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Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Ethiopia (RATIFICATION: 1963)

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Articles 1, 3, 6 and 11 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. Cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. The Government indicates that, from 2020 to 2022, the public employment service and private employment agencies registered a total of 3,009,810 jobseekers (1,688,635 men and 1,321,175 women). During the same period, 1,840,938 jobseekers were placed and 857,670 vacancies were collected and disseminated. The Government adds that, during this same period, the public employment service provided career guidance and counselling services to some 2,212,902 jobseekers (1,131,747 men and 1,081,155 women). With respect to the distribution of public employment service offices, the Government reports that these are established and functional in all regional states. In addition, there are some 2,170 one-stop service centres (OSSC), of which 114 are new. The Government indicates that the OSSCs are authorized to register jobseekers, and provide them with guidance, counselling, and training services, as well as a start-up budget and technical support to start a company. The Committee notes with interest that, with the aim of modernizing the public employment service, the Government has begun to build the “labour market information system” and has established a project office for this purpose. In addition, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that, to promote cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies, the Government has created a conducive environment for private employment agencies to participate in the provision of employment services, through Labour Proclamation No. 1156/2019, which establishes the criteria for their establishment, licensing, and operation. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the activities carried out by the public employment service, including in collaboration with private employment agencies operating in the country. It also requests the Government to provide detailed updated information on the number of public employment offices established and the manner in which they are distributed in the country, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices. To enable the Committee to better assess the contribution of the public employment service to employment promotion, the Government is requested to provide disaggregated data distinguishing between the activities and services provided by the public employment service as opposed to private employment agencies. The Government is further requested to continue to provide updated information on the measures taken to secure effective cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies and on the impact of such measures. Finally, the Committee would welcome receiving with the next report information on whether and how the Government has considered to use the public employment service, in combination with active labour market policies, as a means to foster the transition from the informal to the formal economy.

Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation with the social partners. The Government indicates that Labour Advisory Committees, composed of representatives of employers and workers (drawn from the Ethiopian Employers Federation (EEF) and the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU), respectively) have been meeting every six months, with other partners, to assess the implementation of the Government’s employment policy, strategy, and directives. The Government adds that, over the last two years, a number of employment-related directives have been developed and operationalized, including on such matters as the placement of seasonal workers, as well as the registration of jobseekers and vacancies. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed updated information on the activities of the Labour Advisory Board and of the Labour Advisory Committees in the organization and operation of the employment service and in the development of employment service policy. The Committee further requests the Government to indicate the number of Labour Advisory Committees established (nationally, regionally, and locally, if applicable), how they are constituted, and the procedures adopted for the appointment of employer and worker representatives.

Articles 7 and 8. Measures for particular categories of jobseekers. The Committee notes that, according to the ILO Decent work country programme for Ethiopia 2021–2025. women in Ethiopia have an unemployment rate (2.8 per cent) that is almost twice as high as their male counterparts (1.5 per cent). Moreover, young persons (aged 15–24) are more than twice (3.2. per cent) as likely to be unemployed as adults (1.5 per cent), and young females are almost twice as likely (1.75 per cent) to be unemployed than young men. The Committee thus requests the Government to provide updated and detailed information on the nature, scope and impact of measures taken for women and for young persons within the framework of the public employment service.With regard to the measures taken to promote and secure employment for persons with disabilities, the Committee refers the Government to its comments on the application of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159).