KEHA Centre

A more efficient way to find employment – AI brings work and employees together

A historically extensive digital reform is modernising Finland’s employment services. Updated policies and an AI-enhanced system connect jobseekers and employers in a way that supports the growth of the employment rate.

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CHALLENGE

Digitalisation helps boost employment rates

The KEHA Centre develops information systems and operating methods that will have a major impact on employment services throughout Finland. The large-scale TE-Digi project had the ambitious goal of improving Finland’s employment rate.

“The aim was to make public employment services more efficient from several points of view. We wanted to promote the matching of job seekers and employers and to improve the utilisation of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in public employment services”, says Matias Vainio, the head of unit in charge of the project at the KEHA Centre.

The TE-Digi project was initiated during Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government (2015–2019). It was created to address problems such as the availability of labour and the duration of unemployment periods. In addition, the systems used by the employment services were at the end of their service life, and there was plenty of room for improvement in their usability and accessibility. From 2021 onwards, the project continued under the name Digital TE Services Project.

APPROACH

A new way to connect jobs and employees

Gofore has been one of the key partners in one of the largest projects in the history of the KEHA Centre. In the project, a wide range of expertise, from service design to system development, was utilised to build a new digital service for private and corporate customers. At the same time, a new customer information system was created for employment authorities.

The most concrete and visible result has been the Job Market, which brings together public and private job search services. The data centre solutions used by the old systems have been replaced with a cloud service that can be scaled in an agile manner. Operating at the core of the service, artificial intelligence helps job seekers and employers find each other efficiently.

“The benefits of artificial intelligence were recognised in the project at an early stage, long before the generative AI boom. For example, it helps job seekers articulate their skills better so that suitable employers can find them. As a tool for the authorities, artificial intelligence will help find suitable jobs for jobseekers at the push of a button in the best case scenario”, says Vainio.

Customer experience has been at the heart of the development work, as evidenced by the large number of surveys, studies, interviews, workshops and user testing conducted for the project. Even individual elements of the user interface have been designed with usability and accessibility in mind and compiled in the Design System to help developers. Since accessibility has been considered from the beginning, the service can also be used by people who face challenges or restrictions in the use of the systems.

The benefits of artificial intelligence were recognised in the project at an early stage, long before the generative AI boom. For example, it helps job seekers articulate their skills better so that suitable employers can find them.

Matias Vainio / KEHA Centre

OUTCOME

Positive effects on employment and the economy

The digitalisation of employment services has progressed through system deployments towards a phase of continuous development. However, concrete evidence of the service’s impact on employment has already been accumulated: according to an analysis carried out by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy (available only in Finnish), the impact of the Job Market service on the employment rate in 2022 was about 2,500 people.

“The main advantages will be seen when we get to make use of all the benefits of cloud computing technology, artificial intelligence and new ways of working as part of continuous development. The matching of jobs and employees will improve, which will have a positive impact on employment rates in Finland and thus on the economy”, explains Vainio.

The new digital service also produces higher-quality data, which will support decision-making and information management at both the operational and political level. In addition, the service experience will improve for jobseekers, employers and the authorities producing employment services.

Several parties have been working on the project for almost a decade. As one of the significant achievements of the project, Vainio highlights the way the project organisation evolved into a cohesive working community.

The main advantages will be seen when we get to make use of all the benefits of cloud computing technology, artificial intelligence and new ways of working as part of continuous development. The matching of jobs and employees will improve, which will have a positive impact on employment rates in Finland and thus on the economy.

Matias Vainio / KEHA Centre

Project highlights

Challenge

Finland’s employment services needed a digital overhaul that would respond to the changing needs of the labour market. The project, led by the KEHA Centre, aimed to improve Finland’s employment rate by making the matching of jobseekers and employers more efficient, by improving the accessibility of employment services, and by utilising digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

Approach

Gofore acted as a key partner in the largest digital project in the history of the KEHA Centre, where expertise was used extensively, from service design to system development. A new customer service was built for private and corporate customers, and at the same time a new customer information system was created for employment authorities. The consideration of accessibility right from the outset ensured that the services are available to everyone.

Outcome

The positive employment effects of the reforms have already manifested in a concrete manner, but even more will be gained from cloud service technology, artificial intelligence and new operating methods as the transition from the deployment phase to continuous development is completed. The matching of jobs and employees, the user experience of various user groups and knowledge management will improve, which will have significant effects on employment rates and the economy in Finland.