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1. The Committee notes the reports and documents sent by the Government pertaining to the period from June 2000 to May 2003, and the information sent in response to its previous comments. It also notes the information contained in the National Action Plan for Employment (PNAE) 2002.

2. The statistical data supplied by the Government show that, in the period under study, after having reached its lowest level in 2001 unemployment started to climb. At the beginning of 2003 there was a downturn in the labour market. Between March 2002 and March 2003, the number of jobseekers increased by 130,000, reaching a total of 2,505,000. Men were the most affected by this trend in the labour market: whereas the number of new jobseekers increased by 8.7 per cent in the case of men, it rose by only 2.9 per cent among women. In March 2003, only 47.8 per cent of jobseekers were women. The Government reports an increase in unemployment among young people. Young people’s share in unemployment rose from 16.5 per cent in January 2001 to 17.7 per cent in January 2003. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide detailed information on the measures taken and their effect, actual or expected, on the employment situation. It asks the Government to continue to provide information on the manner in which the principal measures are decided on and kept under periodical review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy", so that the promotion of full, productive and freely chosen employment remains "a major goal", in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee would appreciate receiving information enabling it to examine the various aspects of the macroeconomic policies applied in order to promote growth in activity and employment.

3. The Committee notes that the Government plans to use two levers in order to modernize procedures for action, decision and organization: decentralization and renewed social dialogue. It requests the Government to specify in its next report the manner in which these two new approaches have contributed to a recovery in the employment situation and to encouraging the integration in the labour market of the most vulnerable categories of workers. Please also provide information on any difficulties encountered in achieving and implementing the employment objectives set by the PNAE.

4. The Government reports that a scheme was set up in July 2003 to support the employment of young people by means of contracts known as "les jeunes en entreprise". The Committee asks the Government to continue to report on developments in the promotion of youth employment and the impact of such programmes on the situation of young workers in the labour market.

5. The Committee notes the information on the social partners’ contribution to the development and implementation of the PNAE 2002, and on the Government’s vocational training policy. In view of the downward trend in employment, the Committee hopes that the Government will provide details in its next report on the way in which the representatives of the persons affected are consulted concerning employment policies "with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies", as required by Article 3 of the Convention.