MERCOSUR

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MERCOSURs Labor Market Observatory

• The reform process

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Presentation outline

• Objectives and characteristics
• Products and activities
• The Observatory on the Internet
• Employment policies
• The reform process

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General objectives

• Produce, gather, analyze and disseminate
  information on the labor market of MERCOSURs
  member States.
• Support and facilitate decision making at
  regional level.

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Specific objectives

• Analyze social and labor problems from a regional
  perspective.
• Disseminate in a comparable and systematic
  methodology MERCOSURs labor markets information.
  
• Provide technical assistance on labor matters to
  optimize decision making in the region.

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Institutional framework

• Tasks of the Common Market Group
• Propose decision projects to the Common Market
  Council CMC.
• Take action upon decisions adopted by the CMC.
• Express opinion on proposals or recommendations
  submitted by other MERCOSUR organs to this group.

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Organic structure

• The coordination of the Technical-Executive
  Secretariat (STE) changes every year and rotates
  among member States.
• Tripartite
• Government.
• Employers.
• Workers.

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Products and activities

• MERCOSURs bulletin on current labor issues.
• Seminar Integration, MERCOSUR and Employment
  Policies.
• Project to harmonize labor indicators.
• Regional studies on strategic productive chains.
• Website (www.observatorio.net)

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The Observatory on the Internet

• Main uses of this website
• Search engine for statistics.
• Statistic map.
• Statistic timeline.
• Search engine for employment policies.
• 2001 labor nomenclatures.

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Search engine for statistics

• Access to main regional social and labor
  indicators.
• Systematization of available statistics sources.
• Specific information for each indicator on
• Methodology criteria, and
• Charts and documents related to a given
  indicator.

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Sources of information

• The Observatory gathers information highlighted
  by various regional sources statistics.
• Information is updated periodically.

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Statistic map

• Situation of the labor market in the main urban
  centers within MERCOSUR.
• Geographic localization.

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Statistic timeline

• Description of the sources available in the
  region to analyze the evolution and
  characteristics of the labor market
• Relevant periods throughout a year.
• Mention of methodology criteria.
• Publication of press releases.

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Search engine for employment policies

• Data bank for employment policies within
  MERCOSUR.
• Search by relevance of programs characteristics
• By type of program.
• By approach.
• By amount of beneficiaries.
• Standard forms to enter description of employment
  policies, to make comparisons easier.
• Updated data on beneficiaries and amount invested
  in employment programs.

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2001 labor nomenclatures

• Detailed analysis of labor legislation.
• Comparison of in force norms in member States.
• Access to main laws.

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Actions developed

• Organizing and undertaking the regional seminar
  Integration, MERCOSUR and Employment Policies
• Publication of the follow-up memoirs of the
  Declaración Sociolaboral (DSL).
• Analysis on the European experience regarding
  funds management to implement social and labor
  programs.

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MERCOSURs strategy for employment growth

• Declaration of the Ministers of Labor or
  MERCOSUR, within the Regional Employment
  Conference (April 2004), which gives the mandate
  to create the MERCOSURs strategy for employment
  growth.
• The Common Market Council (Decision 46/2004)
  creates the Employment High Level Group, which
  task is to draft this regional strategy.

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MERCOSURs strategy for employment growth

• Conceptual basis
• MERCOSURs strategy for employment growth (EMCE)
  establishes as the development strategy the
  creation of quality employment. For this, it
  proposes
• Articulation of macro, meso and micro-economic
  policies with labor, social and education
  policies.
• Respect and enforcement of labor principles and
  rights.

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MERCOSURs strategy for employment growth

• Conceptual basis
• GANEMPLE is integrated by the ministries
  responsible for economic, industrial, labor and
  social policies of member States. Social
  organizations participate in the deliberate
  instance of GANEMPLE sessions.
• GANEMPLE drafts projects for Employment Regional
  Directives within the regional employment
  Strategy.
• Member States will formulate Employment Plans
  considering concrete policy objectives and
  benchmarks for a 2-year period and will be done
  according to the proposals on regional
  directives.

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MERCOSURs strategy for employment growth

• Operative basis
• First stage
• Elaboration of regional directives and
  Strengthening and Reform of MERCOSURs Labor
  Market Observatory.
• Second stage
• Application of regional directives through the
  elaboration of national plans and joint practical
  experiences.
• Third stage
• Monitoring and follow-up. Elaboration of
  directives for the next period.

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The reform process

• Strengthening
• To broaden current objectives and tasks
  considering countries advice on policy reform
  within the framework of regional directives and
  EMCE.
• Give the Observatory a more active role in the
  ongoing regional debate regarding labor and
  social matters.

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The reform process

• New tasks
• Follow-up and evaluation of regional directives.
• Giving advise to countries on drafting employment
  plans and policies according to regional
  directives.
• Follow-up on expected benchmarks and results from
  the implementation of those plans and policies.

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The reform process

• New structure
• Aims to establish a permanent experts body in
  each country and in the regional coordination.
• The Observatory would change its institutional
  situation depending directly on the body in
  charge of the EMCE.
• Constitute the foundations to create the future
  Employment Regional Institute.

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Proposed organization chart