Jobsplus AI Virtual Assistant handles 92% of User Conversations Autonomously

 
 
 
 
 

Jobsplus AI Virtual Assistant handles 92% of User Conversations Autonomously

Jobsplus partnered with EBO to bring AI to Malta's public employment services. Through NORA, their AI Virtual Assistant, the company transformed how thousands of jobseekers and employers access support, automating 92% of interactions, improving satisfaction year-on-year, and laying the foundation for the next generation of citizen services.
 
 
 
Zendesk | EBO partner
 
 
 
 

About Jobsplus

Jobsplus is Malta’s national employment service, working to make employment and career opportunities more accessible through modern, targeted services that support jobseekers, employees and employers while responding to Malta’s changing labour market needs.


jobsplus.gov.mt →

 
Virtual Assistant (VA) Name
Nora
End-to-end Automation
92%
YoY usage growth (2024→2025)
+16%
Workload Saved Agent Capacity
4 FTEs

The Challenge

As Malta's labour market grew more complex, fuelled by an expanding economy, Jobsplus faced three interlocking pressures:

 
 
 
 

Surging enquiry volumes

Citizens and employers were increasingly turning to Jobsplus for guidance on permits, licences, vacancies and training, straining front-line teams. Conversations grew from 47,795 in 2024 to 55,346 in 2025, a 16% year-on-year jump. Frontline teams could not absorb that growth.

 
 

Open-ended, complex questions

Of all job seeker enquiries, 65% were open-ended questions, mostly around employment history and finding a job. NORA is designed to address this need through natural, responsive dialogue that feels closer to a real conversation.

 

Always-on accessibility

Job seekers don't only need answers between 9 and 5. Jobsplus needed a service that was available 24/7 and also protected core systems.

 
 
 
 

The Solution

NORA: AI-Powered Virtual Assistant built exclusively for Jobsplus

EBO developed an AI-powered Virtual Assistant, called NORA, as a scalable AI and long-term capability. The project rolled out in two phases, starting with the highest-volume citizen questions and then progressively connecting to Jobsplus' back-office systems. 

 
Tablet displaying the JobsPlus AI assistant Jobs page
 

Foundations & FAQ automation

NORA went live on Jobsplus with a tightly scoped FAQ use case, automating the questions that accounted for the largest share of front-line support volume.

Conversational FAQs across finding a job, registrations, forms, courses and schemes.

Dedicated journeys for both job seekers and employers

Deployed via webchat on the Jobsplus website

Operational stabilisation and dialogue consolidation from day one

Deeper integration & Maltese language

With the foundations proven, Jobsplus and EBO expanded NORA's capability into transactional, multi-lingual and search-driven experiences.

Fine-tuned dialogues
Eight enhanced flows: personal details, company management, employment management, illegalities, application status, employment law, licenses and work permits, and document requests.
Back-office integration
API integration for vacancies and courses, so NORA can retrieve live information.
Maltese language (in progress)
Native Maltese alongside English.
Self-service portal (in progress) 
A search-style assistant portal, designed to enhance the user experience while scaling Jobsplus’s operational performance and citizen service.
 

NORA in Action

One assistant, multiple citizen journeys.

 
 
01 • SELF SERVICE PORTAL

 A friendly digital front door 

Nora routes visitors into the four pillars that drive all enquiry volume on the main site: JobsCourses, Forms and Resources. Visitors can also type an open-ended question, which covers the 65% of enquiries.

 
Mobile view of the JobsPlus AI assistant showing a conversation about applying for a work permit with a response explaining the application process
 
EBO's AI Virtual Assistant for Jobs Plus
 
02 • CONVERSATION STARTERS

Guided prompts shaped by real citizen behaviour.

From work-permit renewals to course availability, NORA resolves the long-tail citizen questions and hands off cleanly when a human agent is required.

 
 
03 • MOBILE FIRST ANSWERS

 Clear, multi step guidance on any device. 

Whether accessing Jobsplus services on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, citizens receive the same high-quality experience.

NORA delivers concise, step-by-step guidance in plain language, enabling users to complete complex processes independently. Official forms, supporting resources, and relevant links are embedded directly within the conversation, eliminating the need to navigate multiple web pages or wait for agent assistance.

The result is faster resolution, reduced effort, and greater confidence for citizens navigating essential employment services.

 
 
Mobile view of the JobsPlus AI assistant showing a conversation about applying for a work permit with a response explaining the application process
 
 
Responsive JobsPlus AI assistant interface displayed on a tablet and smartphone, showing the Virtual assistant with navigation for Jobs, Courses, Forms, and Resources.
04 • ONE INTELLIGENCE LAYER, EVERY CHANNEL

Consistent experiences across web, portal, and mobile.

NORA provides a unified conversational experience across all Jobsplus digital channels, including webchat on Jobsplus site and the dedicated self-service portal.

When human support is required, NORA ensures a smooth transition by transferring the full conversation history to an agent. As a result, 90.6% of these escalated conversations are taken over immediately, reducing repetition and improving service continuity.

Web
Primary channel
Mobile
Responsive
Portal
jobsplus.gov.mt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Results Speak Volumes

 
 

92%

end-to-end automation

 

+16%

Year-on-year growth since 2024​

 

4FTEs

agent workload saved

 

55,346

Conversations across 2025, vs. 47,795 in 2024 (+16%).

92%

End-to-end automation, without the need for human intervention.

 

4 FTEs

Agent workload saved through high-end to-end automation.

 

16%

NORA achieved 16% year-on-year growth in user interactions compared with 2024.

5%

Follow-ups handled by agents out of office hours.

 

90%

Escalations taken over by a human agent immediately.
 
 

Beyond 2026: Future Outlook

Future opportunities include introducing generative AI capabilities to deliver more personalised responses, expanding system integrations, and exploring voice-enabled customer interactions.

 
 
 

Dynamic Responses

Generative AI to tailor answers to each citizen's profile, context and tone, instead of static replies.

 

Agentic AI

Deeper back office actions. Zoho Desk integration, autonomous task execution, more done in one conversation.

 

Voice AI

NORA speaking with citizens by phone, not just chat. Accessibility for everyone in Malta.

 

In Their Words

 
 
 
 
 

"NORA has become an integral part of how we serve citizens and employers. The VA provides immediate answers, improves access to information, and gives us a real-time view of what Malta's workforce is actually asking."

 
Ms Celia Falzon
CEO, Jobsplus
 

"Jobsplus is a perfect example of public-sector AI done responsibly. Start with the citizen, prove value with data, then extend safely. Automating 92% of all Virtual Assistant enquiries end-to-end across a service this complex is a monumental achievement for Malta."

 
Dr. Gege Gatt
CEO, EBO
 
 
 
 
 

Schedule a call to see how we can help

Contact our team, and let us explore how you can seamlessly automate your customer interactions.