Improving Matching Data Exchange (VUM)

Municipality of Almere

VUM aims to ensure greater transparency in the jobseeker and vacancy database across regional and organisational boundaries. VUM enables the right jobseeker to be linked to the right vacancy quickly, properly and permanently and vice versa.

Last change on 15th of September 2025, at 10:44 (CET) | Publication Standard 1.0

• Publication category: Other algorithms
• Impact assessment: Field not filled in.
• Status: In use

General information

Theme

Work

Begin date

2024-07

Contact information

[e-mail]

Link to publication website

Link to source registration

Verbeteren Uitwisseling Matchingsgegevens (VUM) op eigen benen | VNG

Responsible use

Goal and impact

Helping people find work faster, that is VUM's goal. But to match jobseekers and employers, mediators need a good picture of available candidates and vacancies. Due to the diversity of systems and terminology, good matching is sometimes quite a task. However, exchanging data between mediators is vital for successful matches between employers and jobseekers.

The facility Improving Matching Data Exchange (VUM) addresses this. Mediators can access matching profiles and vacancies from other service providers' databases through a search query, using the VUM facility. This gives them a much broader picture of jobseekers. It no longer matters which service provider or region jobseekers are registered with.

The VUM facility thus creates more transparency in the jobseeker and vacancy database across regional and organisational boundaries. This ensures better matches between employers and jobseekers. And that is what VUM aims to achieve. However, VUM is not a matching facility, as matching remains people-centred and customised. However, the VUM facility, the associated agreement system and the data standards do help make that work easier.

Considerations

In order to match correctly, it is important, that the exchange of data takes place without obstacles. The technology behind VUM links the matching systems of intermediaries. This allows them to access each other's data on candidates' profiles and vacancies. This ensures that a search gets more results than before. To match properly, it is useful that the various systems can understand each other. BKWI ensures that agreements on this are properly recorded.

Human intervention

After all, power remains human work and requires customisation. The final matching between a jobseeker and a vacancy is therefore always done by an employee and not by the VUM facility. Therefore, using algorithms for the purpose of VUM has a very low impact.

Risk management

Privacy of personal data is paramount. Making agreements and recording which data can be shared is therefore very important. As is recording the terminology and the format in which work is done. Because if the software of the matching systems cannot communicate with each other, no data will appear.

To achieve the above, a specific standard was therefore created for VUM to make the necessary data exchange unambiguous. We call this data standards. These data standards are managed by BKWI.

Besides data standards, agreements are also needed to make the whole process run smoothly. Just think of the privacy of personal data mentioned earlier. This is done in an agreement system.

System of agreements

The use of data standards thus involves a number of agreements. The agreements for the use of VUM include the use of matching data; how may they be used, cooperation, security and privacy aspects.

These agreements enable data to be shared carefully and securely. Only parties that commit to the agreements can use the sharing facility (VUM). The appointment system is also managed by BKWI.

The appointment system and the data standard ensure uniformity, enabling all parties to cooperate smoothly.

Legal basis

The UWV has a statutory duty to carry out job mediation for jobseekers who fall within the target groups mentioned in the SUWI Act. Municipalities also have a statutory duty to support labour insertion for their target groups mentioned in the Participation Act. In addition, municipalities can make agreements with the UWV to provide services to persons receiving UWV services.

The legal framework for VUM as a whole is detailed in the document 'Handreiking Juridische Grondslagen VUM', version 1.4, dated 27 July 2021:Handreiking Juridische Grondslagen VUM

Operations

Data

Field not filled in.

Technical design

The system is not an independent matching algorithm, but an exchange facility that allows intermediaries (such as municipalities, UWV, reintegration agencies and social development companies) to share data on job seekers and vacancies. This is done through:

• A uniform data standard: This records things like education, work experience, competences, skills and interests in a standardised format.
• An agreement system: This regulates how data may be shared, with attention to privacy, security and cooperation.
• Technical links: The systems of different intermediaries are technically linked so that searches can access profiles and vacancies from other databases.

The result is that intermediaries can use their own systems to search for candidates or vacancies outside their own organisation or region, leading to more and better matches.

Although VUM itself does not contain an automated matching algorithm, it does support systems that enable algorithmic searching and matching:

• Search queries are processed algorithmically within connected systems, suggesting suitable matches based on competences, skills and other profile characteristics.
• UWV uses algorithms in broader service delivery, and has published an algorithm register for this purpose, explaining which algorithms are used, with what data and for what purpose. It is plausible that some of these algorithms are also used in the context of VUM, for instance for enriching profiles or prioritising matches.

Importantly, matching remains human work and customised. VUM facilitates the infrastructure and data exchange, but the final decision on a match lies with the intermediary