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The Committee notes the detailed information supplied by the Government in a report received in November 2009 in reply to the observation of 2008.

1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Coordinated economic and social policy. The Government indicates that in June 2009 it was decided that the lynchpin of sectoral, macroeconomic and regional integration-oriented economic policies was to promote the creation of more and better jobs. Specific areas for promotion would be financial facilities in agriculture, foreign investment for the creation of decent employment and local economic development. Priority would also be given to the formalization in agricultural and industrial activities of workers in the informal economy. According to the data published by the ILO in the 2009 Labour Overview, the rate of open unemployment was 5.9 per cent in 2008 and 57.8 per cent of the population was occupied in the informal sector. According to statistics from the Salvadorian Social Security Institute (ISSS), 22,476 new jobs were created in the formal sector between August 2007 and 2008. Manufacturing, industry, trade, finance, personal services and the construction sector have been the largest contributors to job creation. The Committee requests the Government to provide information in its next report on the results achieved through the implementation of measures to generate productive employment with ILO assistance in the context of the Decent Work Country Programme 2007. The Committee hopes that the Government will also be able to supply information on the progress made in the formulation and adoption of a National Employment Plan.

2. Impact of trade agreements. In reply to previous comments, the Government indicates that the free trade agreements have contributed to the development of agriculture, increasing the value of exports of the main agricultural and agro-industrial products to the United States market. The Committee notes that a programme of landownership has been implemented, with the emphasis on economic empowerment and greater autonomy for rural women. Technological support has also been given to producers to help increase productivity, harvest yields and improve livestock genetics. The Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the impact of trade agreements in the creation of lasting employment both in industry and in agriculture.

3. Measures for alleviating the impact of the crisis. Participation of the social partners. The Government refers to the measures aimed at reducing the negative impact of the global economic crisis. The Committee notes that subsidies were granted, the liquidity of the financial system was increased, the agricultural sector was strengthened through the provision of hybrid seed, and assistance programmes were reinforced to reduce the negative impact of increased prices on the budgets of middle-income Salvadorian families. The Government announced a global plan against the crisis giving priority to the protection of existing jobs and the generation of new employment. Furthermore, public investment aimed at creating a substantial number of jobs will be stimulated to expand and improve public services and basic infrastructure and also the construction and improvement of social housing. With the acceleration of public investment, it seeks to create employment, promote local development and activate small and micro-enterprises at the local level through access to state procurement and contracting. In the General Survey of 2010 on employment instruments, the Committee underlined the importance of ongoing and genuine tripartite consultations for confronting and mitigating the effects of the global economic crisis (General Survey, op. cit., paragraph 788). The Committee requests the Government to supply information in its next report on the consultations held to formulate and implement an active employment policy enabling the negative impact of the global crisis to be overcome. The Committee also requests the Government to supply information on the consultations held with representatives of the persons affected by the measures to be taken from other sectors of the economically active population, such as those working in the rural sector and the informal economy.

4. Job placement measures. The Committee notes the information supplied with regard to the activity of the National Employment Opportunities Network. The Government has communicated the results achieved at the 34 employment fairs held in 2008, providing 34,442 jobs and placing 7,188 workers in employment. A total of nine employment fairs at the national level had been held up to June 2009. The Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the results achieved through job placement activities, including activities undertaken in the context of territorial development programmes for the creation of local employment. In addition, the Committee hopes to receive information on the progress made in strengthening and consolidating the public employment system.

5. Vulnerable groups. The Committee notes the measures taken to promote job creation for women, young persons, older workers, rural workers and those working in the informal economy. The Ministry of Labour has taken a variety of initiatives designed to place young people in work, including organizing three youth employment fairs attended by a total of 12,000 young people, with 6,000 jobs offered by enterprises. The Government proposes to promote programmes facilitating entry into the job market for young persons and to establish incentives for intensive investment in the use and recruitment of young persons and women workers. In its 2010 General Survey, the Committee stressed the importance of moving unemployed persons back into work as quickly as possible, since this not only benefits the individual but also bolsters social cohesion. The long-term unemployed and jobless young persons are particularly susceptible to becoming disconnected from the social mainstream. The resulting social exclusion is harmful not only to those directly affected but also to their communities, which can suffer an increase in anti-social and criminal behaviour and other ill effects of deprivation (General Survey, op. cit., paragraph 799). The Committee also urged governments to formulate policies for job creation and the provision of advice for skilled young workers who are unemployed. The Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the results achieved through the implementation of measures for increasing the participation of women in the employment market and ensuring the employability of young persons.

6. Persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the detailed information received in September 2010 with the report on Convention No. 159. In addition, the Committee notes the measures taken to achieve greater equality in access to employment for persons with disabilities, including the organization of self‑employment fairs and days to raise awareness of the Act concerning Equality of Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the measures taken to facilitate access to the open employment market for persons with disabilities.

7. Small and medium-sized enterprises. The Committee notes that the National Commission for Small and Micro-Enterprises has drawn up a “Support strategy for small and micro-enterprises 2010–14”, whose strategic components include the development of the competitiveness of strategic sectors which strengthen small and micro-enterprises and contribute towards improving a favourable environment for small and micro-enterprises. The Committee recalls that, in the 2010 General Survey, emphasis was also placed on the key role played by small and medium-sized enterprises in poverty reduction through job creation, in accordance with the Job Creation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Recommendation, 1998 (No. 189). The Committee requests the Government to include information in its next report on the impact of the policies being implemented to promote both enterprise development and the competitiveness and sustainability of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Coordination of employment policy and poverty reduction. In response to the observation of 2006, the Government presented a comprehensive report in August 2007. The Government indicates that the annual economic growth rate in 2006 was 4.2 per cent, the highest in the last ten years. In 2006 some 35,000 new jobs were created and 29 new enterprises were established, thereby increasing the number of contributors to the Salvadoran Institute of Social Security and slightly reducing the official unemployment rate (6.5 per cent in 2007 according to data published by ECLAC). From 2005 to 2006 some 600,000 to 625,000 new regular jobs were created in the agricultural sector. The Government emphasizes that the economic indicators are a positive sign that efforts to create lasting and decent employment are succeeding. With regard to the impact of the Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA–DR), the Government projects major economic growth and employment gains in the entire region, including the creation of between 120,000 and 360,000 new jobs during the first six years of its entry into force. The Committee hopes that the next report will include an update on the impact of the trade agreements on the creation of lasting employment. In this respect, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on the manner in which the Government’s programmes and plans have included the promotion of employment to ensure that the creation of quality jobs is a central aspect of the macroeconomic and social policies.

The Committee notes the efforts being made in the framework of the National Network for Employment Opportunities in which placement services and labour-related information were being offered. With the support of the Spanish International Cooperation Agency, an action plan for the network had been formulated to facilitate the establishment of local employment management offices in the metropolitan area of San Salvador, La Paz and Ahuachapán. In 2006 the National Network for Employment Opportunities succeeded in finding jobs for a total of 16,102 persons. Furthermore, the Government included information on the results obtained by means of employment fairs (82,754 jobs had been offered and 40,984 jobseekers had found work opportunities). Measures to promote employment had been implemented in the Gulf of Fonseca region and other areas (Nonualcos, San Andrés Valley) through coordinated action among members of the employment network. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken and the results achieved to encourage lasting employment in the most vulnerable sectors (women, young workers, older workers, rural workers and workers in the informal economy). Please add a summary of the policy proposal to promote youth employment and the results obtained for the promotion of their employment and vocational training.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Government indicated that assistance from the ILO in the framework of the National Programme for Decent Work would be extremely helpful for the strengthening and continuity of its initiatives. The Committee once again requests the Government to forward the documents approved on the National Programme for Decent Work in relation to employment policy. The Committee also invites the Government to provide more detailed information on the consultations held with representatives of the most vulnerable categories of the population, in particular representatives of rural workers and workers in the informal economy, when formulating programmes and seeking support to implement employment policy measures.

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1. Coordination of employment policy and poverty reduction. The Committee notes the Government’s report, received in September 2005, which contains the information requested in its 2003 observation. The Government provides information on the activities undertaken by the labour market observatory for the formulation of vocational training programmes, on the operation of the employment placement system and on programmes for underprivileged groups (young persons and women heads of households, persons with disabilities). The Government indicates that the underemployment rate is 34.6 per cent, with the national unemployment rate being 6.8 per cent (in 2004). Around 8,000 jobs have been lost in the export processing sector as a consequence of Asian competition in the textile sector. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report the results achieved in terms of the creation of lasting employment and the reduction of underemployment in the framework of the national employment policy. The Committee asks the Government to include in its next report detailed information on the measures adopted in the context of the national employment policy. Furthermore, the Committee would be grateful to be informed of the infrastructure development measures adopted and their impact on employment creation, as well as the manner in which the trade agreements negotiated have affected the labour market (Article 1 of the Convention).

2. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and implementation of policies. The Government refers to the establishment of a standing tripartite employment forum to contribute to placing the objective of the generation of high-quality jobs at the centre of economic policy. Studies have been undertaken in the Higher Labour Council with a view to the formulation of a national employment policy. Furthermore, a national policy has been formulated for the promotion of youth employment. The Committee requests the Government to supply the documents adopted on the national employment policy and for the promotion of youth employment. It would be grateful if the Government would include detailed information in its next report on the employment created as a result of the implementation of the above policies. The Committee also requests the Government to give consideration to the manner in which the consultations required by the Convention can include representatives of the most vulnerable categories of the population, and in particular representatives of rural workers and workers in the informal economy, in formulating programmes and seeking support for the implementation of employment policy measures (Article 3).

3. ILO technical cooperation. The Committee notes the “Tripartite Declaration for the promotion of employment and decent work in Central America and the Dominican Republic”, concluded by the Ministers of Labour and representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations in Tegucigalpa in June 2005. In the Tripartite Declaration, among other significant policies, it was agreed to include the objective of the creation of worthwhile, lasting and high-quality jobs, in accordance with ILO parameters, as central to macroeconomic policy, with efforts focusing not only on controlling inflation and the fiscal deficit, but also and with equal priority on the promotion of investment and equitable growth. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the initiatives taken with ILO support to promote, at both the national and subregional levels, the objectives of the creation of productive employment as set out in the Convention (Part V of the report form).

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1. Article 1 of the Convention. With reference to its 2001 observation, the Committee notes the full and detailed report from the Government received in December 2002. The Government indicates in its report that, with the support of the multidisciplinary advisory team of the ILO Area Office, it has been possible to implement programmes to take up the challenge of reconstruction following the earthquakes which hit El Salvador in January and February 2001. The Government refers in particular to the Rural Employment Reactivation Programme which, in addition to rehabilitating 941,409 jobs during the period January-June 2001, made it possible to reconstruct infrastructure damaged by the natural catastrophes. The Government also refers to its strategy for the creation of jobs through an increase in exports that will result from the new free trade agreements concluded with its principal trading partners. In the context of these policies, it is envisaged that total employment in the export sector will reach 405,000 jobs by 2005. The Committee hopes that in its next report the Government will include information on the actual results achieved in terms of the creation of productive employment through these measures. The Committee also asks the Government to provide information on the restructuring of the economy and on labour market programmes carried out with a view to matching labour supply and demand so as to ensure that the categories of workers affected by such structural transformations and changes in international trade can enter and remain in the labour market.

2. Article 2. The Government confirms, through the statistics compiled and supplied, that despite the macroeconomic discipline achieved, the underutilization of human resources continues to affect development prospects in El Salvador. The Committee notes with concern that underemployment, which affects around one-third of the active population, particularly occurs in rural areas, giving rise to poverty and encouraging rural-urban migration. The occurrence of underemployment in urban areas is reflected in the increase in urban informal activities and the rise in urban poverty. In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the phenomenon of underemployment in El Salvador. The Committee also trusts that the Government will continue to give priority in its development plans to an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment.

3. Article 3. In November 2002, the Office forwarded to the Government the observations made by the Inter-Union Commission of El Salvador (CIES) claiming, among other matters, that the Government did not have an employment policy and that the abolition of the Ministry of Planning and Coordination of Social Development had made it difficult to obtain technical resources for the preparation of development and employment policies. It added that workers’ organizations were not taken into account or consulted in the formulation of an employment policy. The CIES also states that the private sector is not taking action to create jobs and that in view of the economic slowdown, its sole and immediate response has been the dismissal of workers so that firms can be competitive. The Committee also takes due note of the comments received from the Government in December 2002 in relation to the observations of the CIES. The Government refers once again to the measures taken in the framework of the Rural Employment Reactivation Programme and the expectations for the creation of employment in the export sector. The Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance is developing a national employment plan in coordination with various public and private institutions at the national level. It refers to labour market studies on the impact of the vocational training programmes implemented by the Salvadorian Vocational Training Institute (INSAFORP). The Government acknowledges that the continued valuable support provided by the ILO through various programmes and projects (strengthening social dialogue, the management of employment, strengthening labour inspection, eradication of child labour, modernization of the Ministry of Labour) has contributed to El Salvador being one of the seven countries in Latin America that have made progress in relation to decent work. The Committee recalls that Article 3 of the Convention provides that the measures to be taken in relation to employment policy should take fully into account the experience and views of the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations with a view to securing their full cooperation in formulating and implementing the employment policy. The Committee trusts that in its next report the Government will be able to provide further details on the efforts made to hold the consultations required by this important provision and will also indicate the manner in which the views of the representatives of persons affected by employment policy measures, including the opinions of representatives of those working in the rural sector and the informal economy, are taken into account so as to ensure that the objectives of the Convention are being achieved.

4. In a direct request on the application of the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), the Committee refers to matters relating to the coordination of education and vocational training policies with prospective employment opportunities.

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1. With reference to its 1998 direct request, the Committee notes the statistical data contained in the Government’s report, which shows a decrease in unemployment between 1995 and 2000. The unemployment rate was 6.6 per cent (in 2000), a percentage point lower than the average registered over the period 1994-99 (7.6 per cent). Nevertheless, the problem of rural unemployment appears to be greater than urban unemployment, thereby reflecting, according to ECLAC, internal disparities in terms of poverty, income and opportunities. The Committee hopes that the Government’s next report will include the updated information required by the report form on the situation, level and trends of employment, unemployment and, in particular, underemployment. In this respect, the Committee requests that the Government provide information on the manner in which unemployment and underemployment affect women, young persons and rural workers (and particularly on the employment impact of the alliance’s labour plan).

2. The Government refers in its report to the adoption of the Act respecting equality of opportunity for persons with disabilities (which will be examined in greater detail in relation to the application of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159)), and the legislative initiative for the adoption of a new apprenticeship law. The Committee requests that the Government provide information in its next report on the impact of these initiatives in obtaining lasting employment for persons with disabilities and young persons wishing to enter the labour market.

3. The Government refers in its report to the adoption of a National Competitiveness Programme which, through specific projects, seeks to increase the competitivity of enterprises so that they can operate in a changing and globalized world. Furthermore, attempts are being made to promote foreign investment with a view to generating 5,000 jobs and to developing a national high technology services industry. In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue indicating in its reports the impact on employment of the structural reforms which have been undertaken and if it would report on the labour market measures and programmes implemented with a view to matching labour supply and demand in order to ensure that the categories of workers affected by structural adjustments remain in the labour market.

4. The Government states in its report that the Act respecting industrial free zones and commercialization entered into force and is intended to broaden and diversify production and export markets. The Committee requests that the Government provide information in its next report on the manner in which the above export processing activities and zones have contributed to the creation of productive and lasting employment.

5. Article 2. The Government states in its report that, in accordance with the principles underlying the new culture of work, more effective mechanisms and procedures will be established to monitor and evaluate labour market statistics. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue providing information in its reports on the manner in which the principal employment policy measures are decided upon and kept under periodical review within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy.

6. Article 3. The Government refers in its report to the three advisory bodies of the Ministry of Labour (the Higher Labour Council, the National Minimum Wage Council and the Consultative Commission). The Higher Labour Council is entrusted with developing recommendations on the implementation and revision of social policy, including employment policy. In this respect, the Committee once again requests that the Government provide in its next report examples of the recommendations or proposals made by the Higher Labour Council concerning employment policy so that it can examine the manner in which the full cooperation of the sectors consulted is sought in formulating employment policy and enlisting the necessary support for its implementation.

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1. The Committee notes the Government’s detailed report for the period ending 31 May 2000. The New Alliance Government Plan, 1999-2000, maintains among its objectives the creation by the Government and private initiative of the conditions to promote the creation of employment opportunities. The Government adds in its report that the labour legislation in El Salvador is extremely rigid, which can lead to a major loss of efficiency. The need to reduce the adjustment costs of the labour force to respond to unforeseeable changes in economic conditions has given rise to a demand for greater flexibility, both with regard to termination costs and new forms of recruitment. In this respect, the Committee notes that the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance has requested the Office’s assistance (the Multidisciplinary Advisory Team for Central America) with a view to improving knowledge of employment problems in the country and making progress in the development of policies for the promotion of greater opportunities for decent work for women and men. The ILO’s assistance should improve knowledge of the extent of employment and income problems and their relationship with the socio-economic conditions of households and should make it possible to develop policies and programmes for the promotion of greater employment opportunities and better conditions for the employability of the labour force. The Committee therefore trusts that the Government will continue to give priority in its plans and programmes to the objectives of full employment, taking duly into account the application and promotion of the principles and rights set out in international labour standards as necessities in a competitive economy. In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the action taken as a consequence of the assistance provided by the ILO in relation to the employment policy to promote decent work (Article 1 of the Convention).

2. Recalling that in January and February 2001, two very strong earthquakes resulted in serious losses, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the employment policy measures which have been adopted to address the labour needs of the persons affected and the reconstruction of infrastructure and housing, including the assistance received in this respect from the ILO.

The Committee is raising other matters concerning the application of the Convention in a direct request.

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1. The Committee notes the Government's first report on the application of the Convention, received in April 1997, and the report received in May 1998. In its report, the Government refers to such documents as the Government's Plans 1994-99 and the Government's National Plans for the Development of Agriculture and Stock-raising, as well as the public investment stabilization and structural adjustment programmes, in which measures are envisaged to apply an active policy to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment. The Committee trusts that, in its next report, the Government will include a copy of the above documents (Part I of the report form). Similarly, the Committee requests the Government to specify whether it has encountered any particular difficulties in achieving the employment objectives defined in the above plans and programmes and to indicate the extent to which these difficulties have been overcome.

2. The Committee notes that, according to the household surveys carried out, the employment rate has increased from 90 per cent in 1990 to 92.4 per cent in 1995. Nevertheless, the Government's report contains no other information on the situation, level and trends of employment. According to the information published by ECLAC despite the dynamism of production (in 1997 the gross domestic product rose by approximately 4 per cent), it is estimated that in 1997 open unemployment will be in excess of 8 per cent compared with 7.7 per cent in 1996 and that an insufficient number of new jobs will be created, which ECLAC attributes to the very early stages of an increase in investment. In the light of these difficulties, the Committee hopes to be able to appreciate fully the manner in which the Government is endeavouring to implement an active employment policy within the meaning of the Convention. In this regard, the Committee wishes to emphasize that many aspects of the employment policy go beyond the immediate competence of the Labour Ministry so that the preparation of a full report on Convention No. 122 may require consultation with other ministries or other agencies concerned, such as those responsible for planning, economic affairs and statistics. In this regard, the Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on the following points:

(a) please provide information as required by the report form on the situation, level and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment and the manner in which they affect particular categories of workers such as women, young persons, older workers, migrant and indigenous workers who are experiencing difficulties in finding lasting employment (see under Article 1 of the Convention);

(b) please specify the extent to which the objectives of the economic policy referred to in the first report (increased production, employment and price stability) have enabled the demands for employment to be satisfied. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide, in its reports, information on references to global and sectoral development policies, the development of the infrastructure and industrial development, including quantitative evaluations of the creation of productive employment by the measures adopted by the Government;

(c) please specify the manner in which the development credits policy for macro and small enterprises has enabled the creation of sustainable employment in the industrial sector;

(d) please indicate the manner in which the new agricultural entrepreneurship concept has promoted employment in the rural sector, taking account of the former macroeconomic policies, adverse international conditions and the violent armed conflict, referred to by the Government in its first report. In view of the high percentage of labour in the rural sector, the Committee wishes to draw the Government's attention in particular to Paragraph 27 of the Employment Policy Recommendation, 1964 (No. 122) - the text of which is included in the report form - which contains suggestions on the creation of employment opportunities in agriculture and stock-raising and the promotion of structural measures to create productive employment in the rural sector;

(e) please provide information on the manner in which productive employment opportunities are being created in the tertiary sector, and particularly in tourism;

(f) please indicate whether population policies and programmes, such as those suggested in Paragraph 14 of the Employment Policy (Supplementary Provisions) Recommendation, 1984 (No. 169), have been included in the measures taken under the employment policy;

(g) please indicate the manner in which the export processing zones and export activities have contributed to the creation of productive and sustainable employment.

3. Please describe the procedures adopted to ensure that the effects on employment of measures taken to promote economic development receive due consideration. Please also specify the manner in which the principal measures of employment policy are decided upon and kept under review, within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy (Article 2).

4. The Committee wishes to emphasize the importance of consulting the representatives of the persons concerned as laid down in Article 3 of the Convention. The Committee takes account of the role played by the Higher Labour Council and would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the manner in which the Higher Labour Council ensures that the experiences and views of the representatives of the persons concerned (employers' and workers' organizations, representatives of other sectors of the economically active population, such as those working in the rural and informal sectors) are taken into account in matters of employment policy. Please also provide examples of the recommendations or suggestions made by the Higher Labour Council in matters of employment policy to enable the Committee to examine the manner in which full cooperation of the sectors consulted is secured in formulating employment policy and in obtaining the necessary support for its implementation.

In general terms, the Committee considers it appropriate when responding to the points raised to take into account the comments made relative to the application of other Conventions ratified by El Salvador, closely linked to Convention No. 122, such as the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) and the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159). <