Country Reviews on Employment Policies in Stability Pact Countries

1
Country Reviews on Employment Policies in
Stability Pact Countries

• Mariàngels Fortuny
• Employment Strategy Department, Employment Sector
• International Labour Office, Geneva

2
Background

• South East European Ministerial Conference on
  Employment (Bucharest, October 2003)
• Bucharest declaration
• Preparing integration into the EU
• Implementing Council of Europe standards in
  employment matters
• Making operational core elements of ILO Global
  Employment Agenda
• ILO and Council of Europe requested to provide
  guidance and support

3

• Employment Ministers approve and update
  cooperation objectives Permanent High Level
  Committee (PHLC) designs and supervises programme
  of activities
• PHLC has set up two working groups
• WG 1 under ILO guidance, reviews national
  employment policies
• WG 2 under Council of Europe guidance, reviews
  performance of employment services
• Main objective guide tripartite constituents in
  assessing national employment policy
• ILO project on promoting gender equality

4
Main activities

• In-depth analysis and assessment
• Country reviews of employment policy (CREPs)
  based on National Reports produced by ministries
  of labour after consultation with the social
  partners
• National Reports submitted to ILO and CoE for
  assessment. Based on comments a CREP is produced
• Bulgaria Romania have already prepared JAPs
  their experience is source of inspiration
• Draft CREPs discussed at WG 1 and 2 of PHLC and
  National Tripartite Conferences and then finalized

5

• Organization of Peer Reviews
• Countries which do not prepare a CREP in the
  respective year, prepare an annual national
  policy report
• The two CREP countries and Bulgaria and Romania
  assess the remaining countries
• Peer Reviews take place during the meetings of
  Working Groups I and II
• Capacity building is undertaken
• ILO and CoE work with policy makers social
  partners
• Active role of social partners in design and
  implementation of employment policies
• Peer reviews mutual learning

6

• Technical assistance by the ILO and CoE
• Provision of guidelines, advisory services
• Report findings and policy conclusions discussed
  in National Tripartite Conferences
• Assistance in reflecting recommendations into
  policies
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
• PHLC reports at Ministerial Conferences
• At end of project ILO will prepare report with
  policy conclusions, achievements and lessons
  learned to be discussed at sub-regional conference

7

• Progress of the project
• CREPs 2004 Albania and Croatia NTCs took place
  in the first half 2005 and draft CREPs finalized
• PHLC, January 2005, Strasburg, to discuss Albania
  and Croatia CREP and peer reviews of Moldova
  (Bulgaria) and Bosnia Herzegovina (Romania).
• CREPs 2005 Moldova and Serbia
• Mid term Ministerial Conference, Sofia, autumn
  2005

8

• Albania CREP
• First country to commit itself to have its
  employment policy assessed
• CREP highlights main challenges facing Albania
  regarding the labour market and provides set of
  recommendations
• It aims to contribute to the implementation of,
  inter alia, ILO Convention No.122 (1964) on
  Employment Policy as well as implementing ILO
  Global Employment Agenda
• It aims to help preparations for future
  integration in the EU by converging towards
  Guidelines of the European Employment Strategy

9

• Albania CREP main conclusions
• Despite successful macro indicators, high
  unemployment, large informal sector, mass
  emigration
• Call for policy integration macroeconomic policy
  for growth and employment
• NSSED step forward towards integrating economic
  and social policies
• Activating labour market policies
• ALMPs should be carefully targeted
• Relevance and quality of ALMPs should be
  regularly assessed
• Avoid gender stereotyping
• Involvement of social partners crucial for its
  success

10

• Albania CREP main conclusions
• Improve performance of employment services
• Importance of training the staff of employment
  offices
• Tailored services to job seekers should be
  provided
• Need to extend activities to rural areas
• Business climate conducive to enterprise
  development
• Sound financial and technical infrastructure to
  attract FDI
• Increase competitiveness of SMEs is crucial SME
  Agency is an important development
• Further efforts are necessary for shifting
  informal enterprises into the formal sector

11

• Albania CREP main conclusions
• Strengthening social dialogue key to a well
  functioning labour market
• Need to strengthen role and functioning of
  tripartite bodies
• Adequate social protection system
• ALMPs and social protection measures mutually
  consistent and supportive
• Improving data collection
• Overall capacity of the statistical system
  seriously deficient
• Labour force surveys should become part of the
  national statistical system

12

• First peer review, second meeting of PHLC,
  January 2005, Strasbourg
• Review of Moldova (Bulgaria) and
  Bosnia-Herzegovina (Romania)
• Basic principles learning, sharing,
  strengthening networks and building capacity were
  satisfied
• Wish to establish further bilateral exchanges
• Need to improve statistical indicators
• Call for policy integration and coordination
• Important to tackle employment issues at national
  and regional levels
• Balance flexibility and security