Create rules for job sites to give candidates, employers peace of mind

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:39 JST, October 25, 2021

With the spread of the internet, a growing number of people have looked for employment opportunities on job search sites in recent years. It is desirable to create appropriate rules to allow job seekers and companies to use such sites with peace of mind.

These sites offer information that companies have asked them to post and opportunities listed by Hello Work public job placement offices. For users, these sites must be attractive, as they can easily find extensive information on job openings.

Job sites vary from those where companies pay fees for listings so that users can view the information for free, to those that require job seekers to pay fixed fees to access services. Job sites also greatly benefit companies plagued by labor shortages.

According to a survey of people who have looked for jobs conducted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in June this year, 30% of respondents who found employment had used such sites.

If a job site operator makes arrangements for matters such as scheduling interviews for job seekers and companies, such services are regarded as job placement and require permission from the government under the Employment Security Law. However, such permission is not needed for simply posting job openings online.

With the number of job site users growing, problems have become conspicuous.

According to a survey by the labor ministry, 70% of respondents who used job sites said they had encountered trouble or had concerns. In many cases, the users found that terms such as those regarding wages and job descriptions were different from those listed on the sites, or that job vacancies had already been filled.

Some employers have also voiced complaints. In one case, a job site operator offered to post jobs for an employer free of charge and the employer took up the offer but was later charged high fees.

Given the situation, the ministry’s Labor Policy Council has launched discussions to create rules for job sites. The council plans to compile opinions by the end of this year, and the government aims to revise the Employment Security Law during next year’s ordinary Diet session.

It is likely to be important to call for site operators to list accurate and up-to-date information about job openings and instruct them to correct any false information.

The council is expected to discuss matters such as getting site operators to develop a system to receive complaints and establishing a system to certify those with good practices.

Some sites require users to register personal information such as name, age and desired job type. Many users are concerned about information leaks.

Operators should develop a system to properly manage personal information, as they handle a large volume of data.

It is crucial to improve the environment so that problems do not arise, while enhancing the convenience of online job hunting.