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1. The Committee notes the Government's report and the appended text of the Act of 1 March 1991 respecting the employment of the population. It notes the figures supplied by the Government but points out that they do not allow the Committee to assess the real labour market situation and the manner in which the adjustments are made. The Committee would be grateful if in its future reports the Government would provide statistical information which is as detailed as possible on the level and trends in employment, underemployment and unemployment, both for the country as a whole and by region, in the various sectors of economic activity and for the various categories of the population such as women, older workers and the disabled. Please provide information on the measures taken or contemplated to collect and analyse relevant statistical data.

2. With reference to its previous direct request, the Committee notes the adoption of the Act respecting the employment of the population. It notes with interest that the fundamental principles of the employment policy, which are set out in the above Act, include the objectives of equal opportunity and the free choice of employment, in accordance with the provisions of Article 1, paragraph 2(c), of the Convention. The Committee also notes that, under the terms of the Act, measures taken in the area of employment must be coordinated with the other objectives of economic and social policy. In this connection, it would be grateful if the Government would state in its next report the way in which the objective of full, productive and freely chosen employment is taken into consideration in determining the pace and nature of measures to be taken for the transition towards a market economy. Please indicate, in particular, how measures in the areas of prices, wages and incomes policies and investment and foreign trade policies are coordinated with employment policy.

3. The Committee notes that section 3 of the Act of 1 March 1991 provides for the cooperation of trade unions and employers' associations in the preparation, implementation and supervision of the enforcement of measures to ensure employment. However, it observes that while section 21 of the Act entitles trade unions to participate in the formulation of employment policy and the relevant legislation, no similar entitlement is expressly established for employers' organizations. Moreover, the participation of employers' organizations in the regular consultations on employment problems is not provided for in the Act. The Committee recalls in this connection that under Article 3 of the Convention representatives of the persons affected, and particularly representatives of employers and workers, must be 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". It would be grateful if in its next report the Government would describe the practical procedures for the consultation of the representatives of all persons affected.

4. The Committee notes the provisions of the Act respecting employment which concern the organization and functions of the public employment service. It notes that in the first nine months of 1992 the employment service was able to find employment for approximately one-third of the persons who applied to it. Please continue to provide information which is as detailed as possible on the number and nature of the cases dealt with by the employment service. For guidance in this area, the Government might find it useful to refer to the relevant ILO standards (Convention No. 88 and Recommendation No. 83) which contain suggestions as to the measures that could be taken to ensure "the best possible organization of the employment market as an integral part of the national programme for the achievement and the maintenance of employment and the development and use of productive resources".

5. The Government indicates that its employment policy aims to strengthen and extend vocational guidance, training and retraining for redundant workers. More generally, the Committee notes that the information supplied by the Government in its report on the application of Convention No. 142 demonstrates that it assigns a central role to education and training in the economic restructuring process. Please continue to provide information on the manner in which human resources development policies and programmes are coordinated with prospective employment opportunities.

6. The Committee notes that the employment programme provides for a set of specific measures to promote self-employment, small enterprises and cooperative enterprises, and to promote the vocational reintegration of former members of the armed forces, redundant miners and workers affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Please provide detailed information on each of these measures and the results obtained in terms of jobs created and the vocational integration of the persons concerned.