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1. With reference to its direct request of 1998, the Committee notes the Government’s report and again asks for statistical information on the number of existing public employment offices, applications for employment received, vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices (Part IV of the report form), together with information on any practical difficulties encountered in implementing the Convention (Part V of the report form).

2. With reference to the comments which the Committee has been making since it started examining the application of the Convention, the Committee notes that the Government in its report refers to section 570 of the Labour Code which provides that in the central and regional placement offices of the Employment and Human Resources Directorate a committee made up of a delegate from the cantonal council, a representative of the employers and a representative of the workers in the constituency will act in an advisory capacity. The Committee requests the Government to specify in its next report the arrangements made through the advisory committees for the organization and operation of the employment service and for the development of employment service policy (Articles 4 and 5 of the Convention).

3. In view of the recent economic changes and the level that unemployment reached in 2000 (over 14 per cent of the economically active urban population), the Committee trusts that in its next report the Government will be in a position to explain how the employment service contributes to the best possible organization of the labour market and fulfils the functions established in Articles 1 and 6 of the Convention. The Government may find it useful to bear these issues in mind in preparing its report on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122).