Are you tired of bad job matches? Thousands of job opportunities appear at a click, yet only a handful are relevant. We get it. It’s frustrating. At Adzuna, our mission has always been to make job search smarter, faster, and fairer for every jobseeker. To us, a good job search isn’t about the number of results – it’s about showing jobseekers the right ones: the most relevant, high-quality opportunities that truly match what you’re looking for.
As part of our global launch of our new AI search, our data science team created a Search Quality Index, analysing 4,500 search results across 50 popular job titles on Adzuna and eight leading UK job sites to reveal which platform delivers the most relevant, comprehensive search results for jobseekers.
- Search Quality Index, explained
- Measuring search relevance
- Measuring search variety
- Calculating the final score
- Best site for job search, revealed
Search Quality Index, explained
To remain fair and unbiased, our data science team analysed over seven million job ads between January and October 2025 to identify the 50 most in-demand jobs in the UK. These included nationally trending roles – drawn from the same dataset that powers Adzuna’s monthly UK Job Market Report – as well as most in-demand jobs across 20 sectors.
| Accounting Assistant | Business Development Manager | Chemical Engineer | Cleaning Supervisor | Customer Service Adviser |
| Data Engineer | Digital Marketing Executive | Finance Manager | General Nurse | HGV Technician |
| Human Resources Business Partner | Laboratory Technician | Machine Operator | Marketing Manager | NET Developer |
| Office Administrator | Personal Assistant | Production Operative | Real Estate Agent | Residential Conveyancer |
| Security Guard | Shift Manager | Site Manager | Store Assistant | Waiter |
| Architectural Technologist | Chef de Partie | Child Care Social Worker | Commercial Sales Representative | Customer Service Representative |
| Delivery Driver | Enforcement Officer | Gas Engineer | Graphic Designer | Housekeeping Assistant |
| Human Resources Manager | Lettings Manager | Maintenance Assistant | Mechanical Engineer | Occupational Therapist |
| Paralegal | Primary School Teacher | Quantity Surveyor | Research Associate | Sales Administrator |
| SEN Assistant | Shop Manager | Social Worker | Vehicle Technician | Warehouse Operative |
We deployed OpenAI’s GPT-4 model to independently review the top 10 search results for 50 job titles across Adzuna.co.uk and eight leading job sites (CVlibrary, CWjobs, Indeed, Jobrapdio, Jooble, Reed, Totaljobs, Ziprecruiter) for these 50 job titles. Each job site was scored from 0-100 on two key criteria: search relevance (how closely results match what jobseekers want) and search variety (the range of unique employers surfaced).
Our data science team then combined these scores into a single Search Quality Index – revealing which job site delivers the most relevant search results while maintaining a strong variety of employers.
Measuring search relevance
Search relevance is defined as how closely search results match the original search query. To assess this, OpenAI was provided with each search term and the top 10 results from nine leading UK job boards.
Each result was scored on a 0-100 scale using a strict rubric, with “Software Engineer” used as an example:
90-100: Exact matches or very close synonyms e.g. “Software Engineer” and “Software Developer”
60-89: Clear variants, including different seniority levels or specialisations e.g. Senior Software Engineer” and “Frontend Software Engineer”
20-59: Related but distinct roles e.g. “DevOps Engineer”
0-19: Completely unrelated roles e.g. “Delivery Driver”
Example of high and low relevant job ads
Here is an example of what we mean by relevant and irrelevant search results. For the role of “Production Operative,” the first example illustrates low relevant results: Only one listing is actually relevant, while others – such as “Product Operations Lead” and “Product Designer” – are completely unrelated.
In contrast, the results below demonstrate a nearly 100% match, with every listing closely aligned to the original search query.
Why this is fair
- Impartiality: The same AI model, using the exact same rubric, judged every single job board. There was no human bias.
- Consistency: The model applied its logic systematically across thousands of listings, ensuring every title was judged by the same criteria.
- Expertise: The AI understands the nuanced relationships between job titles, seniority, and function, providing a much more sophisticated analysis than simple keyword matching.
- User centred: The criteria reflects the patterns and priorities we hear from users, mirroring how hiring managers, recruiters, and job seekers think about relevance.
Measuring search variety
Search variety measures how many different employers appear in the top search results. A high-quality search is not just about relevance – it should also expose jobseekers to a broad range of employers. Repeated listings from the same few companies limit choice and can make an already exhausting job search even more frustrating.
To measure variety we calculated a variety score starting at 100, then reduced it by 10% for each duplicate employer among the top 10 results. For example, if all 10 results come from unique companies, the score remains 100. If there are only eight unique companies, meaning two duplicates, the score drops to 80.
100 – (10 * 2 duplicates) = 80 (out of 100)
Example of high and low search variety
Here are some real-life examples of what we mean by high and low search variety. For the role of “Delivery Driver”, the first example illustrates low search variety. While the jobs are relevant to the search term, every job is from a single company, Yodel.
In contrast, the results below demonstrate greater variety, with postings spread across five different employers.
Why this is fair
- Objectivity: This is a purely mathematical calculation, free from any subjective interpretation.
- User-centric: This metric directly reflects the variety and choice presented to the jobseeker. A higher score means a broader, more representative view of available opportunities.
Calculating the final score
To create an overall measure of search quality, we multiplied the search relevance and variety subscores to produce a Search Quality Index that highlights the job search sites that deliver the most relevant search results while maintaining a broad range of unique employers.
| Rank | Job site | Search quality index | Search relevance | Search variety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adzuna | 6,720 | 80/100 | 84/100 |
| 2 | Indeed | 6,324 | 68/100 | 93/100 |
| 3 | Totaljobs | 6,314 | 82/100 | 77/100 |
| 4 | ZipRecruiter | 5,712 | 68/100 | 84/100 |
| 5 | Cvlibrary | 5,600 | 70/100 | 80/100 |
| 6 | Reed | 5,229 | 83/100 | 63/100 |
| 7 | Jobrapido | 4,266 | 54/100 | 79/100 |
| 8 | Jooble | 3,696 | 44/100 | 84/100 |
| 9 | Cwjobs | 2,496 | 32/100 | 78/100 |
Best site for job search, revealed
Adzuna’s new search leads the industry overall, achieving the best balance of exceptional search relevance and high company variety, outperforming other job sites by over 25% on average – but we’re not stopping there. We’re committed to continually innovating to enhance the experience for jobseekers and employers alike.
Our new AI search is now live – delivering smarter matches for jobseekers and more qualified candidates for employers. Try it now and experience what smarter search feels like.
Read more: Adzuna’s new AI search helps you find the right job faster