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The Committee notes that the Government's report has not been received. It must therefore once again take up the following points which it raised in its earlier comments:

1. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would specify in its next report if there have been particular difficulties in reaching the employment objectives set out in the development programme for 1994-98, and indicate to what extent these difficulties have been overcome. It would greatly appreciate information on the situation, level and trends in employment, unemployment and underemployment in the country as a whole and on the extent to which it affects particular categories of workers such as women, young people, indigenous people and rural workers, and how those workers were affected by industrial restructuring processes.

2. The Committee previously noted with interest the progress made in applying Article 3 of the Convention which lays down that representatives of the persons affected should be consulted concerning the measures to be taken to promote the objectives of full, productive and freely chosen employment. It would be particularly useful in labour markets such as that of Paraguay if the consultations required under the Convention took place with representatives of workers from the informal and rural sectors and if their participation were envisaged in the formal consultation machinery. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would include indications on any progress made in this matter in its next report.

3. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on specific developments in the activities of the National Employment Service, the Programme of Associated Young Persons Enterprises and the National Service for Vocational Promotion in order to ensure that workers who have benefited from the programmes can gain access to the labour market and find lasting employment.

4. The Committee refers to the report form for Article 2 of the Convention which requests information on the measures taken to collect and analyse statistical and other data concerning the size and distribution of the labour force, the nature and extent of unemployment and trends therein. Given that the collection and analysis of statistical data must be the basis of any employment policy measures, the Committee trusts that the Government will make every effort to obtain the employment data required for the development and implementation of an employment policy within the meaning of the Convention.

5. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would include in its report comprehensive data on any employment promotion measures adopted by the Institute of Rural Welfare which would allow it to assess the manner in which the Convention is being applied in the rural sector and with regard to the indigenous peoples.

6. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would also provide data on the role of the informal sector in the creation of productive and lasting employment, as well as information on the progress made in including independent and self-employed workers in the modern sector of the economy.

The Committee trusts that the Government will provide a detailed report containing the information requested above and any other information which the Government may consider useful. At the same time, the Committee takes note of the communication of the American Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) containing the views of the Paraguay Union of Journalists on dismissals that jeopardize employment. The Office in November 1998 transmitted these observations to the Government. The Committee hopes that the Government in its next report will provide its own comments on the questions raised by the WFTU and their impact on employment policy.