Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Serbia (Ratification: 2000)

The Committee notes the Government’s report, as well as the observations made by the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia (CATUS) and the Labour Union Confederation “Nezavisnost”, received on 7 November 2018. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect.

Employment trends. The Government indicates that the national employment policy focuses on groups in vulnerable situations who experience difficulties in finding employment and which have been identified as “hard-to-employ”. It reports that the Serbian economy has moved rapidly from an economy characterized by stagnant growth and high unemployment rates to a growing economy with low inflation rates, declining public debt and labour market recovery. The Committee notes that, according to ILOSTAT data, the overall unemployment rate fell from 15.3 per cent in 2016 (14.6 per cent for men compared to 16.1 per cent for women) to 12.7 per cent in 2018 (12 per cent for men and 13.7 for women). The Government indicates that, during the first quarter of 2018, long-term unemployed persons made up some 60 per cent of the unemployed. Nezavisnost observes that the Government’s report does not include data on either income or poverty, considering that the Government is focusing on the quantity, not the quality of employment. The CATUS maintains that the credibility of the official data on unemployment and employment rates in Serbia is doubtful, given that these rates do not agree with the relevant macroeconomic and fiscal trends (such as GDP and productivity). It maintains that, although employment rates are on the increase, the quality of employment in Serbia is declining. Moreover, the CATUS points out that educated Serbians are emigrating abroad, given that acquiring a higher education is not sufficient to secure employment. The CATUS attributes a large proportion of the decline in the unemployment rate to the demographic emptying of Serbia, in which the country is losing its educated young people as well as its experienced older workers. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated, detailed information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, concerning the size and distribution of the labour force, and employment trends in relation to employment, unemployment, and visible underemployment, as well as on the size of the informal economy.

The informal economy. The Committee notes that, according to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, in the first quarter of 2018, the rate of informal employment was 18.6 per cent, with almost two-thirds (62.7 per cent) of informal employment located in the agricultural sector. The CATUS observes that there are 628,400 informally employed people in Serbia, and that another 207,000 are registered as being in formal employment, but in fact lack health and pension insurance. The CATUS also observes that categories of workers who are on the margins of the labour market, such as older workers, workers in rural areas and those in agriculture are not provided with incentives to facilitate their transition from informal to formal employment. Moreover, many young people are employed informally and without employment contracts. In this context, the CATUS stresses that employees working in precarious conditions also run a greater risk of abuse at the workplace. Referring once again to the principles set out in the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204), the Committee requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged to facilitate the transition of workers from the relation to the agricultural sector and to workers in the category of “hard-to-employ” persons, who are generally concentrated in informal employment.

Persons with disabilities. The Committee notes that the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities provides for equality of opportunity and treatment of persons with disabilities in the labour market. The Government indicates that, in April 2018, 22,389 persons with disabilities were registered with the National Employment Service (NES). The Committee notes that most unemployed persons with disabilities (79.9 per cent) have been unemployed for 12 months or longer and constitute long-term unemployed persons. The Committee notes that the percentage of persons with disabilities who are registered as unemployed and are either unqualified or have low qualifications is larger by 5.8 per cent compared to the total number of registered unemployed persons. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated detailed information, including disaggregated statistical data, on the nature and impact of labour market measures taken to promote the employment of persons with disabilities on the open labour market.

Women’s employment. The Committee notes that, in the first quarter of 2018, the employment rate for women was 37.9 per cent, which was significantly lower than the employment rate for men (52.7 per cent). The Government indicates that it encourages the participation of women in active employment policy measures (AEPMS) and their use of subsidies available for self-employment. In 2017, among the different categories of “hard-to-employ” persons, 27,432 unemployed women up to the age of 30 participated in AEPMs. This figure included: 12,433 women over the age of 50; 7,032 women who were also redundant workers; 3,592 women with disabilities; and 2,252 women belonging to the Roma community. In this respect, the Committee recalls the 2003 ILO Global Report “Time for Equality at Work”, which highlights the issue of multiple grounds of discrimination, pointing out that that women who also belong to disadvantaged groups frequently face double discrimination. Noting that women have persistently higher rates of unemployment in Serbia compared to men, the Committee requests the Government to communicate information concerning the nature and scope of measures adopted or envisaged to promote the employment of women, particularly women belonging to disadvantaged groups, to enable them to access decent and lasting employment at all levels and across all economic sectors. It further requests the Government to provide detailed information, including disaggregated data, on the impact of such measures.

Youth Employment. The Committee notes that, in the first quarter of 2018, the employment rate of young people was 18.5 per cent, whereas the youth unemployment rate was 34.6 per cent (2.5 per cent higher than in 2017). The Government indicates that the National Employment Action Plan for 2018 (NEAP 2018) places young persons in the hard-to-employ category and prioritizes their inclusion in AEPMs. The Committee notes that the Government has carried out a series of activities to promote youth employment, focusing on: career management and counselling services; active job-seeking measures and additional education and training system; subsidised employment programmes for “hard-to-employ” categories of youth; and promoting an entrepreneurial spirit among youth through self-employment programmes. As of the end of May 2018, youth up to the age of 30 made up 21.33 per cent of the total number of registered unemployed. In addition, the Committee notes that, in the first three months of 2018, 11,683 young persons (5,901 women and 5,782 men) participated in AEMPs. Noting the high levels of youth unemployment, the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the nature and impact of measures adopted to promote and support employment opportunities for young persons, as well as information on how such measures contribute to promoting lasting employment for young persons. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide statistical information on trends in youth employment, disaggregated by sex and age.

The Roma minority. The Committee notes that, as of 31 May 2018, 27,108 members of the Roma community were registered with the NES, making up 4.56 per cent of the total number of registered unemployed persons. The Government indicates that 89.33 per cent of all registered unemployed Roma are persons with no qualifications or low qualifications, of which 69.34 per cent are long-term unemployed persons. The Committee notes that one of the priorities of the NEAP 2018 and the Employment and Social Reform Programme is to increase access to the labour market for members of the Roma community. It also takes note of the Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Roma Men and Women in the Republic of Serbia 2016–25. In this context, the Government reports on a series of activities focused on improving the employment of the Roma though providing them with active job-seeking techniques, improving the educational structure and providing new knowledge, skills and competencies needed in the labour market. In 2017, 4,150 Roma, registered with NES were employed and, in the first three months of 2018, 988 unemployed members of the Roma national minority were involved in AEPMs. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed updated information on the nature and impact of activities undertaken with a view to promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment for members of the Roma community, including through the 2018 National Employment Action Plan.