Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2007, published 97th ILC session (2008)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Peru (Ratification: 1967)

1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Coordination of employment policy with economic and social policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report, received in October 2006, which contains useful information in response to its direct request of 2004. Growth in employment in Metropolitan Lima reached 6.6 per cent, while the other 20 main cities reported an 8.0 per cent increase. According to the statistics published by the ILO in the 2006 Labour Overview, the rate of urban unemployment in Lima fell from 9.6 per cent in 2005 to 8.8 per cent in the third quarter of 2006, despite there being a substantial variation between men and women (10.3 per cent for women; 7.6 per cent for men). In 2006, the urban youth unemployment rate also fell (15.1 per cent) by one percentage point. The Committee requests the Government to include data in its next report on growth, employment, unemployment and underemployment in urban areas and rural areas.

2. In this connection, the Committee notes the information supplied by the Government with respect to the positive performance of the economic sectors, especially mining and quarrying, services, industry, commerce, transport and communications, and electricity, gas and water. The Government refers in its report to the diagnosis of the Technical Secretariat of the National Council for Labour and Employment Promotion (CNTPE), which indicates that, despite 7.2 per cent growth in the Peruvian economy, economic growth is insufficient to absorb the labour supply, and a set of preliminary strategies has been drawn up for implementing the general features of the National Employment Plan. The Committee would be grateful to receive information on the outlines and specific strategies approved by the plan with the aim of promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment.

3. Promotion of employment and vulnerable groups. The Committee notes the proposed policy designed to promote the integration of persons facing difficulties in returning to employment and the contingency plan for workers affected by the further economic liberalization, constant technological change and insufficient job creation. The Committee requests the Government to supply information in its next report on trends in this policy and its strategies, the results achieved and the vulnerable groups for whom these measures are intended.

4. Training policy and promotion of full employment. The Committee notes the promulgation of Act No. 28518 on labour training methods in May 2005. With respect to the gap in training coverage and the inadequate resources in vocational training, the Committee requests the Government to supply information concerning the activities of the Technical Committee on Vocational Training, the practical application of the new legislation and the progress achieved in equipping workers with the necessary skills and training for enhancing their employability.

5. The Committee notes the approval of the National Plan for Promoting and Formalizing Competitiveness and Development in Micro- and Small Enterprises (MYPE) (2005–09). The National Employment Plan for 2006 concentrates on the micro- and small enterprise sector, in which most of the country’s economically active population is to be found. According to the study on MYPE statistics published by the National Department for MYPE of the Ministry of Labour and Promotion of Employment (MTPE), the number of informal micro- and small enterprises is 1.8 million, compared with 648,147 enterprises in the formal sector. In general, poverty and employment in informal enterprises have a definite link, i.e. the greater the percentage of persons occupied in informal enterprises in an area, the greater the degree of poverty of its inhabitants. The Committee is aware that the informal economy constitutes a challenge for the creation of productive employment in the country – the informal economy represents 57.9 per cent of the economy in Peru, a percentage which is only exceeded in Bolivia (65.6 per cent). The Committee hopes that the Government’s policies will stimulate the growth of formal micro-enterprises and that incentives will spur the formalization of informal enterprises. The Committee asks that the Government to supply information on the measures taken to increase employment opportunities, improve the conditions of work in the informal sector and facilitate the progressive integration of this sector into the national economy. Please include data on the results of the strategic components of the National Plan for Promoting and Formalizing Competitiveness and Development in Micro- and Small Enterprises for 2005–09, and in practical terms on the manner in which promoting the formalization and quality of informal employment translates into the generation of productive employment. The Committee also asks the Government to continue to supply statistics on the structure of the economically active population occupied in micro- and small enterprises and the geographical distribution thereof in both urban and rural areas.

6. The Committee refers to the recommendations made by the ILO Subregional Office for the Andean Countries in the draft Decent Work Country Programme for 2004–06 of 18 December 2003, including the recommendation to strengthen and extend the public employment service which acts via the MTPE CIL-PROEMPLEO network programme. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken in this context not only to generate more jobs but also to improve the quality of work.

7. The Committee notes the presentation of the operational plan for the agricultural and industrial sector drawn up by the National Employment Committee. The Committee would be grateful to receive information on the impact in economic and labour terms of the Agriculture Promotion Act which is being implemented by the Technical Secretariat of the CNTPE and on the sectoral policies for boosting job creation in the rural sector.

8. Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Committee notes with interest the activities undertaken by the National Council for Labour and Promotion of Employment (CNTPE) and the progress made by setting up a body to revise and debate draft policies or legislation with respect to employment and vocational training. The Committee asks the Government to supply information on the activities of the CNTPE and repeats its interest in examining information on the measures adopted for consulting the representatives of the informal economy with regard to the policies to be adopted in order to improve their prospects of obtaining decent work.