CMNT_TITLE

1. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in 2006 in response to its previous direct request. It hopes that the Government’s report will provide an overall picture of the specific difficulties encountered in meeting the objectives of full, productive and freely chosen employment. As it has pointed out before, the Committee is interested in receiving information on the manner in which the main aspects of the economic policy in areas such as monetary, budgetary, trade or regional development policies, contribute “in the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy” to pursuing the employment objectives established by the Convention.

2. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Labour market trends. The Government indicates that the national economy grew by 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2006 as compared to 12 per cent in 2004 and 1.8 per cent in 2005. It also indicates that economic growth is still insufficient to reduce the unemployment rate, which rose from 10.8 per cent in 2004 to 11 per cent in 2005. In the first half of 2006, the unemployment rate dropped to 9.8 per cent, the lowest it has been in the last 35 years. In June 2006, an employment promotion action plan for 2006–08 was adopted which includes programmes aiming to integrate 105,000 first-time jobseekers by 2008, to improve workers’ employability by means of training programmes, and Government support for the creation of 30,000 small enterprises. The Government indicates that, for the first five months of 2006, 16,000 jobseekers found work thanks to the implementation of these programmes. The Committee hopes that in its next report the Government will provide information on the measures taken to ensure continued reduction in the employment rate, and on the results achieved by the action plan for 2006–07, and on any measures – programmes or activities – designed to promote productive employment. It also requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which these initiatives are regularly reviewed as part of a coordinated social and economic policy, in consultation with the social partners.

3. Employment market policy for young people. The Government states in its report that the graduate unemployment rate is still high in urban areas and stands at 20.6 per cent. The Committee notes the measures taken by the Government to remedy this situation, in particular the “Employment Initiative” workshops held in September 2005 with the social partners, which aim at elaborating policies for young people. The Government further indicates that the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC) succeeded in placing more than 24,000 young workers and graduates in the labour market in 2005, a 20 per cent increase as compared to 2004. The Committee notes the Government’s measures for young people and hopes that the next report will contain information on their impact on the sustainable integration of young workers in the labour market.

4. Employment of women. The Government indicates that in 2004 the activity rate for women was 27.3 per cent as opposed to 52.6 per cent for men. However, there is now an upward trend in the activity rate of women and a contraction in the case of men. A women’s entrepreneurship project has been established to increase the employment rate of women. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures envisaged to increase women’s participation rate and to provide them with vocational training and productive employment.

5. Enterprise creation and technical cooperation with the ILO. The Government indicates in its report that support for enterprise creation has been set up as one of the pillars of social and economic development. It intends to simplify procedures for the exercise of commercial activities by making conditions for enterprise creation more flexible and facilitating access to funding for entrepreneurs. Financed by the Government of Italy and with ILO technical cooperation, an assistance programme for the creation of small enterprises was launched by the Government in 2005 with a view to creating 183 enterprises. The Committee notes with interest that the Government plans to extend the programme to other provinces. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide relevant information on the measures taken to encourage an entrepreneurial culture and spirit, and particularly on the support offered to small and medium-sized enterprises to promote full and productive employment. The Government may find it useful to refer to the provisions of the Job Creation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Recommendation, 1998 (No. 189).

6. Article 3. Participation of the social partners in formulating policies. The Government points out that consultation with the social partners covers the implementation as well as the formulation of measures. It refers to the active participation of the social partners in managing ANAPEC and in the study committee that prepares ANAPEC’s development plans. Consultation with the social partners was sanctioned by the “Employment Initiatives” workshops of September 2000 and the meeting organized in June 2006 for the presentation of the 2006–08 action plan – which gave rise to the following programmes: IDMAJ, for the integration of first-time jobseekers, TAEHIL, to improve employability and MOUKAZALATI, to support small enterprise creation. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the positive effects of participation by the social partners in formulating and implementing the various programmes. It also requests the Government to indicate the extent to which other sectors of the active population have been consulted, including representatives of persons working in the rural sector and the informal economy.