Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy in coordination with poverty reduction. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in September 2009 including the replies to the matters raised in its 2008 direct request. According to the Department of Statistics of Georgia, the poverty level stood at 24.6 per cent in 2004 and 22.1 per cent in 2008. The Committee notes that, in January 2008, the Government adopted the Georgia without Poverty Programme for 2008–12 which names employment among the top priorities, as well as the development of the private sector, the promotion of investments and the further increase of the effectiveness of the social aid system. The Government reports that employment policy expenditures (active and passive measures) have more than doubled during the 2005–07 period. The Committee notes the various programmes aimed at job creation such as the Cheap Credit Programme, implemented since 2008, and the 100 New Agro Enterprises Programme, launched in 2007–08. The Government indicates that the number of beneficiaries of these two programmes exceeds 36,200 persons. The Committee further notes that the State Employment Agency was reformed into the Social Service Agency. The Government indicates that the objective of unemployment reduction and poverty alleviation is far beyond the capacity of a single agency, the Social Service Agency under the monitoring of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs. Therefore, the Ministry of Labour together with the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Education and Science coordinate employment-related affairs and implement vocational educational and training programmes. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of active labour market measures taken to overcome poverty, and on the steps taken to ensure that employment policy considerations, which are central to poverty reduction efforts, are placed at the heart of macroeconomic and social policies.

2. Vocational training and education. The Government indicates that it implements various programmes in cooperation with international partners and development agencies, such as the UNDP, the EU and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In this regard, the Government reports that the Development of Vocational Training Infrastructure Programme was launched in 2008, and its goals include the establishment of at least 50 professional education centres in Georgia. The programme contributes to the reduction of structural unemployment caused by structural changes of the economy and by the mismatch of jobseekers’ qualifications to those demanded in the labour market. The Government further reports that the Vocational Training and Retraining Programme aims to enhance professional skills and help the unemployed to meet the changing requirements of the labour market. The Committee notes that 113,800 persons took part in this programme and received on-the-job training in more than 1,400 enterprises. Among the beneficiaries of the programme, women comprised 65 per cent of the total participants, which is 7 percentage points higher than in 2006. The Committee also notes that the Governing Council of the National Agency of Professions is comprised of representatives of the Government, trade unions and employers who work together on the elaboration of professional educational standards. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report further data on the measures taken in the area of vocational training and education including information as to how the social partners contribute to the development and implementation of such measures.

3. Special measures in respect of vulnerable categories of workers. The Government indicates that the Ministry of Justice introduced a pilot project to train and employ persons with disabilities in the Public Register Agency. The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs is also planning to start a new project in order to support the full integration of persons with disabilities in the labour market. The Committee once again asks the Government to provide in its next report detailed information on how employment policies are pursued to meet the needs of particular categories of workers such as women, young persons, older workers and workers with disabilities, and the results of such policies.

4. Regional development. The Government reports that one of its main priorities is to ensure regional development through the implementation of infrastructure projects. For this purpose, in 2009 the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure was established and is responsible for elaborating the regional development policy, state administration of transport sphere, implementation of state policy in the field of transportation, roads, etc. The Committee notes that the Government elaborated the Economic Stimulus Package which sets out the infrastructure projects that will be financed. In its report, the Government also refers to the Donor’s Conference for Georgia which was held in Brussels in October 2008 and indicates that an important part of the financial assistance will be allocated to a wide array of infrastructure projects, such as the Regional and Municipal Infrastructure Development Project, and the Secondary and Local Roads Project. The Government also indicates that, before this Conference, it prepared a joint needs assessment (JNA) document. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on regional and local employment programmes implemented in the framework of the Economic Stimulus Package, with a view to promoting productive employment, particularly in rural areas. The Committee also asks the Government to provide information on the impact of the infrastructure projects implemented in the framework of the JNA on productive employment.

5. Collection and analysis of statistics. The Government reports that currently a reform of the National Statistics System of Georgia is being undertaken in cooperation with the UNDP. The main goals of this reform include: to increase independence, reliability and quality of statistics, and to increase the compliance of methodology with recognized international standards. The Committee invites the Government to provide information concerning the activities undertaken by the National Statistics System of Georgia. In this regard, please provide statistics concerning the size and distribution of the labour force, the nature and extent of unemployment and underemployment and trends therein. The Committee would also welcome receiving information on how such data is used in the Government’s employment policy-making process.

6. Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Government reports that it has a firm intention to improve the social dialogue and is involved in various cooperation formats with the relevant parties. The new format of the regular meeting of the representative of trade unions, employers’ associations and the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs was established in order to ensure good communication, a platform for exchange of views on various issues and coordinate future activities in the sphere of employment policy and labour issues, social policy and others. The Committee asks the Government to provide further information on the effective consultations held with the representatives of the social partners on the matters covered by the Convention, as established in Article 3.