interface that was envisioned when it launched in 2019.
“We normally go and have engagements with key stakeholders, and everyone, I think it’s fair to say, wants a new system…. [JobsCayman] is providing a level of service, but it’s not optimal,” Scott said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass.
The cost of the overhaul has not been released, but the WORC director said work has started on the new interface.
Scott said last year government decided to “scrap” the existing portal and give the system a makeover.
“The intent is to actually replace it with a new design, a new facelift, for it to be much more customer friendly,” he said, adding the aim is to ensure that the entire process is easier for the public to navigate.
The JobsCayman online system, which allows registered users to access job postings created by registered employers, had been beset with user complaints since its introduction.
Though the teething problems were addressed, jobseekers have not gravitated to the portal when seeking employment even though all job postings are required to be advertised on JobsCayman.
Scott said it is anticipated that the overhaul of the portal will be completed by the end of the year; however, he said, he does not anticipate new services being added within this time frame.
The system, which is utilised to register job seekers and jobs, make payments online, and submit applications, will be replaced with a revamped JobsCayman portal, he said.
“Based on identifying the gaps and the inefficiencies that we’ve experienced before, I think we are in a better position to work around those and ensure that when we do roll the system out, that it is satisfactory, and that the public is, and will be, happy with the product,” he said.
Chamber of Commerce President Nelson Dilbert welcomed the news of the portal’s revamp.
“It is difficult to work with as it is… but I fear for the people looking for jobs. I do not think it is very user friendly for them,” Dilbert said.
Apart from the portal interface itself, he said accessing the online system remains an issue, especially for jobseekers who do not have computers or internet service.
“I think there needs to be a public area for [these jobseekers] to access the portal, even a dedicated computer in the public libraries, that you can just walk in there and check postings.
“Other than that, no one likes the system. It needs updating and being made more user-friendly,” he added.
A better approach
According to the JobsCayman site, the purpose of the system “is to offer a better approach to facilitate Caymanians in finding employment” by enabling employers to search for qualified and skilled Caymanians who are seeking employment.
The system requires all information to be submitted electronically.
Scott said there is buy-in for the portal from key stakeholders who are asking for an online system, but what exists today is not sufficient.
WORC will be “redoing” phase one of the portal, which involves the registration and job postings, he said.
“Phase two then would be to introduce applications through the system. That would be one platform that internal processes would also be tied to,” he explained.
Scott said, at present, two platforms are being used – one for registration of jobseekers/employers and job postings, and the other for processing applications.
He said, ideally, everything should be on one platform.
Phase two of the overhaul, he said, would include applications.
The intent is to allow WORC to see when an application is submitted, where it is in the process, and then allow the customer to see what stage in the process their application is at and the wait periods anticipated.
In addition, they want to be “able to automate communication on decisions, as well. That’s where we need to be”, Scott said.
“We’re hoping that, at least into 2024, we would get to stage two and stage three in that platform,” he added.
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