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Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Tajikistan (RATIFICATION: 1993)

Other comments on C122

Observation

Direct Request

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The Committee takes note of the supplementary information provided by the Government in light of the decision adopted by the Governing Body at its 338th session (June 2020). The Committee proceeded with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the information contained in Government’s report received in August 2020.

COVID-19 pandemic. Socioeconomic impacts. Response and recovery measures. The Committee notes from the ILO monitor on country policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic the measures taken by the Government to mitigate the impact of the pandemic with regard to social protection, employment retention, assistance to businesses and business continuity. The Committee notes, among others measures, the provision of one-time assistance equivalent to the minimum wage to groups of the population in vulnerable situation (such as persons with disabilities and low-income families); the provision of financial support, skills development and entrepreneurship training to returning migrant women and their families; the provision of support to returning migrants in rural areas. In addition, tax exemptions have been established for certain enterprises, and regulatory measures have been implemented to ensure the liquidity of financial institutions and create favourable conditions for access to credit. The Committee recalls the comprehensive guidance provided by international labour standards. In this regard, the Committee wishes to draw the Government’s attention to the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205), which provides guidelines for developing and implementing effective, consensus-based and inclusive responses to the profound socio-economic impacts of the pandemic. The Committee invites the Government to provide updated information in its next report on the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to address it on the implementation of the programs and measures aimed at ensuring the objectives of the Convention.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the impact of the employment programmes and measures adopted, including the ones targeting women and youth. The Government was also requested to provide information on the progress made in terms of poverty reduction, particularly in rural areas, and on the measures taken to reduce the regional disparities in economic growth and employment. The Committee notes the adoption in December 2019 of the Employment Promotion Programme 2020-22, which includes measures aiming at promoting women and youth employment. The Programme aims to bring 135,900 women into employment. The Government refers to the rapidly increasing rate of young persons in the country (at an annual average rate of 2 per cent). It further indicates that the population growth is outstripping the number of job opportunities in a labour market with 2.3 million workers and an economically active population that is almost 2.5 times bigger. The Government indicates that even if it creates up to 100,000 job opportunities every year, this is not enough. Therefore, part of the population is forced to migrate abroad. Furthermore, the Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report submitted to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESC) in March 2020 concerning different employment measures implemented and their impact (document E/C.12/TJK/4). In particular, the Government reports that in 2019, 142,221 citizens sought assistance from the Labour and Employment Agency; of these, 106,542 were registered as jobseekers and 60,045 were officially declared unemployed. It indicates that, overall, 76,374 persons found work. The Government also refers to the different job fairs organized in 2019 by the Labour and Employment Agency and to the adoption of the Short-Term Development Programme of Tajikistan for the period 2016–2020 implementing the first phase of the National Development Strategy of Tajikistan for the period up to 2030, (document E/C.12/TJK/4, paragraphs 61 to 64 and 67). Lastly, the Committee notes with interest the signature of the Decent Work Country Programme for 2020-24 (DWCP) on 15 September 2020 between the Government, the workers’ and employers’ organizations, and the ILO, which contemplates the adoption of measures to ensure inclusive economic growth by creating decent jobs and strengthening labour market institutions; improve working conditions and enhance the coverage of social protection; and build the capacities of tripartite constituents and social dialogue institutions to address priority labour issues. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed updated information on the impact of the measures adopted in the framework of the Employment Promotion Programme 2020-22 and the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for 2020-24 as well as the National Development Strategy of Tajikistan and its accompanying short-term development programmes. In particular, it requests the Government to provide detailed information on the manner and extent to which the measures implemented have enabled the beneficiaries to obtain full, productive and sustainable employment. The Committee also requests the Government to provide updated statistical information on trends in the labour market, especially in relation to the economically active population, employment and unemployment, disaggregated by sex and age. The Committee reiterates its requests to the Government to provide detailed updated information on the progress made in terms of poverty reduction, particularly in rural areas, and on the measures taken to reduce the regional disparities in economic growth and employment.

Collection and use of employment data. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that the Labour and Employment Agency under the Ministry for Labour, Migration and Employment analyses the situation in the labour market, including the number and composition of the unemployed population. The Government reports that, at the end of June 2020, 51,500 persons (481 per cent were women) were registered as unemployed at the Labour and Employment Agency. The Committee also notes that, according to the information provided by the Government in its 2020 report submitted to the CESC, a labour force survey was conducted in July and August 2016 with the support of the World Bank in the framework of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics for the period 2015–18. The Statistics Agency regularly conducts analyses and publishes reports on the state of the labour market, which are posted on the Agency’s website (document E/C.12/TJK/4, paragraph 57). The Committee notes, nonetheless, that the Government does not indicate the manner in which the labour market data is used to determine and review employment policy measures. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the results of the analysis of the state of the labour market. The Committee reiterates its requests to the Government to indicate the manner in which labour market data is used to determine and review employment policy measures.

Coordination of education and training policy with employment policy. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that most jobs seekers jobs registered officially with the Labour and Employment Agency do not have the required skills for the jobs offered. The Government reports that, from January to June 2020, the employment services placed 7,400 registered unemployed people in vocational training, some 43 per cent fewer than in the corresponding period in 2019. A total of 3,500 people completed vocational training, 53.1 per cent fewer than in the corresponding period in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee refers to its comments on the application of the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), and requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to improve workers’ skills and qualifications and to coordinate education and training policies with employment opportunities.

Women’s employment. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its 2020 report submitted to CESC in relation to the measures adopted to promote women’s access to the labour market. Among other measures, the Government indicates that, in the framework of the Government Decision No. 645 of 2 November 2015 on the establishment and allocation of presidential grants to support and develop women’s entrepreneurship over the period 2016–20, grants were allocated to support 80 projects by women entrepreneurs in 2019. In addition, 48,600 women and girls underwent vocational training with the assistance of the Labour and Employment Agency. Short training courses in folk crafts were also organized at the Ministry’s initial vocational training institutions, and 9,134 persons, including 2,691 women, completed courses in 36 different trades (document E/C.12/TJK/4, paragraphs 70 and 71). The Committee notes, however, that in its 2018 concluding observations, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed concerns about: (a) the persistent gender pay gap and vertical and horizontal occupational segregation in the labour market; (b) the concentration of women in the informal sector and in low-paying jobs in the health-care, education and agriculture sectors; (c) the low level of labour participation among women (32.6 per cent) and the low employment rate among women (40.5 per cent), compared with men (59.5 per cent); (d) the absence of social security coverage, the shortage of preschool facilities and conflicting family responsibilities, which make women particularly prone to unemployment; (e) the persistent restriction on the employment of women in hard, underground, heavy and hazardous work, work in harmful conditions and involving manual lifting (articles 160, 161 and 216 of the Labour Code) and the adoption of the list of occupations for which the employment of women is prohibited, in 2017; (f) the lack of access to employment for women with a reduced capacity for competitiveness, such as women with disabilities, mothers with several children, women heads of single-parent families, pregnant women and women who have been left behind by male migrants (document CEDAW/C/TJK/CO/6, 14 November 2018, paragraph 37). In light of the observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Committee requests the Government to provide updated detailed information on the nature and impact of measures adopted or envisaged to promote the participation of women in the labour market, including statistical data disaggregated by sex, age and economic sector.

Informal employment. The Committee notes that the Government refers to the implementation of the Programme to Reduce Unregistered (Informal) Employment in Tajikistan covering the period 2019-23, which was approved by Government Decision No. 466 of 31 August 2019. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the nature and impact of measures taken or envisaged in the framework of the Programme to Reduce Unregistered (Informal) Employment in Tajikistan covering the period 2019-23 to integrate informal economy workers into the formal labour market.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the social partners are working together with the Government to implement employment programmes. In this regard, it indicates that the workers’ organizations have contributed to the implementation of the government’s labour market strategy for the period until 2020. On 11 April 2020, a tripartite meeting was held on the status of implementation of the General Agreement between the Government, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, and the National Employers Association. The Government adds that, in this context, measures were taken to further strengthening and developing social partnerships in areas such as employment, labour relations and the creation of productive job opportunities, including the establishment of an inter-agency group to work on new projects under the General Agreement, focusing on the promotion of decent work in the short-term. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed updated information on the content and the nature of the consultations held with the social partners concerning the formulation, implementation and evaluation of active employment policies. In addition, it reiterates its request that the Government provide information on the consultations held with groups of population in vulnerable situations, in particular with the representatives of workers in rural areas and in the informal economy.