CMNT_TITLE

1. Further to previous comments, the Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report for the period ending May 1998. According to the Government, the growth rate of GDP has been high recently and reached 3.5 per cent in 1997. Employment increased by an average of 0.9 per cent per year for the period 1994-97 while the labour force increased by a yearly average of 1.5 per cent. Unemployment has increased from 9.6 per cent in 1994 to 10.4 per cent in both 1996 and 1997, due to an increase in the labour force, urban migration, automation of production processes, limits on public sector spending, increased immigration and increased labour force participation of women. The groups most affected by the sluggish growth of employment are youth, women, and workers with a secondary level of education.

2. The Committee notes that according to the employment service (OECD), youth unemployment has steadily increased from 23.3 per cent in 1990 to 32.1 per cent in 1998. The Government indicates that for 1998 the Creation of New Jobs (CNJ) programme is targeted on the young and long-term unemployed. The programme consists of two stages: a stage of subsidized practical experience lasting two months, and a stage of subsidized employment lasting 16 months for males (18 months in areas of high unemployment) and 20 months for females. There are also additional employment subsidy programmes to promote the hiring of young people. The Committee would appreciate if the Government would include in its next report information on the progress of these various programmes in tackling the high rate of youth unemployment in Greece.

3. The Government also states that women form 60.7 per cent of the unemployed and 36.7 per cent of the employed in 1997. The OECD statistics indicate that the unemployment rate for women has increased from 12 per cent in 1990 to 17.8 per cent in 1998, and that the incidence of long-term unemployment amongst women has been increasing during the same period. The Committee notes that some of the OECD programmes described in the Government's report indicate exceptional provisions for encouraging the hiring of women, such as longer periods of employment subsidy. The Committee would appreciate receiving further information on the impact of these provisions on increasing employment among women seeking work, and on any other programmes under consideration, as requested in the report form under Article 1 of the Convention on trends concerning particular categories of workers frequently having difficulties in finding lasting employment.

4. The Government explains that the impact of the broader economic and social context on employment policies is given consideration through the Community Structural Framework for 1994-1999 (CSF II). The Government states that the average yearly number of new jobs is 1.7 per cent of the labour force, and projects that it will reach 2.3 to 3 per cent in the period 1997-2000. The Committee would appreciate being kept informed of the impact of the CSF II and other programmes on attaining the objectives of the Convention.