Federal online job bank broken for weeks

Some unemployed Prince Edward Islanders have been having a hard time getting on the federal government's online job bank for close to two weeks.

The website posts jobs that are available across the country and provides information about how to apply,

Carpenter Brian Griffin has been out of work for the past two months. The federal job bank, his favourite tool for finding jobs, has been mostly offline since January.

'It's maddening, it's frustrating for people trying to find work.' —Brian Griffin

"They've been working on this since the new year and it's still not happening," says Griffin, who has also worked on a lobster boat and as a farmhand.

Griffin said he's extending his search to other websites, although he's less comfortable with those.

"It's maddening, it's frustrating for people that are trying to find work and they can't reach out with their government website. You know, it's hard. And it's also hard for employers who are searching for employees," said Griffin.

Maureen Chandler is having the same difficulties.

"Well, I've been searching for a job for quite a long time and I found the job bank to have the most resources available to me," said Chandler.

"And it has been down for a little over a week, which is making my job hunt incredibly difficult."

The federal government won't say how long its job bank has been down.

On Thursday, Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay wrote to Human Resources Minister Diane Finley asking her to get the job bank back online.

No one in the department was available for an interview, but in an email, an official said the job bank is undergoing security upgrades and should be back up within a couple of days.

In the meantime, the department is directing job-seekers to a different website for additional information on the job market, including the national unemployment rate and links to privately-run job banks.