Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Tunisia (Ratification: 1966)

Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. In its report, the Government refers to the establishment of four new programmes to promote employment, namely the “employability improvement cheque”, the “employment support cheque”, the Support Programme for Promoters of Small Enterprises and the Partnership Programme with the Regions. The Committee notes that the employability improvement cheque is intended to facilitate the integration of jobseekers into working life by providing them with qualifications and practical skills, while the employment support cheque is designed to encourage private sector enterprises to recruit first-time jobseekers. The Support Programme for Promoters of Small Enterprises is intended to promote the creation of small enterprises, and the Partnership Programme with the Regions for employment promotion is designed to facilitate the integration of various categories of jobseekers into active life through support for local and regional initiatives that are of particular importance for job creation and the establishment of new enterprises. However, there is no indication in the Government’s report of the number of beneficiaries or the results achieved by its employment policy programmes. The Committee notes the persistent difficulties in the Tunisian labour market, the high number of persons who are still seeking employment (re-registered with the Tunisian Employment Agency – ANETI) and the still limited capacity to absorb labour (under 10 per cent of placements in 2014). The Committee also notes that, in the framework of the social contract concluded by the Government, the Tunisian Federation of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA) and the General Federation of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) in January 2013, the social partners agreed on several matters relating to employment and vocational training policies, including the overall reform of the education system, with a view to ensuring a better matching with the needs of the economy, the establishment of a national system of analysis and information on the training of human resources and the reform of institutions to support and accompany jobseekers. The social contract also envisages the institutionalization of social dialogue through the National Social Dialogue Council. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the results achieved through the programmes implemented in the field of employment policy, and on the difficulties encountered in the achievement of their objectives, including updated quantitative information on the trends and results of the measures adopted to stimulate growth and economic development, raise living standards, meet labour force needs and resolve the problem of unemployment and underemployment, as required by the Convention. The Committee also requests the Government to provide specific information on the consultations held with the representatives of the social partners on the matters covered by the Convention. The Government is further requested to provide information on the consultations held with the most vulnerable categories of the population, and particularly with the representatives of workers in rural areas and the informal economy, with a view to securing their cooperation in the formulation and application of employment policy programmes and measures.

Labour market policies. Specific categories of workers. The Government reports the establishment of partnerships with the regions with a view to facilitating the integration of various categories of jobseekers and to supporting the creation of a new generation of small and micro-enterprises. A solidarity enterprise project has been launched with a view to encouraging young people to create their own projects in poor areas. An economic development project and a regional plan of action for the creation of decent jobs, known as “DEPART”, are being implemented in Gafsa, Kef and Ariana with the objective of creating better employment prospects for both young qualified and unskilled persons. The Committee hopes that the Government will soon be in a position to provide information on the results achieved, in collaboration with the social partners at the regional and local levels, in the creation of jobs to make up for the differences in employment levels between the regions. The Committee also hopes that further measures will be taken rapidly to meet the needs of other specific categories of workers, such as women, older workers, rural workers and workers in the informal economy.

Compilation and use of employment data. The Committee once again requests the Government to indicate the manner in which the data compiled have been used to decide upon and review employment policy measures.