Government’s overhaul of its employment portal JobsCayman is expected to cost $1.3 million, about 1,300% more than the total cost for the existing gateway, the Ministry of Border Control and Labour has confirmed.
The JobsCayman site currently in use cost $92,465 to set up, but the ministry, in a statement to the Cayman Compass, said the new one “with added functionality and capabilities, is estimated to cost $1.3m which includes a 20% contingency.”
It said the new portal will be on a new platform and will be more user-friendly and intuitive.
“It will be easier to navigate and when a person becomes a registered user they will be able to better manage their profile. Once they are a registered job seeker, they will be able to apply for one or more jobs with the click of a button and can save jobs as favorites to go back to later and apply for them,” it said.
As for registered employers, the ministry said, the platform will have a more streamlined way to access jobs they post as well as any applications.
“They will also have better profile management when employers have multiple companies under them,” it added.
Workforce Opportunities and Residency Director Jeremy Scott, in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass, announced plans to overhaul JobsCayman, saying that everyone wants a new system.
“[JobsCayman] is providing a level of service, but it’s not optimal,” he added.
He said there is buy-in for the portal within the business and job-seeking community.
While the current portal is not a “failure”, the ministry said, “WORC is aware that customers don’t find it user-friendly and acknowledge that it could be more intuitive.”
The ministry added, “Be that as it may, it’s used daily by many employers posting available positions. Stats show that from Jan – July 2023 a total of 11,731 jobs were advertised on the portal.”
It said the top three industries advertising available positions from January to July were construction, at 21.6% or 2,820 jobs; accommodation and food services, 18.1% or 2,358 jobs; and administration and support services, 15.6% or 2,209 jobs.
Scott, in a recent interview, said it is anticipated that the overhaul of the portal will be completed by the end of the year.
According to the ministry, “A campaign will be launched once the new [portal] is ready.”
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 have been addressed, jobseekers have not gravitated to the portal as expected when seeking employment, even though all job postings are required to be advertised on JobsCayman.
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