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Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Lebanon (RATIFICATION: 1977)

Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Government indicates in its report that, in addition to the main employment office in Beirut, two employment offices were inaugurated by the National Employment Agency in Tripoli and Saida. It adds that the Tripoli and Saida offices are not conveniently located, as required under Article 3(1) of the Convention, and that access to these offices is difficult due to a number of reasons, including visibility and security reasons. The Committee notes, moreover, that no new employment offices have been established since 2004 due to a lack of resources. During the period from 1 January to 1 August 2015, 225 employment applications were received, 85 vacancies were notified and 40 jobseekers were placed in employment. Moreover, the Government points out that employment in the private sector has encountered special difficulties during the reporting period due to the ongoing crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic, which has led to an influx of Syrian migrants to Lebanon, who compete with national workers for jobs. In addition, the Government indicates that 65 per cent of Lebanese jobseekers try to secure their jobs through their private networks rather than through the public employment offices. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the steps taken to ensure that employment offices are sufficient in number to serve each geographical area of the country and that they are conveniently located and accessible for employers and for workers. It also requests the Government to provide information on the measures adopted or envisaged to secure effective cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies (Article 11).

Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation with the social partners. The Government indicates that the administrative board of the National Employment Agency is composed of representatives of the tripartite constituents. It highlights the need to amend Decree No. 80 of 1977 to reduce the number of members of the administrative executive board by half. The Government further indicates that the mandate of the administrative board ended in 2015. In this respect, the Committee recalls that Article 4(3) of the Convention requires the appointment of representatives of employers and workers in equal numbers after consultations with representative organizations of employers and workers. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the cooperation of the social partners in the organization, operation and development of the National Employment Agency, and in the development of an employment service policy. It further requests the Government to provide information in its next report on progress made in amending Decree No. 80 and to communicate a copy of the amended decree once it becomes available.

Article 6(b). Measures to protect migrant workers. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that there are no public employment offices for migrant workers. The Committee once again reminds the Government of the need for the employment service to take appropriate measures to facilitate the movement of migrant workers (Article 6(b)(iv) of the Convention). Referring to its previous comments, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure the protection of categories of migrant workers other than domestic workers working in its territory.