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The Committee notes that monthly statistics of average earnings and labour cost per hour paid for, in the form of indices and absolute figures, by branch of economic activity and occupational group, continue to be compiled from the Sistema de Estadísticas de Salarios (wage statistics system). The data are not available by sex or age group, however, these statistics fulfil the basic requirements of Part II of the Convention.

The Committee notes with interest that statistics of time rates of wages and normal hours of work (Part III) are now compiled, and agriculture (Part IV) is not excluded from the scope of the establishment sample survey. The Committee requests the Government to continue reporting any progress made in the application of the Convention, including any development relating to the new process of conceptual and methodological updating.

The Committee would like to draw to the Government’s attention the new international standards concerning the measurement of working time (Resolution I) adopted by the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians and accessible via: ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Statistics/standards/resolutions/lang--en/docName--WCMS_112455/index.htm, where a larger number of concepts and measures are defined in detail.

Referring to the Government’s previous report (2004) whereby the ILO was informed that the National Institute of Statistics (INE) had not indicated its position on the issue of the ratification of the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160), the Committee notes that no further information has been provided in this regard. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would consider ratifying Convention No. 160 and keep the ILO informed in this regard, taking into account the 2000 general observation on the pertinence of the instrument and on the ipso jure denunciation of Convention No. 63 in case of the ratification of the more recent instrument. The Committee suggests once again that the Government may wish to consider seeking the technical assistance of the Office for the purpose of facilitating the process of ratifying Convention No. 160.