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AI and the future of work

Skills-based matching: how a platform finds the right candidate

By · Published · 7 min read

Employer and skilled worker meeting at a job site entrance, looking together at a phone screen

A profile that does not match the trade being sought can never score more than 65 out of 100, even if the person lives next door and is free tomorrow morning. That number is no accident: it follows from the weights of a match score. Here is how skills-based matching works on GPP Emploi, why it never looks at age or origin, and what workers and employers can do to get better matches.

The principle: compare work criteria, not people

Skills-based matching starts from a simple idea: an employer is not looking for "a good person"; they are looking for someone able to do a specific job, in a specific place, at specific hours. A night snow removal job in Saint-Jérôme and the profile of a snowblower operator available at night in the Laurentians speak the same language. A platform's role is to measure that resemblance consistently, for every job and every profile.

Why a score rather than sorting by eye? Because an employer who receives many profiles reads them in the order they arrive, and a skilled person can end up at the bottom of the pile for a reason that has nothing to do with the work. A score based on known criteria puts profiles back in an order that makes sense, and it can be explained.

That is the key point: on GPP Emploi, the match score is out of 100 and always explained. Both the worker and the employer can see what it is based on. The full process is described on the how it works page.

The six criteria and their weight

The score adds up six criteria, and nothing else:

CriterionPointsWhat it measures
Trade35Does the profile's trade match the job's?
Location20Is the worker in the area where the work is done?
Availability15Does their availability cover the required schedule?
Cards15Do they hold the required cards and licences?
Pay10Do their expectations match what the job pays?
Working languages5Do they speak the language or languages of the job?

The logic of the weights is easy to read. Trade weighs the most because an excellent painter is not a roofer. Location comes next because, in services, the work is done at the client's place: an hour's drive morning and night wears anyone down. Availability and cards count equally, because a qualified person who is only free during the day does not solve a night-time need, and an available person without the required card cannot start.

A few calculations show the effect of these weights. Without the trade, the maximum possible is 65 (100 - 35). Without the required cards, it is 85. Without location or availability, it drops to 65. In other words, a profile can aim broadly on pay or languages without losing much, but not on trade, location, availability or cards.

What the score never looks at, and why

On GPP Emploi, nothing other than these six criteria is used: not age, not sex, not origin. This choice follows the law. Section 10 of Quebec's Charter of human rights and freedoms prohibits discrimination based on, among other grounds, race, colour, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age (except as provided by law), religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition and disability. Section 16 applies this prohibition to hiring, probation and working conditions.

Section 18.1 goes further: no one may, in a job application form or during a job interview, ask for information on these grounds, except as provided. A system that does not collect this data cannot use it, even by accident. Every job posted on the platform is also checked automatically before publication, including to detect discriminatory criteria.

What about languages? Language is one of the grounds in section 10, but section 20 deems non-discriminatory a distinction based on the aptitudes or qualifications required for a job. The score therefore compares the job's working languages, not someone's mother tongue or accent. A warning for employers: under section 46 of the Charter of the French language, requiring a language other than French is only allowed if the task requires it, after taking all reasonable means to avoid it, and the job posting must give the reasons.

A score is not a decision

The score ranks profiles; it hires no one. In the profile bank, the employer sees an anonymous profile: trades, region, availability and cards. The worker's name and cellphone number are encrypted and hidden. The employer decides to invite; the worker accepts or declines. If they decline, the employer will never know who they are, and contact details are only shared with the employer the worker accepts. These rules are detailed in the privacy policy.

The distinction matters legally. Since September 22, 2023, section 12.1 of the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector, introduced by Law 25, governs decisions based exclusively on automated processing. The business must inform the person no later than when it communicates the decision. On request, it must tell them what personal information was used, the reasons and main factors behind the decision, and their right to have that information corrected. The person must also be able to submit observations to a staff member who can review the decision.

On GPP Emploi, when the system holds back a job posting or restricts an account, the person sees why and can ask for a member of the team to review the decision, with an answer within 5 business days. The rules that apply to automated recruitment tools in general are discussed in Will AI replace the service trades? What is really changing.

Workers: how to improve your match

Since the score is explained, you can work on it. Each criterion corresponds to a field in your profile, which takes about 3 minutes to create, with no résumé, in 8 steps you can complete in any order:

  • Trade (35): choose your main trade precisely, then only the related trades you truly master.
  • Location (20): give your actual town rather than a whole region.
  • Availability (15): check what is true today, and update it when the seasons change.
  • Cards (15): fill in your Passport (ASP Construction, RBQ licence, driver's licence, first aid…). The team checks licences against the public register, then a badge appears.
  • Pay (10) and languages (5): realistic expectations and all your working languages.

Two settings act on your visibility rather than your score. The "Available now" button puts you at the top of employers' lists for 48 hours. Alerts notify you by email of jobs that match you, with a threshold you can set from 50% to 90%, and by text for very good matches (85% and up) and invitations, never at night. The 10 details that make a difference are in Building a profile employers notice: 10 details that make the difference. No profile yet? Create one for free.

Employers: getting better matches

The score compares a profile with your posting: a vague posting produces vague matches. Start with the right type. A "Job offer" is for an employee whose schedule and work you direct; a "Quote request" is for a result to deliver, priced by the self-employed worker. Then be precise on the other five criteria: the exact trade, the real work location, the true schedule, the cards actually required and clear pay.

The most common trap is requiring cards "just in case". Every card you require weighs in the calculation: if it is not needed, you rule out profiles that could have done the job. The same goes for a language: requiring it when the task does not call for it costs you candidates, and the Charter of the French language regulates it. In the profile bank, you can then filter by job, trade, region, type (job or contract) and "available now"; profiles are ranked by how well they match the job you choose. To write the posting itself, see Writing a job post that attracts candidates (and follows the law).

In short

  • The match score adds up six criteria: trade 35, location 20, availability 15, cards 15, pay 10, working languages 5.
  • Without the right trade, a profile tops out at 65 out of 100; without the required cards, at 85.
  • Age, sex and origin are never used, in line with Quebec's Charter of human rights and freedoms.
  • The score ranks; it does not decide: the employer invites, the worker accepts or declines.
  • A precise profile and a precise posting produce better matches than boxes checked "just in case".

Frequently asked questions

What is skills-based matching?

It is a method that compares a job's requirements (trade, location, schedule, cards, pay, languages) with what a candidate offers. It ranks profiles by how well they match the job rather than by order of arrival or a résumé.

How is the match score calculated on GPP Emploi?

It is out of 100 and adds up six criteria: trade (35 points), location (20), availability (15), cards (15), pay (10) and working languages (5). Nothing else is used, and the score is always explained.

Can a hiring algorithm take age into account?

Quebec's Charter of human rights and freedoms prohibits hiring discrimination based on age, except as provided by law, as well as on sex, origin and other grounds. The GPP Emploi score uses neither age, sex nor origin.

Can an employer require English in Quebec?

Under section 46 of the Charter of the French language, only if performing the task requires that knowledge, and after taking all reasonable means to avoid requiring it. The job posting must then state the reasons for the requirement.

How can I improve my match score?

Choose your main trade precisely, give your actual town, check truthful availability and fill in your Passport with your cards and licences. Trade is worth 35 points out of 100: it is the most important field.

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