Arbetsförmedlingen Provides Remote Services to Swedish Job Seekers Using the Vonage Video API

Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Public Employment Service, is on a mission to improve the nation’s labor market by facilitating meetings and bringing together employers with job seekers, especially those who have particular difficulties in finding work. The majority of these meetings happened in-person at the service offices - then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Overnight, the team at Arbetsförmedlingen needed to shift to a remote delivery model if they had any hope of continuing to support the nation’s workforce throughout the pandemic. They needed more than a standard, off the shelf video conferencing tool. They needed a purpose-built video solution that would enable them to safely and securely connect job seekers with potential employers and support services without needing to travel or break social distancing guidelines. 

“As a government agency, our main focus is to serve the public, provide support to people and increase employment rates long-term,” said Björn Norestig, Head of Digital Meetings for the Public Employment Service. “We’ve offered alternatives to in-person meetings in the past, but there was often some resistance and it was not a main focus. The pandemic changed everything. We needed to help our team communicate with job seekers and employers, and empower them to connect, with a well-functioning system.” 

Powered by the Vonage Video API, Arbetsförmedlingen accelerated its digital transformation by expanding and enhancing its virtual meeting capabilities and completed the transition to a 100% online platform during the pandemic, giving a service continuation to users nationwide.

Creating Connection, No Matter the Distance

As a result of the global pandemic, public sector organizations all over the world are facing technological and operational challenges associated with procuring and implementing new communications strategies into their organization. But this wave of transformation goes beyond pandemic-related solutions. Today, digital transformation is focused on leveraging innovative communications tools to reimagine operations and build a fundamentally new way of connecting. As a government agency, Arbetsförmedlingen searched for a communications technology provider that leveraged a best-in-class WebRTC industry standard and that was strong, stable, and intuitive for users. 

“If we ask customers to install an app or plugin, that’s just too many steps. We lose half of our customers instantly,” said Norestig. “It was crucial for us to find a solution that works within our existing platform, on any device, and simplifies the entire experience for the customer. The Vonage Video API checks all the boxes and allows us to provide options that are accessible to as many people as possible.”

In recent years, Sweden has seen a structural change in the labor market happen very quickly, and a large portion of the population has been forced to study and adapt to new jobs or careers. The fastest, easiest way to make this adjustment is to contact an employment officer through the service. But, Sweden is a large country with a low population density, and it can be hard for users to access physical services when the weather is too cold or harsh. By embedding the Vonage Video API into its existing applications, the Public Employment Service can reach people wherever they are and connect them with the opportunities that best fit their skills and goals.

“Since expanding our use of video services practically overnight, we have discovered even more uses for the tool. I’m sure that within a year or two we’ll have double the video use cases we have today,” Norestig noted. “For the first time, we have been able to offer our speed interviews service - basically speed dating with employers - virtually. Because of our video solution powered by Vonage, job seekers no longer need to travel long distances for a five minute interview and this has opened up opportunities not only for job seekers but employers, as it allows us to widen the search for the perfect fit.” 

“Overall, the ability to connect with the public via video has been crucial, especially during the pandemic. Instead of canceling meetings for social benefits or employment support, we’ve shifted everything online and continued to deliver on our mission remotely.” 

Bridging the Generation Gap and Shaping the Future of Work

Government agencies around the world have undergone accelerated digital transformation over the past year - Arbetsförmedlingen is not unique in that regard. Now, Arbetsförmedlingen is not only connecting employers and employees virtually, but also offering proactive remote career guidance for job seekers who are not sure what the next steps are.  

“I think that for the public sector moving forward, physical offices will still exist of course, but a lot of our services will move online. What’s happened during the pandemic has leapfrogged video communication by at least five years when it comes to public usage, understanding, and behavior,” Norestig commented. “And it’s important to note that in some cases we’ve seen that video calling works even better than physical meetings. So it’s not just a replacement, it’s actually the best way to connect with certain members of the population.”  

Offering a video solution enables the Employment Service to more easily connect with underserved communities. Whether that means younger job seekers who are reluctant to speak on the phone, but consider video calls second nature, or individuals with mental or physical limitations that make it difficult to travel to a physical location - offering remote delivery of services has been a game-changer. 

“When the pandemic hit, everyone was forced to quickly adapt to the new way of communicating,” noted Norestig. “Luckily, our video solution was built to be a smooth and easy experience for people of all ages and abilities - that’s the value we get with Vonage.”

Discover how the Vonage Video API can enable crucial connections for your business.