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1. The Committee notes the report supplied by the authorities of Aruba received in May 2006 along with the documents annexed to the report (the Reintegration Pilot Project Report (Annex IX) and the Reintegration Project (Annex X)). It recalls that the Government of the Netherlands declared, in January 1986, that, in view of local conditions, the obligations of Convention No. 88 will be applied to Aruba, with the exception of Articles 4, 5, 6, paragraph (d), and 8 of the Convention.

2. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. In reply to the Committee’s previous comment concerning cooperation of the public employment service and private employment agencies, the report indicates that cooperation between temporary private employment agencies and the public employment service was limited to data receipts in order to prepare data for the Research Division of the Labour Department. There are two categories of private employment agencies, namely one for the recruitment of temporary manpower of legal residents and the other which deals with the recruitment of foreign workers. In both cases, it is the private recruitment agencies, and not the companies they work for, which employ these workers. Having regard to the essential duty of the free employment service to ensure, in cooperation where necessary with other public and private bodies concerned, the best possible organization of the employment market as an integral part of the national programme for the achievement and maintenance of full employment, the Committee reiterates its hope that the next report will include information on the powers and functions of the authority responsible for the system of the free public employment service. It would also like receiving further details on measures taken to increase cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies.

3. Article 7. In reply to previous comments, the Government’s report indicates that no new measures had been taken to give effect to facilitate specialization within the employment service by occupations and industries. As regards special categories of applicants, namely individuals on welfare, the Reintegration Pilot Project had been launched in March 2005. The Pilot Project was executed in collaboration with the Department of Social Affairs and took place over a six-month period. Even though the result of the Pilot Project did not reflect the desired outcome (only seven out of 44 who participated received permanent placements), it provided insights into new methods and issues to be addressed that could be applied for the continuation of the project. Following the results of the Reintegration Pilot Project, the Committee asks the relevant authorities to keep it informed of further initiatives taken to ensure that the needs of particular categories of applicants are adequately met.

4. Part IV of the report form. In response to the comments of the Committee on the low level of placement with respect to the number of persons sent for job vacancies, the Government said that this was indicative of the high number of jobseekers with little or no education who are registered with the employment services. In general, these were persons referred to the service by the Department of Social Affairs and for whom the abovementioned Pilot Project was designed. The Committee welcomes receiving such information and hopes that the next report will continue to include the practical data on the application of the Convention required by the report form.