Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

1. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report for the period ending May 2002, which describes the main trends in employment and provides detailed information on specific groups in the labour market. The Government recalls that, due to several years of rapid growth and rising employment rates, Norway has one of the highest employment rates and lowest jobless rates in the OECD area. It also indicates that the rise in the number of disabled persons has led to a decrease in the size of the labour force. During the reporting period, about 10 per cent of the working-age population claimed disability benefits and 2.7 per cent of the labour force was occupationally disabled and undergoing rehabilitation. Furthermore, data provided by the Government also indicates an increasing trend in the number of people leaving the labour force to receive disability pensions or make use of early retirement schemes. The Committee also notes that in October 2001 the Government and the social partners concluded an agreement with a view to achieving a more inclusive workplace. The agreement provides for cooperation with responsibilities shared between the Government and individual companies. The objectives of the agreement are: to reduce absence due to sickness by at least 20 per cent over the period 2001-05; to ensure that a significantly higher percentage of employees with impaired functional capacity are in employment; and to raise the average effective retirement age. The Committee notes that the objectives of this agreement, within the context of the Norwegian labour market situation, are of particular importance towards achieving the objectives of the Convention. Please continue to provide information on the implementation of this agreement and on its impact on the labour market. Please also include the information about the results of the survey that, as mentioned by the Government’s report, is being conducted to ascertain how key objectives of welfare policy and labour market policy are fulfilled.

2. The Committee notes that, while Norway has one of the highest female labour force participation rates internationally (69 per cent), it also has a relatively high proportion of women being employed in part-time work. Recent data from the Central Bureau of Statistics indicates that, in the second quarter of 2002, 44 per cent of employed females had a part-time job compared with 11 per cent among males. The data also indicates that, while the labour force participation rate increased slightly among women in 2002, the growth largely reflects an increase in part-time work. A large proportion of female employment is in the service sector and in particular in the health and education sectors. The Committee wishes to remain informed on developments in this respect, including any information on the Government’s design to ensure a supply of labour that matches the needs of the labour market.

3. The Committee would also appreciate receiving further details on the Government’s active labour market policy orientations with regard to the shortage of labour in several sectors of the economy (such as the health sector, construction and certain industrial branches) mentioned in the Government’s report. Please also continue to provide detailed disaggregated information on labour market trends and the impact of the rules introduced for calculating rehabilitation benefits and the insertion in the labour market of the working-age population (that is, 10 per cent of the population in 2001) that were claiming disability benefits.