Souktel JobMatch — SMS-Based Job Matching for Feature Phones in Palestine

In the West Bank and Gaza, youth unemployment has long exceeded 30%, and jobseekers outside Ramallah or in refugee camps often lack reliable internet access or smartphones, while employers struggle to reach candidates beyond their personal networks.
Founded in 2005-2006 by Jacob Korenblum and based in Ramallah, Souktel built 'JobMatch,' an SMS-only service: jobseekers register a profile by text message, then text 'match me' to receive a ranked list of openings on any basic mobile phone; employers post vacancies and screen applicants the same way, with no app or data connection required.
An evaluation cited by the World Bank found college-graduate users cut their average job search from about 12 weeks to 1 week or less and raised starting wages by up to 50%; Souktel reports roughly 75% three-month match retention (versus lower rates for informal walk-in recruitment) and about 25% first-year placement rates versus roughly 15% for traditional recruiters, while partner employers saw hiring time and cost fall by around half. The model has since expanded to more than 20 markets across the Middle East and Africa and over 300,000 users; in Palestine specifically, Souktel works with close to 20 partner organisations and both national mobile carriers to reach close to 100,000 people with job and service information.
These figures come from Souktel's own reporting and partner case studies (World Bank/UN, GSMA); independent replication of the exact wage and search-time findings outside the original evaluation cohort is limited, and results likely vary by sector and by the sharply different access conditions between the West Bank and Gaza.

Read the full analysis: https://www.souktel.org/