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The Committee notes with interest the Government's report which contains valuable indications on the spirit in which the Convention continues to be applied in Tajikistan. It notes in particular that the 1994 Constitution enshrines the right to work and to choose one's profession or job freely while under the Law on Employment of Population of 27 December 1993 it is the State's responsibility to pursue a policy of promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment. To enable it to make a better assessment of the effect given in practice to each provision of the Convention, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report supplementary information in reply to the questions on the report form on each of the following points.

1. The Committee notes the data on the active population attached to the report. It hopes that the Government will be able to supply in its next report more detailed statistical information on the situation and changes in the active population, employment, underemployment and unemployment for the whole country and in the various regions, by employment sector, gender and age. In this regard, the Committee notes that the Law on Employment of Population, section 13(3), provides for the compilation of statistics on the labour market and employment problems. Please indicate the measures taken or envisaged under this provision in order to compile and analyse data relating to the nature and trends of labour supply and demand which are needed for implementation of an active employment policy.

2. The Committee notes that among the principles which guide the government's action, the Law on Employment of Population lays down that the employment policy must be coordinated with the other economic and social policies. Please indicate how under this provision the measures to be adopted with a view to achieving the objectives of full, productive and freely chosen employment are determined and reviewed regularly "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy", in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. In particular, please indicate how the measures taken in such fields as investment policy, monetary and budgetary policies, price, income and wages policies are contributing to the promotion of employment. Please indicate measures taken or envisaged in order to encourage balanced regional development.

3. The Committee notes that the Law on Employment of Population also provides that employment programmes should contribute to restructuring the economy, in particular through guidance and placement of workers in the expanding sectors of the national economy; their training and retraining for this purpose, whilst special attention must be paid to the employment of certain particular categories of the population such as women, young persons, older workers or the disabled. Please supply detailed information on the establishment of employment services and their activities, occupational training and retraining policies and the measures designed to satisfy the needs of groups subject to special difficulties on the labour market.

4. The Committee notes that section 4 of the Law on Employment of the Population enshrines the fundamental principle of participation by trade unions and employers' organizations in formulating and implementing employment policy measures. It observes, moreover, that while section 21 of the Law gives trade unions the right to participate in formulating employment policy and legislation, a similar right is not expressly given to employers' organizations. The Committee recalls in this context Article 3 of the Convention under which representatives of the persons affected, and in particular representatives of employers and workers, shall 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". In addition, in view of their importance in the active population, it may seem appropriate also to include workers from the rural sector and informal sector in these consultations. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would describe in its next report the practical means of consulting representatives of all the persons affected.