Jobcentre Plus vacancy statistics
Prior to November 2012, the Jobcentre Plus vacancy series provided information about the stocks and flows of vacancies notified by employers to Jobcentre Plus, the Public Employment Service for Great Britain. The data were sourced from Jobcentre Plus' Labour Market System, an administrative computer system covering all vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus (but only ever a share of vacancies in the wider economy). Jobcentre Plus was responsible for checking and entering this information. The series is available via Nomis with summary statistics published in the Statistical Summary
From 19 November 2012, a new service was launched called the Universal Jobmatch providing a matching service for employers to notify vacancies and jobseekers to search for them. As a result, the existing source of administrative data has been decommissioned and the existing National Statistics on Jobcentre Plus vacancies has ceased.
The new internet-based statistics derived from Universal Jobmatch are available to all users at Directgov jobs and skills search - Public reports. This provides wider coverage with timely and frequent updates. However, definitions are necessarily not consistent with the previous statistics and users should treat the series as representing a discontinuity from the NOMIS vacancy series. The "Focus On..." article on page 4 of the DWP Quarterly Statistical Summary, release click here: 
provides a useful summary of the changes and statistical issues.
The DWP consultation with users of the statistics has now closed. Here is a note summarising user views and the next steps being undertaken.
Comments are welcome on the new reporting tool to Stats Consultation
Comments on the Universal Jobmatch service itself can be submitted via this link to the Universal Jobmatch.
