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Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Barbados (RATIFICATION: 1976)

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It expects that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments. The Committee informs the Government that, if it has not supplied replies to the points raised by 1 September 2024, then it may proceed with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the information at its disposal at its next session.

Repetition

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes with interest the adoption in 2012 of a National Employment Policy which is aligned with the National Strategic Plan of Barbados 2005–25, as well as that of a Human Resource Development Strategy in 2014. The Government indicates that the major policies and measures pursued over the period 2013–20 are outlined in the Medium-Term Growth and Development Strategy (MTDS). As regards the measures taken or envisaged in order to integrate particular categories of workers in the labour market, the Committee notes that the National Employment Policy provides for key areas of intervention targeting persons with disabilities, youth, women, workers in the informal economy, and migrants. The Committee also notes the Government’s indication that the measures taken by the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development to meet the needs of particular categories of the workforce, including women, young persons, older workers and persons with disabilities have not yet been evaluated. The Government also indicates that, as part of the Medium-Term Growth and Development Strategy, reviews are conducted regarding the performance of individual ministries. The Committee further notes that, according to the Continuous Household Labour Force Survey estimates for the first quarter of 2016, the unemployment rate stood at 9.3 per cent (8.7 per cent for men and 10 per cent for women). This represents an overall decrease of 2.5 percentage points in the unemployment rate as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2015 (3.4 percentage points in the case of men and 1.6 percentage points in the case of women). The labour force participation stood at 65.3 per cent (69.6 for men and 61.4 for women) for the same period, representing an increase of 0.3 percentage points when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2015. The Committee reiterates its request that the Government provide information on the impact of the active measures taken for promoting employment on reducing unemployment and underemployment and increasing employment levels within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy. It further requests the Government to provide information on the results of the ministerial reviews conducted in the context of the Medium-Term Growth and Development Strategy. The Committee also requests the Government to provide detailed information on the impact of the measures taken to address the needs of particular categories of workers, such as women, young people, older workers and workers with disabilities.

Education and vocational training. The Government states that the overall objective of the Human Resource Development Strategy is to support efforts to increase competitiveness, promote sustainable growth and alleviate poverty. The Strategy aims to provide a framework for strengthening human resources and skills development, improving employability and productivity of Barbadian workers. The Strategy identifies five pillars of strategic intervention: an enabling environment, a national qualifications framework, a demand-driven educational system, a knowledge management system, and enhanced research, innovation and entrepreneurship. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to improve the education and training system and to enhance its labour market relevance so as to better align the demand and supply of skills.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that the Social Partnership engages in tripartite discussions on a quarterly basis to consider social and economic issues that confront the country. In addition, the social partners participate in a national consultation on the economy which is convened on an annual basis and features representatives across all economic sectors. The Government indicates that the social partners’ “willingness to pursue a joint approach to the formulation of policies to the solving of problems and to the management of a process of change and social development” is evidenced by a number of Protocols that have been initiated by leaders of employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee requests the Government to provide examples of the manner in which the views of the social partners are taken into account in the development, implementation and review of employment policies and programmes. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information regarding the Social Partnership Protocols in force as well as their scope of application. It further requests the Government to provide information on whether consultations are carried out with representatives of persons working in rural areas and the informal economy.