ABSTRACT
Providing accurate and accessible labour market information is a key priority for policy-makers concerned with improving the employability of unemployed people. In an attempt to develop the quality and expand the reach of services for job seekers, policymakers have promoted solutions delivered through information and communications technologies (ICT). (ICT is here defined as computing and telecommunications hardware, applications software and services in the relevant policy area, specifically telephone, Internet or other computer-mediated tools or services.) The potential benefits are clear: it is suggested that ICT-based services have the capacity to overcome problems of distance and remoteness; provide more accurate and detailed labour market vacancy information; deliver a more responsive and interactive model of service provision; and promote social networking among disadvantaged groups.
