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Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. In reply to the 2007 observation, the Government provided a short statement in August 2008 in which it indicates that, in the context of its policy to combat unemployment and poverty, public policies have been established with a view to stimulating employment. Significant legal texts have been approved to promote employability, such as the First Job Strategy and Act and the Decrees granting subsidies for vocational internships, as already mentioned in the 2007 observation. Since 2005, a total of 282 vocational training centres have been established and, as of June 2008, the Government inaugurated 54 vocational training centres in rural locations. The Committee notes that employment and vocational training are one of the ten priorities of the poverty reduction strategy (PRS), which should channel the resources obtained from oil to create favourable opportunities for productive employment for young persons and to reduce the informal economy. As the Committee has observed in previous comments, the social indicators are a source of great concern – 70 per cent of the population survives on less than US$2 a day and enrolment in primary schools is increasing very slowly (from 50 per cent in 1990 to 53 per cent in 2000). The Committee therefore emphasizes the need to guarantee the essential function of employment services to promote employment in the country. In this respect, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide a report containing the available statistical information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, vacancies notified and persons placed in employment by such offices (Part IV of the report form) and to provide information on the following matters:

–           consultations held with representatives of employers and workers on the organization and operation of the employment service, and on the development of employment policy (Articles 4 and 5);

–           the manner in which the employment service is organized and the activities which it performs to effectively carry out the functions set out in Article 6;

–           the activities of the public employment service in relation to socially vulnerable categories of jobseekers, with particular reference to workers with reduced mobility and disabilities (Article 7);

–           the results of the measures adopted to give effect to Act No. 1 of 2006 to encourage young persons seeking their first job (Article 8);

–           the measures proposed by the Training Centre for Trainers (CENFOR) and other institutions to provide training or further training to employment service staff (Article 9, paragraph 4);

–           the measures proposed by the employment service in collaboration with the social partners to encourage the full use of employment service facilities (Article 10); and

–           the measures adopted or envisaged by the employment service to secure cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies (Article 11).

The Committee recalls that the Office is in a position to provide the Government with technical advice and assistance for the establishment of a public employment service, as required by the Convention.

[The Government is asked to reply in detail to the present comments in 2010.]