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The Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report for the period ending May 1998. It notes in particular that the draft employment policy has been completed and is under consideration by the Cabinet. The objectives of the employment policy are to promote full employment in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and to improve the productivity of the labour force in order to increase wages. The Committee asks the Government to indicate in its next report whether the draft has been adopted and what programmes have been implemented to give it effect. It would also appreciate receiving further details on the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and information on how the employment policy is taken into account in the formulation of overall and sectoral development policies, in particular how the employment situation will be taken into account in the use of financial resources freed up due to the IMF and World Bank initiative for HIPC (heavily indebted poor countries) debt relief, as requested in the report form under Article 1.

The Government states that unemployment is highest among women, youth and those with advanced education or training, due to mismatch. It intends to institute as part of the draft employment policy special programmes for women, and gender sensitization training. It also has prepared programmes for youth, the disabled, and the unemployed. It intends to tackle mismatch by improving its career counselling, ensuring that training is demand driven, that the university curricula are up to date, and that records are kept of the placement rates of trainees and graduates. The Government also intends to provide less formal training in rural areas to better accommodate the needs of these workers. The Committee notes these programmes with interest and would appreciate receiving further information on their impact.

The Committee notes the Government's description of the tripartite consultation which took place during the formulation of the draft employment policy. It requests further information on how representatives of employers and workers, as well as representatives of other sectors of the economically active population, such as those working in the rural sector and the informal sector, are consulted concerning the review, within a framework of coordinated economic and social policy, of the employment policies and programmes adopted, as required under Article 3, in conjunction with Article 2.

The Committee notes that statistics are collected by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, in collaboration with the Department of Labour; however, no statistics were included in the report. The Government states that labour market information is one of the key areas that needs urgent attention. The Committee understands that the Government is working with the ILO EAMAT team in Addis Ababa on establishing a data system. The Committee welcomes these efforts and would appreciate receiving further information on the progress achieved, as requested in Part V of the report form.