Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Costa Rica (Ratification: 1960)

The Committee notes the observations made by the Costa Rican Federation of Chambers and Associations of Private Enterprise (UCCAEP), which were submitted with the Government’s report.

Articles 1–3 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Government indicates in its report that, since 2002, there has been a decentralization process with the aim of providing employers and workers with greater access to the employment service and extending the coverage of the service, which was previously focused on the city of San José. The National System of Employment Mediation, Guidance and Information (SIOIE) has a network of services which currently comprises: 59 municipalities that have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security; 135 technical colleges; 43 evening sections of the Ministry of Public Education; nine regional branches and the head office of the National Training Institute (INA). The Government indicates that, between 18 August 2009 and 5 June 2015, the online platform registered a total of 127,408 jobseekers (99,590 in 2013), 31,265 vacancies (18,365 in 2013) and 8,108 job placements (4,932 in 2013). The Committee notes the observations of UCCAEP concerning various proposals to create good quality jobs and promote the formalization of the informal economy through the “Alliance for Employment and Productive Development”, which is composed of seven ministries and public institutions and the UCCAEP. Eight working groups comprising representatives of the Government and the productive sectors have been established, and were given the task of developing a short-term action plan to prevent job losses and create new employment. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the efforts made to ensure the efficient operation of a free public employment service comprising a network of employment offices to meet the needs of enterprises and workers throughout the country. The Committee also requests the Government to continue providing information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received by the SIOIE, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by the SIOIE. Please continue providing information on the impact of the proposed measures, in collaboration with the social partners, in order to encourage full use of employment service facilities.