Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2018, published 108th ILC session (2019)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Guernsey

Other comments on C122

Direct Request

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Article 1 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee takes note of the detailed information provided by the Government on the application and impact of employment and training initiatives adopted within the framework of an active employment policy. The Government indicates that, since the introduction of the Progress to Work Initiative in 2014, the number of jobseekers has significantly decreased and that the Rent Rebate, available only for those in social rented housing, exists as a separate means-tested benefit, the granting of which does not require the claimant to work. The Committee notes that, from July 2018, the Rent Rebate will be phased out and the Supplementary Benefit will be converted to Income Support benefit which will be the single means-tested benefit available through social security. The Government indicates that not everyone who is receiving this benefit will be required to work (e.g. people with sickness or disability and single parents of young children). The Committee notes that these changes will effectively extend the Progress to Work Initiative to all those of working age who are receiving a means-tested benefit. Furthermore, the Government, under the umbrella of the “Longer Working Lives” scheme, introduced initiatives to promote the employment of older workers. The Committee notes that Back to Work benefits allow the Job Centre to assist jobseekers that incur costs associated with returning to work and to provide an economic incentive to businesses that hire individuals who have been unemployed for over six months. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated and detailed information on the content and impact of employment initiatives adopted within the framework of an active employment policy.

Education and training policies. The Government indicates that the Job Centre operates a number of employment skills programmes, such as the Community and Environmental Projects Scheme, aimed at developing skills and providing qualifications, and the Kickstart Placements scheme aimed at encouraging employers to give less-qualified jobseekers a trial placement. The Committee notes that a number of jobseekers have secured ongoing employment with their Kickstart employer or have successfully gained employment elsewhere at the conclusion of their placement. It also notes that, apart from regular employment services, other ad hoc vocational courses are provided which are targeted at high-demand areas of employment, such as the care sector. Jobseekers may also be referred to the College of Further Education, which provides vocationally focused education across a wide array of subjects. Furthermore, the Government indicates that Skills Guernsey is helping the local business community achieve a competitive edge in the global marketplace by ensuring a highly skilled workforce which responds to industry demands, through coordinated training offered by publicly funded training providers. The Committee notes that Skills Guernsey has developed a strategy to address skills gaps and new industry challenges. It also notes that the Digital Framework, published in 2016, has contributed to significant developments in work streams that focus on developing digital skills. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on training initiatives adopted or envisaged in the area of vocational training.

Article 2. Labour market statistics and information. With regard to employment trends, the Government notes that, at the time of drafting the 2017 report, 31,195 people were employed or self-employed, with a roughly equal gender division among those who were employed. The Committee notes that, according to the Guernsey Quarterly Population, Employment and Earnings Bulletin, issued in August 2017, there was an overall increase of 1.5 per cent in the number of people who were either employed or self-employed during the year ending on 31 March 2017. During the same period, the registered unemployment rate was 1.2 per cent, which was 0.3 percentage points lower than the previous year. The Committee also notes that, out of those registered as unemployed, 30.1 per cent were women, compared to 36 per cent at the same time the previous year. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated statistical information, disaggregated by age and sex, on labour market and employment trends, including in relation to employment, unemployment and underemployment.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and implementation of policies. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the nature and extent of the involvement of the social partners in the development and implementation of active employment policies and programmes, including vocational education and training measures.