In September 2003, The New Zealand Ministry of Social Development (MSD) began an initiative to replace the outdated Work and Income welfare-to-work job matching software system and seek a new direction for its recruitment service that would meet the changing job market.

The project team considered proposals from vendors across Australasia, and selected QuietAgent for the quality of its solution and the future vision and expertise of its strategic development team. Together with strategic partner, PayGlobal Limited, QuietAgent delivered the new Workforce Development Edition system to Work and Income on 1st July 2004.

Work and Income uses the QuietAgent solution to manage the relationships among job seekers looking for work in New Zealand, Case Managers, Work Brokers, employment providers and external agencies. The system brings all these parties together by providing complete job seeker management and development, coupled with sophisticated job matching and placement capability.

What set QuietAgent apart from the traditional job-board and applicant tracking industry providers was its new approach and desire to challenge existing models. Rather than deliver an ‘old generation’ email-driven job board, the system focuses on quality-driven structured matching, and on exception management rather than quantity-driven data aggregation.

In addition, QuietAgent presented a solution backed by a strong technical capability and was equipped to support the Ministry’s nationwide implementation plan. Approximately 4000 people at 170 local offices of Work and Income use the solution to assist people into employment, and identify work skills training needs.

Benefits delivered by the system include the capture of quality, validated data, and a greater control over data, giving Work and Income Case Workers the ability to make informed decisions; ultimately leading to optimum job seeker placements and higher retention. “This project provides a clear endorsement of a new technology model for recruitment, and challenges the old models and cost structures” says Jason Kerr, CEO of QuietAgent. “We are excited to be working with the MSD to deliver their future vision for recruitment”.