Parsons revisited: a search for adaptive matching instruments

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore innovative and adaptive ways of matching people with jobs in the context of a Dutch policy initiative aimed at the skills mismatch in the region of Amsterdam. This is an important and urgent issue because of the challenges of the future labor market, in which technological disruption and socio-economic forces affect the content and conditions of jobs and occupations. Powered by digital technology and data-driven approaches it is possible to design ‘fine-grained’ matching systems based on skills or competences. The article combines an exploration of occupational taxonomies, skills frameworks and good practices of these skills-based applications with a theoretical discussion on the relevance and adaptations of Person-Environment Fit and matching theories. The article shows that these new forms of innovative, adaptive and fluid matching have benefits for policy-makers, employers and jobseekers alike. In the discussion section some critical remarks are made on the matching theory and its application in contemporary instruments and tools.