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The Committee takes note of the information contained in the Government’s report, received in October 2006, in reply to its previous comments.

1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Coordination of employment policy with poverty reduction. The Committee notes the adoption of a National Employment and Occupational Training Strategy, in the first half of 2006, in order to address rising unemployment. The National Strategy seeks to promote short and medium-term employment growth, in order to encourage the development of a pro-employment economy. It seeks to respond to job market demands through an approach which promotes active employment measures, making occupational training a priority, as a means to increasing employability of citizens, thus preparing jobseekers to meet the requirements of the job market. The Committee notes that the strategy is developed to provide support for increased efficiency and effectiveness of public and private employment centres; enhance youth occupational training programmes; support self-employment through the creation of small and micro-enterprises; promote private sector occupational training schemes; and strengthen social dialogue and inclusion of populations facing difficulties regarding integration owing to social factors. The Government also reports that for the first half of 2006, unemployment continued to rise, and that the Nampula, Sofala and Maputo provinces recorded high levels of unemployment.

2. The Committee similarly notes that the Government adopted an Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty for 2006–09 (PARPA II) which centres its attention on raising the low standard of living of the least favoured population groups whose current situation corresponds to “absolute poverty”. In particular, PARPA II focuses on district-based development, the creation of an environment favourable to growth of the productive sector, improvement of the financial system, measures to help small and medium-sized companies to flourish in the formal sector, and the development of the internal revenue collection system, and the methods of allocating budgeted funds. As part of the PARPA II, the Government seeks to coordinate specific initiatives aimed at job creation, as a means of helping income generation and reduce absolute poverty, through, inter alia, promoting the employment dimension in all sectoral policies, programmes and projects, thereby assuring widespread adoption of a pro-employment economy in the battle against absolute poverty; making its contribution to job creation, especially through associations of producers; follow-up and monitoring of production activities undertaken by associations and cooperatives; identification of employment opportunities for newly graduated young people, and promotion of the hiring of such candidates for employment; and gathering statistics on employment/unemployment that are both reliable and current. The Committee asks the Government to provide in its next report, information on the results of the implementation of the National Employment and Occupational Training Strategy and PARPA II, with particular regard to employment generation. It also hopes that the information contained in the next report on active employment policy measures implemented by the Government, will enable the Committee to examine the extent to which economic growth translates into creation of lasting employment and poverty reduction.

3. Article 2(a). Collection and use of employment data. The Committee notes that, in addition to the statistic-related activities set forth in PARPA II, a study on the workforce has been completed, and a new Labour Statistics Bulletin was launched, containing data on recorded unemployment, labour disputes, social security contributors, beneficiaries, occupational training and other labour-related information. The Committee appreciates the Government’s efforts to provide statistics on the situation and trends on employment, and asks the Government to provide more detailed statistics on such, and other trends of the labour market, and to specify how these statistics are used in deciding on, and reviewing, employment policy measures.

4. Education and vocational training. The Committee notes that the Government has sought to achieve a progressive and sustained expansion of employment and training structures in Mozambique, including through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with China for the construction of three regional occupational training centres in Maputo, Sofala and Nampula provinces. The Government reports that 1,509 unemployed individuals signed up at the employment centres to participate in training programmes for the unemployed, comprising 75 per cent of the Government’s target. Some 699 candidates were trained at occupational training centres in various specialized skills, which comprised 27.2 per cent of the Government’s original target. The Committee asks the Government to provide further information on measures taken to improve the accessibility of the educational and vocational training programmes, and on any measures developed to coordinate education and training policies with prospective employment opportunities.

5. Support to small-sized and micro-enterprises. The Committee notes that two new agencies of the Mozambique Credit Company (SOCREMO) were opened to provide financial assistance to small-scale self-employment projects. To this end, 17,773 small-sized and micro-enterprises received financing from SOCREMO in 2005. Furthermore, the Government reports that a funding committee of the Association for the Development of Local Entrepreneurs was established in Nampula, and that financial support and assistance was provided for the implementation of 54 self-employment projects. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing such information on the measures taken to improve the legislative and regulatory bases for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as on efforts made to shift activities from the informal economy to the formal economy. The Government may deem it useful to consult the provisions of the Job Creation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Recommendation, 1998 (No. 189).

6. Article 3. Participation of social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Committee notes that provincial seminars have been organized to consider the preliminary draft revision of the Labour Act, with the aim of consulting with the representatives of employers, workers and civil associations, in order to gather contributions allowing for the development of a consensus within the Tripartite Committee on the Revision of the Labour Act. The Committee would welcome receiving information on the activities of such tripartite bodies in the formulation of active employment policies, and the involvement of social partners in the application of these policies. Please also indicate the measures taken or contemplated to involve, in the consultations required by the Convention, not only the employers’ and workers’ representatives but also representatives of other sectors of the active population, such as persons working in the rural sector or in the informal economy.