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1. Implementation of an active employment policy. In a report received in May 2004, the Government refers to the components of a national employment policy contained in a study published by the ILO in October 2003. The Government also refers to the ILO study concerning reform of the National Employment Agency (ANEM) in the Algerian intermediary system on the labour market (December 2003) and the national consultation on the theme of "freedom from poverty through work", held in October 2003. In the light of the labour market analysis carried out in October 2003, some recommendations have been made with a view to adopting a global approach for the elaboration and implementation of a national employment policy. The employment situation in Algeria, the institutional modifications linked to the employment policy, as well as the essential place of an effective employment service for improved efficiency of the employment policy, showed that reform of the ANEM should not be delayed further. In the Committee’s view, implementation of these recommendations should encourage the pursuit of the objectives of the Convention, which provides that employment promotion policies and programmes must be decided on and kept under review within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy (Article 2 of the Convention). The Committee requests the Government to supply a report containing detailed information on the measures taken to implement an active employment policy within the meaning of the Convention subsequent to the assistance received from the ILO.

2. Collection and use of employment data. The Committee notes that lack of information on job offers results in irregular production of data on the labour market, restrictive circulation, selective processing of the data collected and the instruments for analysis which are not in keeping with current economic changes (ILO, Marché du travail et emploi en Algérie: éléments pour une politique nationale de l’emploi, 2003, page 66). The Committee hopes that in its next report the Government will give an account of the progress made to improve the labour market information system and that it will include detailed statistics on the situation and trends in employment, specifying the manner in which the data was used to determine and review employment policy measures.

3. Labour market policies and training. The Committee observes that the high unemployment rate continued during the period 2002-04, despite the establishment of programmes and institutions aimed at combating unemployment and its social consequences. While the unemployment rate fell in the period under consideration due to the impact of improved economic growth, it was still 23.7 per cent in 2003 and mainly affected young people and first-time entrants to the labour market. In addition, the Committee notes a rise in unemployment among young people holding a higher education qualification, which was 56 per cent for 15-24 year-olds and 31 per cent for 25-34 year-olds, which appears to reflect a mismatch between training possibilities and market needs and can be a source of social exclusion. Finally, the Committee notes the existence of support programmes for the creation of enterprises, particularly in the form of microcredits, which benefit on average about 18,000 people a year. The programmes, intended to improve regional and local infrastructure, receive around 280,000 people a year. In its last report of August 2005, the Government refers to the recent decrees and regulations on the development and promotion of micro-enterprises and microcredits. In this regard, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the creation of sustainable employment as a consequence of the various programmes mentioned. Please also indicate measures adopted with a view to coordinating education and training policies with employment prospects.

4. Participation of the social partners in policy preparation and implementation. The Committee recalls that Article 3 of the Convention calls for consultation with all the persons affected, and in particular the representatives of employers and workers, in the formulation and implementation of employment policies. It is the joint responsibility of governments and the representative organizations of employers and workers to ensure that representatives of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries (see paragraph 493 of the General Survey of 2004 on promoting employment). The Committee trusts that the Government will supply detailed information on this matter in its next report.

5. Finally, the Committee recalls that the provision of documents by the Government must not be a substitute for the preparation of a detailed report including replies to the matters raised in this observation. The preparation of a detailed report will undoubtedly allow the Government and the social partners to assess the achievement of the objective of full productive employment stipulated by the Convention.