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Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Austria (RATIFICATION: 1972)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s detailed and well-organized report for the period 1 July 1998 to 31 May 2000.

1. Article 1 of the Convention. The Government has adopted a National Action Plan on Employment which sets a target of no more than 3.5 per cent unemployment by 2002. So far, the Government is ahead of schedule in achieving its goal, and credits its emphasis on active labour market policies, particularly training. The Government’s priorities, based on the EU guidelines for employment, include: promoting job opportunities for youth; preventing long-term unemployment; expanding active labour market policies; improving the job prospects of women and older workers; promoting employment in the services sector; boosting lifelong learning; decreasing non-wage labour costs; and promoting entrepreneurship.

2. The Committee notes that there has been a steady increase in employment in the services sectors, and in the chemicals, communications technology, and motor vehicles industries, while employment has declined in the consumer goods industries. Employment increased in all länder. Joblessness decreased for men, from 3.8 per cent in 1998 to 3.1 per cent in 1999; and for women, from 5.4 per cent in 1998 to 4.5 per cent in 1999. The greatest decrease in joblessness was among school-leavers. Long-term unemployment decreased to 26.5 per cent of total unemployment.

3. In response to previous comments, the Government states that the percentage of women in part-time work is below the EU average, but that it cannot rule out that the high demand for part-time work by women may be due to the difficulties in balancing their professional and family life. The increase in employment for women from 1994 to 1999 is almost exclusively in part-time work. Employment for older workers increased in absolute terms, but the number of older workers also increased, resulting in a larger percentage of older workers among the jobless. However, long-term unemployment among older workers has been decreasing. The Committee notes this information and asks the Government to continue to supply information on the measures taken to ensure the fullest possible opportunity for each worker to qualify for, and to use his or her skills and endowments in a suitable job.

4. Article 2. The Committee notes that although the Government is required to submit a report to the EU Commission each year on the successes and failures of its employment policies and programmes, no information is provided in its report on the outcome of these evaluations. The Committee would appreciate receiving such information in future reports.