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The Committee notes the Government’s report received in September 2009 including its replies to the 2008 direct request.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends and coordination of economic and social policy with poverty reduction. The Government reports a rise in the employment rate from 68.61 per cent in 2006 to 70.9 per cent in 2008, as well as the rate’s subsequent fall to 70 per cent in early 2009 due to the global crisis. The Committee notes the twin goals of the Socio-Economic Policy 2010–13 to increase the employment rate to 71.7 per cent by 2013 and to reduce poverty in the bottom fifth of the society through growth in this segment’s income from employment. It further notes that the goal of a 71.7 per cent employment rate, initially set to 2010, has been deferred to 2012 as a result of the crisis. The Government indicates that its policy tools include: welfare to work programmes, pilot negative income tax programmes, disability allowance schemes promoting integration, and special agencies for particular groups of the population. The Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Implementation of the Agenda evaluates the progress towards these goals and publishes a detailed annual report. The Committee appreciates the Government’s evaluation of the 2007 Orot Letaasuka programme for integrating welfare recipients in the workforce through special courses and financial incentives, which indicates a positive change of 8.2 per cent in the employment rate when measured against that of the control group. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the policies and programmes that promote full, productive and lasting employment opportunities to the unemployed and other categories of workers affected by the crisis. It also invites the Government to include in its next report information on how its programmes and policy measures specifically addresses poverty reduction.

Implementation of active labour market measures. The Committee notes the Government’s description of the progress made to increase the quality of the Employment Service’s job placements, including changes in its registration and interview processes, technological improvements in database maintenance, staff training and provision of special workshops for disadvantaged workers. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the success of the Employment Service’s new measures in increasing productive and lasting employment opportunities to ensure the integration of disadvantaged workers in the labour market.

Specific categories of vulnerable workers. The Government refers to new legislation enacted in April 2008 which aims to promote female employment. The Government has also identified the need to integrate 135,000 additional persons to close the 3 per cent gap between Israel’s and the average G7 employment participation rates by focusing on particular categories of the population, such as workers of Ethiopian origin and persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that an allocation of 5 million Shekels was granted for the improvement of existing businesses and the establishment of 150–200 new businesses for persons with disabilities. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the impact of such measures on the employment level of vulnerable categories of workers.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that there is no structured form of consultation with social partners and that the Employment Service Council has not been active for some time. One employers’ organization and one workers’ organization are represented in a body that advises the Director-General. The Committee emphasizes that social dialogue is essential in normal times and that it becomes even more so in times of crisis. The employment instruments require member States to promote and engage in genuine tripartite consultations (General Survey of 2010 on employment instruments, paragraph 794). The Committee invites the Government to intensify its efforts to take into account the stakeholders’ perspectives in formulating and implementing employment policies. The Committee asks the Government to address this essential issue in its next report by demonstrating how the representatives of employers and workers are consulted at the policy planning and implementation stages so that their experience and views are taken into account.