A feasibility study for the development of an employment system for underserved communities

Abstract

This study deals with the formulation of a technology-based solution to the problem of unemployment in underserved communities. Jobs for low-skilled and unskilled labor in the informal economy are acquired by means of referrals and contacts, but this approach suffers from making employment related information privileged only to a few individuals. In order to gauge the feasibility of a technology solution, the employment seeking process was studied through interviews conducted with all stakeholders - employers, candidates and intermediaries like NGOs and employment agencies. The studies were conducted at slum communities in Ahmedabad, India. After the interviews, two questionnaires were developed that drew from the interviews, one for the members of the community and the other for employers who recruited from the community. The employers also went through a semi-structured interview in order to capture any pertinent data that was not represented in the questionnaire. Based on the responses to the surveys a preliminary version of the system was constructed.