Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Madagascar (Ratification: 1966)

With reference to its previous direct request, the Committee notes with interest the Government's short but helpful report for the period from 1 September 1993 to 1 September 1995 and the information it contains in response to the questions in the report form. It asks the Government to continue to provide the fullest information possible on the following points.

1. The Committee notes the information on the distribution of and developments in employment in the various sectors of activity. It hopes that the Government will shortly be able to provide more detailed information on levels and trends with regard to the active population, employment, underemployment and unemployment. Please describe the measures taken by the National Statistics Institute to collect and analyse relevant data, stating the difficulties encountered, if any.

2. The Committee notes the useful information supplied by the Government on the focus of the main general and sectoral development policies. Noting that priority is given to liberalization of economic activity and reducing State involvement, it asks the Government to indicate the effect -- noted or expected -- of privatization on employment and the measures taken as a consequence to encourage the employment of the workers affected in the private sector. Please also describe the results obtained by the policy for the development of transport and telecommunication infrastructures. Please continue to provide information on the measures taken for the diversification of activities and rural development, and job creation in the industrial free zones. More generally, the Committee asks the Government to state how it envisages the consequences for employment of the structural adjustment policies conducted with the support of the World Bank.

3. The Committee notes with interest that several labour market policy programmes are being implemented to promote the development of micro-enterprises, the employment of women and disabled persons. It notes that several of these projects receive technical cooperation support from the ILO, and assistance from non-governmental organizations. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the number of beneficiaries of these programmes.

4. The Committee notes that the Government attributes high priority to strengthening the vocational training system and adapting it to the requirements of the economy. In this connection it draws the Government's attention to the provisions of the Human Resources Development Convention (No. 142) and Recommendation (No. 150) 1975, which the Government may find useful as a basis for developing and adapting its vocational training system taking account of employment prospects.

5. The Government refers to various institutions which enable employers' and workers' organizations to participate in determining and implementing the employment policy. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide more detailed information on the composition and attributions of the bodies it refers to. In particular, please describe the work of the National Employment Council with regard to employment policy and provide any relevant extracts of opinions, reports or studies it may have adopted. The Committee recalls in this connection that the consultations required by Article 3 of the Convention should be extended to all aspects of economic and social policy which have an influence on employment and should involve, in addition to representatives of employers and workers, representatives of other sections of the active population such as persons employed in the rural sector or the informal sector. The Committee has also been informed that several tripartite seminars and workshops on employment policy have been held under the auspices of the ILO. The Committee is of the opinion that such activities can make a useful contribution to developing the consultations required by this important provision of the Convention. It stresses that, in the political and institutional context described by the Government, the establishment of a broad social dialogue on employment problems and their solution is an essential component of the continuity of policies in this area.

6. The Committee asks the Government to provide the information required on the ILO's advisory or technical cooperation activities in the area of employment promotion, stating how it considers such activities can contribute to better application of the Convention (Part V of the report form).