Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2008, publiée 98ème session CIT (2009)

Employment strategy and trends. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in June 2008, which replies in detail to the matters raised in the 2007 observation. In 2006–07, the Spanish economy went through a period of stable and sustained growth (3.9 per cent in 2006 and 3.8 per cent in 2007), with high rates of job creation (3.2 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively). The employment rate is 65.6 per cent and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 per cent of the active population, foreshadowing the achievement of the objectives set for 2010 in the context of the European Employment Strategy. The Government reaffirms in its report that the active employment policy is intended to achieve full, productive and freely chosen employment, as provided for in Article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The objectives governing the current employment policy are quality employment and the improvement of human capital in a context of social dialogue, with these objectives being set out in the tripartite declarations of 2004 and 2006, to which reference was made in the 2007 observation. As requested, the Government provides information on the impact of Act No. 43/2006 of 24 December 2006, to improve growth and employment, which sought to promote permanent contracts, stimulate the conversion of temporary contracts into permanent contracts and reduce employers’ contributions. The Committee once again notes with interest the incentives granted for the permanent recruitment of unemployed women (as well as for victims of gender violence), women recruited within 24 months of childbirth and those recruited after five years of inactivity in the labour market. Incentives are also provided for the recruitment of persons over 45 years of age, young persons between 16 and 30 years of age and persons in other special categories and situations. Of the 1,300,412 contracts registered by the Public Employment Service between July 2006 and December 2007, 95.9 per cent were permanent (286,961 contracts were concluded with women, 125,600 with young men between 16 and 30 years of age, 122,686 with persons over 45 years of age and 72,763 with workers with disabilities). The Committee hopes that the Government will continue to provide information in its next report on the measures adopted to generate high-quality employment and to ensure the integration of workers who have benefited from Act No. 43/2006 into the labour market. The Committee requests information on the application, supervision and evaluation of Government policies to facilitate full employment by women, combat youth unemployment and help older workers to continue participating in the labour market.

Labour market policies. With regard to the regional disparities mentioned in previous comments, the Government refers to the decentralized management of employment policy while seeking to preserve the unity of the market and territorial cohesion. While certain autonomous communities have achieved levels close to full employment, with an unemployment rate of around 6 per cent and an employment rate of near to 60 per cent of the population aged 16 and above (Madrid, Cataluña and the Balearic Islands), the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Andalucia, as well as Asturias, continue to have relatively high unemployment rates. The Committee hopes that the next report will also indicate the progress that has been achieved through measures adopted at the national level and by the autonomous communities to ensure the territorial cohesion of the labour market and reduce differences in unemployment rates between the autonomous communities.

Furthermore, the Committee invites the Government to include in its report, its own observations on the points raised in the communication of the Trade Union’s Confederation of Workers’ Commissions, which was transmitted in October 2008.