Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Greenland

The Committee notes the observations of the Greenland Business Association, the Association of Fishers and Hunters in Greenland (KNAPK) and the Teacher’s Trade Union of Greenland (IMAK), communicated with the Government’s report.

Article 1 of the Convention. Active labour market measures The Government indicates in its report that the geography and insufficient infrastructure of Greenland poses specific challenges for labour market policy. The Committee notes that Greenland’s economy has recorded growth since 2015, which the Government aims to use, inter alia, as a basis to ensure that more young people complete education leading to a professional qualification so that as many people as possible can obtain permanent employment, as well as to introduce dynamic business development. In response to the Committee’s previous request for information on the impact of mining projects in the generation of productive and lasting employment in Greenland, the Government indicates that many Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs) were concluded due to the number of well-advanced mining projects. IBAs may be viewed as an obligation for companies to achieve the goals described in their Social Sustainability Assessment and are key instruments in ensuring local jobs in Greenland. The Committee notes with interest that a new secure labour market employment strategy replaced the special initiatives to combat rising unemployment in 2015. The strategy focuses on counselling, funding for skills upgrading, enforcement of legal frameworks and increased employment throughout Greenland through targeted industrial initiatives. These initiatives will be evaluated and a new strategy for 2018–22 will be prepared. Furthermore, the Government indicates that the match-group system, introduced in 2011 to make it easier for municipal case officers to identify the best measures to assist unemployed people, is currently under evaluation. The Committee notes the increased use of mobility allowances to support jobseekers in moving to towns and settlements in need of workers. The Government refers to the national online job portal Suli.gl, launched on 1 January 2016, which aims to ensure the best possible match between unemployed people and job vacancies. Furthermore, the Government indicates that marginalized unemployed people and people on early retirement pensions are to undergo an assessment of their ability to work in order to establish an attachment to the labour market. If the ability to work is assessed to be reduced permanently, the unemployed person will be offered a light job on special conditions (flex-job), as far as possible. Moreover, people over 40 years old whose ability to work is permanently reduced may be offered wage subsidies. The KNAPK indicates that opportunities for receiving pensions and other social security, such as unemployment insurance, do not exist for fishers and hunters, both of which are traditional occupations. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of active employment measures to promote full, productive and sustainable employment opportunities, as laid down in Article 1 of the Convention. It also requests the Government to provide information on how the employment policy objectives are related to other economic and social objectives and what procedures exist for deciding on employment policy measures and keeping them under review within the framework of an overall economic and social policy.

Article 2. Employment trends. Labour market information. The Government indicates that structural monitoring of the labour market in Greenland includes employment and unemployment statistics prepared by Statistics Greenland, which are published once a year. Statistics Greenland publishes a monthly statement of the number of jobseekers aged 18–64 years who have contacted their municipality. Changes in administrative practices in municipalities in Greenland and changes in legislation entail that the development in registered jobseekers over time should be interpreted with caution. The Government indicates that, in 2017, Greenland’s total population was 55,860. In 2012–15, the average labour force per month, including the employed and the unemployed, but excepting students, ranged between 25,167 and 25,620 people. Sectors that employ most people include public administration and services, fishing, hunting and agriculture, as well as the wholesale sector. In recent years, employment rates increased within public administration, fisheries, and construction and have decreased within the wholesale sector. The Government indicates that the number of jobseekers on average per month, was 3,456 and 2,908 in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Greenland Business Association is of the view that the reason that the average unemployment rate was higher in 2013 and 2014 is primarily due to the Government’s poor planning of the construction industry, an important sector for all land-based industries. It adds that municipalities, the social partners and government ministries have long been discussing the challenges in data collection of labour market statistics, due to the fact that municipalities and the individual municipal employees do not categorize the unemployed into the match groups in a uniform manner, especially given that there is no clear definition of how to categorize the unemployed into the different match groups. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the progress made to obtain accurate labour market data and how it is being used to ensure that employment policy decisions are based on an adequate knowledge of the situation, level and trends of employment. It also requests the Government to continue to provide statistics, disaggregated by age and sex, concerning the size and distribution of the labour force, employment, unemployment and underemployment.

Skills development. The Government indicates that Job, Counselling and Skills Upgrading Centres, established in 2015, focuses on job placement, better counselling for unemployed citizens throughout Greenland and skills upgrading for education and work. The Government also refers to the Skills Development for Unskilled Unemployed People project (PKU) the objective of which is to enable people in vulnerable professions to take part in skills upgrading to reduce unemployment, and at the same time satisfy the demand for specific labour within growth industries such as construction, tourism and mineral resources. The KNAPK observes that self-employed fishers and hunters, who made up 5 per cent of the entire population of Greenland, have limited opportunities for continuing education and training, while there is a great demand among this group for opportunities for continuing education and training, especially within accountancy. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of employment and training initiatives adopted within the implementation of an active employment policy taken or envisaged to improve the education and training system and to enhance its labour market relevance so as to better align the demand and supply of skills. It further requests the Government to provide information in its next report on consultations held with the social partners in relation to the development and implementation of education and training programmes that meet the needs of the labour market, as well as information on the manner in which persons affected by these measures are consulted.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that the National Industry and Labour Council in Greenland, established in 2012, meets two or three times a year to discuss labour market challenges and opportunities. In recent years, Council discussions focused on the secure labour market employment strategy and the results of the initiatives in this strategy. In is observations, IMAK indicates that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Church has not always involved IMAK in reform work, more specifically in connection with the Government’s partnership agreement with the European Union. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the manner in which it ensures consultation with the social partners in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of employment policy measures and programmes.