CMNT_TITLE

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report for the period 31 May 2000, and additional information received in October 2000.

1. Article 1 of the Convention. The Government states that GDP growth and increased industrial production did not result in an increase in employment. However, there was a 19.8 per cent decrease in the loss of working hours and an 18.1 per cent decrease in the number of workers who were on obligatory administrative leave, although 13.2 per cent of those employed remained on leave. Of the remaining employed, 11.4 per cent are employed part-time. For 1998, the participation rate was 62.3 per cent. Employment reached 56.6 per cent in 1999, and unemployment was 11.9 per cent. The number of registered unemployed grew 20 per cent in 1999. Please continue to provide information on the trends in employment, including trends in the use of obligatory administrative leave.

2. The employment policy aims to revive the economy, support producers, enhance the demand for labour in priority sectors, promote private enterprise, improve the system of remuneration and social protection, improve vocational training and education, and prevent mass redundancies. The Committee notes with interest that ten special economic zones have been created and that the Government is working to diversify the economies of towns that are heavily dependent on a single industry. Please continue to supply information on the impact of these programmes on employment promotion, and on the success in expanding the special economic zones to other areas with low employment and high unemployment. Please also continue to supply information on efforts made to support the development of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

3. The Government states that 9,078,000 young people under 18 years of age were assigned to vocational training by the employment service. In 1999, 8,200 unemployed received training (160 per cent of the 1998 number); and 52,700 women were provided training and account for 58.7 per cent of participants. In general, the number of people receiving training rose 20 per cent in 1999. Training is offered in 230 professions and occupations. The number of participants who subsequently obtained work rose 30 per cent in 1999, and the number of people receiving vocational guidance rose 30 per cent in 1999. Please continue to supply detailed information on the number of participants in the various training programmes, and on the percentage that subsequently obtain employment.

4. The Government states that, for various reasons, 1.7 million unemployed people waited for more than one year to register with the public placement service. However, the placement service has recently improved its services offered to jobseekers, and the number of vacancies registered also increased due to improved interaction with employers. In the first-half of 2000, the number of placements was up 26.1 per cent. The largest ratio of jobseekers to vacancies was low-skilled or unskilled workers, and in two districts, Liobarski and Rakhovski, there are between 500 and 1,000 jobseekers per vacancy. Please continue to supply information on improvements made to the employment placement services, particularly in areas with a very high ratio of jobseekers to vacancies, and on placement rates.

5. Articles 2 and 3. The Committee notes that the social policy, set out in Presidential Decree No. 1166 of 18 October 1997, identifies full employment as a priority goal. The Government reiterates that the Ukrainian Coordination Committee on Employment Promotion and regional coordination committees are tripartite, and address issues related to the elaboration and adoption of employment programmes, progress reports on their implementation, activities of the regions in the realization of employment policy, ways of addressing the problems of hidden unemployment, budget issues, etc. Please provide further details of the outcome of these consultations and how the coordination committees’ views are taken into account in formulating, implementing and evaluating employment policies and programmes. The Committee also notes that the State Statistical Office carries out quarterly selective surveys of the population. Please provide further information on efforts made to improve the collection of data on labour market trends.