Evolution of data matching

The ‘Evolution Data Matching’ project supports the further development of job matching within Switzerland’s public employment service. The aim is to systematically improve the quality of placements and the efficiency of the process of matching jobseekers with vacancies. The focus is particularly on making better use of existing data, taking greater account of skills and abilities and employing modern search and matching techniques.

The project will be implemented taking into account the existing business and IT architectures of the unemployment insurance scheme (ALV) and in line with the Strategy Public Employment Services 2030. It thus contributes to the progressive development of digital infrastructure.

A proof of concept (PoC) was carried out as part of the project. The findings showed that modern matching and search technologies offer significant potential in terms of providing public employment services. At the same time, it became clear that, in order to ensure sustainable implementation, particular attention must be paid to issues such as data quality, business integration and technical integration.

Based on these findings, the project was further refined and broken down into several areas of action. Prioritised improvements that are of direct benefit to the implementation of the project will be pursued in stages. These include, among other things, optimisations to search and filter options, as well as improvements to the usability and consistency of relevant data sets. At the same time, further conceptual and technical foundations are being laid for the future development of the matching system.

Particular emphasis is being placed on labour market ontology. This is intended to help map occupations, skills and related terms in a structured, technical manner, thereby strengthening the foundations for improved search and matching processes within the public employment service.

The ‘Evolution Data Matching’ project is designed to further develop existing systems and processes within the public employment service in a targeted manner. Through the gradual improvement of search and matching processes, the use of existing data is enhanced and the traceability of results is increased. This should benefit jobseekers, employers and the relevant implementing bodies in equal measure.

The focus is currently on continuing the prioritised implementation work and on procuring services relating to labour market ontology. The WTO call for tenders for ‘Crawling 3.0 and Labour Market Ontology’ was published on 16 March 2026, marking a significant milestone in the project’s development.

In the next project phases, the functional and technical foundations will be further refined so that improvements to data matching can be implemented gradually and in line with the ALV’s existing system landscape. The focus is on realistic, scalable development and the benefits for enforcement.