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1. The Committee took note of the Government's report for the period ending June 1996. It observes that despite the high growth in economic activity, the unemployment rate, which stood at 4.7 per cent at the end of 1995, has not been reduced during the period. In addition, the Committee notes the persistent nature of particular problems affecting certain categories of the labour force, in particular young people under the age of 25 for whom the unemployment rate stood at 12 per cent. In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide, in its future reports, more detailed statistics on the level of and developments in the labour force, employment, underemployment and unemployment by activity sector, sex, age and skills, for the whole of the period under consideration. Please also provide information on the length of unemployment.

2. The Committee notes the indications provided by the Government on the main trends in its economic and social policy designed to promote growth in macroeconomic stability, integration into international trade, the modernization of industrial relations, the improvement of infrastructures, the strengthening of market-based competition and the modernization of public enterprise management. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain more precise information on the contribution made by each of these policies to employment promotion. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on its vocational training policy and on the way in which this policy is coordinated with employment prospects.

3. The Committee notes that the number of beneficiaries of the different labour market policy plans and programmes, designed in particular to promote the employment of women and the integration of young people, has increased significantly during the period. It would be grateful if the Government would supplement the information given on the expenses incurred and the number of participants by an assessment of the results which these plans and programmes have been able to achieve in terms of the effective and lasting integration of the people concerned into productive employment.

4. Article 3 of the Convention. The Committee notes the information concerning the productive development forums held involving employers' and workers' representatives and focusing, inter alia, on employment and industrial relations. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the effect given to this important provision of the Convention, by specifying how often the meetings referred to are held, the issues included in their agendas, the opinions put forward and the way in which these opinions have been taken into account.