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Article 1 of the Convention. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report. The Government states that the urban active population consists of 5,068,000 workers. The participation rate is 34.9 per cent overall, 52.9 per cent for males and 17.3 per cent for females. Over half of workers are under the age of 35. The net gain in employment during the reporting period was 190,000 posts, constituting a growth in employment of around 4.7 per cent, and due mainly to growth in services in the private sector. The unemployment rate was 18.1 per cent in 1996, and 16.9 per cent in 1997. Unemployment declined for both men and women, and for those aged 15 to 24 and 35 to 44. The pool of unemployed is composed mainly of first-time jobseekers, those attaining advanced degrees, and those under 25 years of age. The Government adds that there was a decline in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Measures taken to promote balanced growth in employment include encouraging entrepreneurship and providing tax breaks to employers. The Government has prepared a plan for rural infrastructure development, including building roads, providing potable water, and building dams for irrigation of crops. A training programme and revolving loan fund for young entrepreneurs have been established. The Government adopted in 1997 a four-year programme of action on employment with the goal of encouraging employers to provide a total of 80,000 apprenticeships over four years, and it is trying to increase the practical component of its vocational training. The Committee notes this information and requests further details on the impact of these measures on attaining the objective of full, productive and freely chosen employment. Further to its previous comments, the Committee also notes that no information was provided in the Government's report on how its budgetary, monetary and trade policies, and its medium-term financial strategy and privatization policy take into account employment promotion. It would appreciate receiving detailed information on these points in the Government's next report.

Article 3, in conjunction with Article 2. The Committee notes that the Government's report does not contain any information on consultations with the social partners. It requests further information on how the Government ensures that its employment policy is decided on and kept under review within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy, in consultation with representatives of employers' and workers' organizations, as well as representatives of rural and informal sector workers.