With just a touch of a button, digital TV viewers will have access to a national job search engine thanks to a partnership between Jobcentre Plus and Looking Local, the local government digital TV portal.

Jobseekers will be able to search the 400,000 vacancies that Jobcentres across the country are advertising by postcode.

Employment minister Jim Murphy said: “With over 70 per cent of homes now owning at least one digital TV set a greater number of people have access to digital TV than the web. This is a great way to bring a comprehensive job search facility to those without access to the internet.”

Each job ad on Looking Local comes with a full job description and details of location, wages, benefits and how to apply.

Users can refine their searches to specify whether they are seeking temporary or permanent posts as well as the number of hours a week they wish to work. By allowing viewers to include these criteria in their searches the service aims to ensure that the most appropriate vacancies are found.

The service is available to anyone that has access to Sky, cable or broadband-enabled Freeview boxes.