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Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Azerbaijan (RATIFICATION: 1992)

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Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government regarding statistical data on labour market trends. According to the data compiled by the State Statistical Committee, as of 1 January 2017, the country’s workforce totalled 5,012,700, representing an increase of 3.5 per cent compared to 2014. The Government adds that the general unemployment rate stood at 5 per cent as of 1 July 2017. The Committee notes that the unemployment rates for young persons between 15 and 29 years old is almost twice as high (9.4 per cent) as that of the general population and even higher (13.1 per cent) among young persons between 15 and 24 years of age. The Government reports that young people currently make up 30 per cent of the country’s population and that youth unemployment is a priority in terms of labour market interventions. The Committee notes the measures taken by the Government to promote employment, which include holding job fairs, labour exchanges, and regional vocational training centres which offer training in 58 (primarily manual) occupations. In addition, the Government indicates that vocational guidance offices operating in Baku, Ganja, Nakhchivan and Mingachevir provide older pupils and unemployed workers with advice on the labour market. In 2016 and the first half of 2017, thanks to job fairs, 3,899 persons found work, 160 persons were referred for vocational training and 171 persons were assigned to paid community work. In the same period, 3,942 unemployed persons and jobseekers were referred to regional vocational training centres to receive training in accordance with labour market demand. The Government adds that, of the 204,283 persons who applied to the State Employment Service in 2016, 56,631 were placed in work, 1,147 were assigned to community work, 3,332 undertook vocational training and 11,532 received unemployment benefits. Of the 75,805 persons who applied to the State Employment Service in the first half of 2017, 33,654 were placed in work, 513 were assigned to community work, 2,286 underwent vocational training and 7,632 received unemployment benefits. Moreover, the Government indicates that several programmes have been implemented with the aim of promoting the employment of young people and creating a young, mobile and highly employable labour force able to meet modern requirements. “Azerbaijan 2020: A look into the future”, a concept paper approved by Presidential Decree of 29 December 2012, covers the main strategic goals of development policy in all areas of life in the country, including information on communication technologies. As part of the project “Social Protection Development” implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in collaboration with the World Bank, measures were taken to improve the service provided by employment service bodies, to create an information system and an administration system for the employment service, to set occupational standards and design modular programmes and to develop the vocational guidance system. A pilot project promoting the employment of young higher education graduates entering the labour market is still ongoing and is being implemented in collaboration with the ILO. A project was implemented in Goychay district in 2016 to subsidize youth self-employment, in which small-scale animal farms were set up to create employment for about 20 young persons. Measures to increase employment, develop skills and generally maintain and build human capital are being implemented as part of the State Programme for the Socio-economic Development of the Districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2014–18. The Committee also notes that the draft Employment Strategy for 2017–30 was drawn up with technical assistance from the ILO, and sets out the main areas of employment policy for the next 13 years. Priorities include improving active employment programmes, strengthening social protection of groups in situations of vulnerability and developing the system for labour market monitoring and forecasting. The Committee requests the Government to provide information regarding the Employment Strategy 2017–30 and to provide a copy once it is adopted. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, on the results achieved through the active labour market measures taken to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment, including those targeting young people. The Committee also requests the Government to provide updated statistical data on labour market trends, including on employment, unemployment and visible underemployment, disaggregated by sex and age.

Workers vulnerable to decent work deficits and exclusion. The Government indicates that labour exchanges operate in the cities of Baku, Sumgait, Nakhchivan, Mingachevir and Ganja. They receive requests from employers searching for temporary workers and match them with workers with the appropriate skills who are registered with the exchanges. In 2016 and the first half of 2017, labour exchanges provided temporary employment to 4,198 persons, including 2,347 women, 1,912 young persons, 481 forcibly displaced persons and 20 persons with disabilities. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the nature and impact of active employment measures targeting specific categories of workers vulnerable to decent work deficits and exclusion, such as women, persons with disabilities, unskilled or low-skilled workers, refugees and migrant workers, in terms of creating productive and lasting employment opportunities.

Article 2. Compilation and use of employment data. The introduction of the electronic information system enables details of workers and employers to be collected in a database. This system, which registered around 2 million submissions in 2016, also registers notifications of employment contracts and sends notices of registration to employers. Computerization of various aspects of the work of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has led to the launch of 30 electronic services. In 2016, 6.5 million members of the public made submissions to the Ministry’s electronic services. This system aims to safeguard the labour rights of employed workers, create a barrier to illegal employment, ensure the legal authentication of employment relationships and eradicate problems with regard to the payment of wages and salaries. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the progress made with respect to the implementation of the national system of labour market and employment information, and on the manner in which employment data is compiled and used in deciding upon and reviewing employment policy measures.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government reports that the Tripartite Commission for Social and Economic Issues was established on 30 September 2016. This commission is a national-level coordination body that represents the interests of the social partners with regard to socio-economic and employment-related matters. Furthermore, the Presidential Decree of 17 March 2017 introduced the Commission for the Regulation and Coordination of Employment Relationships, which is composed of senior officials of the relevant state authorities, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs’ (Employers’) Organizations and trade unions. A secretariat was established to manage the Commission’s day-to-day work. National employment law is binding on all employers, workers, trade unions and employers’ associations. The Committee requests the Government to provide examples of the manner in which the views of the social partners are taken into account in the development, implementation and review of employment policies and programmes. It further requests the Government to provide information on whether consultations are carried out with representatives of persons working in rural areas and those working in the informal economy.