Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

1. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in August 2005, which states that achieving the objectives of full and productive employment continues to pose difficulties in Georgia on account of the current economic crisis. It notes, however, the Government’s stated goal of accelerating economic development and improving living standards through the elaboration and implementation of active labour market policies. In this context, it notes that funding for the annual Programme for the Social Protection of the Unemployed and Employment Promotion was reduced by half in 2004 (4 million to 2.1 million lari), with some of these funds being set aside to cover the programme’s debts from the previous year. The Committee also notes that, between 1990 and 2004, the number of employed persons in Georgia fell by roughly 1 million people. The Committee therefore asks the Government to provide detailed information on the design and implementation of active measures to generate employment, including measures to promote employment among vulnerable categories of persons, such as women, young persons, older workers and disabled workers (Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention). The Committee also refers to its previous comments and asks the Government to indicate the procedures for making employment policy decisions and how these decisions are regularly reviewed within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy (Article 1, paragraph 3, and Article 2(a)).

2. Coordination of employment policy with poverty reduction. The Committee notes the Government’s progress report prepared in January 2005 on its Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Programme (EDPRP), in which it states that unemployment is the main cause of poverty in the country. The Government is asked to provide detailed information in its next report on the measures adopted in the context of the EDPRP to ensure that employment, as a key element of poverty reduction, is placed at the heart of macroeconomic and social policies. Please also include information on the employment creation outcomes as a result of EDPRP implementation.

3. Employment services. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that 44,973 jobseekers were registered with the National Employment Service in 2004, marking a 62 per cent decrease in the number of registered people indicated by the Government in its previous report. Of the nearly 45,000 jobseekers, only 3,202 were able to find work in 2004, while only another 1,518 were eligible for unemployment benefits. The Committee also notes that, in 2004, the NES publicized 5,818 job vacancies, of which only 19 per cent were in the private sector. It further notes that at the end of 2004, the employment reforms undertaken by the Government included the reorganization of the National Employment Service into a new entity called the State Social Assistance and Employment Agency. The Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on the operation of this new agency and, in particular, how this reform will improve the agency’s ability to provide more job opportunities for those willing and able to work. It also refers the Government to the Committee’s 2005 comments on the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), the implementation of which should contribute to making a more effective employment policy.

4. Collection and analysis of statistics. The Committee notes that the State Social Assistance and Employment Agency is responsible for the collection of labour market statistics. The Committee reminds the Government that the collection of data and analysis of the labour market should be the basis for the formulation of employment policy. The Committee hopes that in its next report the Government will further describe the measures taken in this respect and that it will be able to include information on the size and distribution of the labour force along with the level and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment (Article 2).

5. Education and vocational training. The Committee notes that according to data presented by the Government, 776 unemployed people benefited from vocational training in 2003 through the Programme for the Social Protection of the Unemployed and Employment Promotion. Noting that the State Social Assistance and Employment Agency will contribute to the training and retraining of jobseekers, the Government is asked to provide information in its next report on the measures taken to match education and training policies with prospective employment opportunities. The Committee further asks the Government to indicate how it intends to broaden the availability of and participation in these training programmes. Please also continue to include statistical data on the number of vocational training participants and their success in finding employment.

6. Regional development. The Committee notes from the Government’s EDPRP progress report that most of the country’s unemployed are found in the agricultural sector. Given this situation, the Government plans to support job market diversification and the availability of alternative employment opportunities in rural areas. Recalling its previous comments, the Committee again asks the Government to provide information in its next report on regional or local employment programmes implemented with a view to promoting full and productive employment, particularly in rural areas. In addition, please provide information on the employment impact of the modernization of the transportation system, and the legislative measures taken to encourage entrepreneurship and reintegration into the labour market of workers affected by privatization.

7. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Government indicates in its report that special advisory committees for setting regional and local employment policies in consultation with the social partners still do not exist. The Government is therefore requested to keep the Committee informed of the creation of these regional committees. Recalling its previous comments, the Committee further asks the Government to provide more details in its next report on the work and outcomes of the National Employment Council’s deliberations, particularly in relation to the development and implementation of policies designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment. Please also indicate how the social partners and other persons concerned are involved in the elaboration and implementation of the country’s EDPRP (Article 3).