Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2018, published 108th ILC session (2019)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Sierra Leone (Ratification: 1961)

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments initially made in 2004.

Repetition

Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. ILO technical assistance. The Committee previously noted the Government’s statement, contained in a report received in June 2004, indicating that the legislation on employment services has been included on the agenda of the Joint Advisory Commission for discussion. It was the Government’s intention to provide a new mandate to employment services so that they are transformed into dynamic labour market information centres. The new employment services will have to cover not only urban centres but also rural areas and ensure the provision of information, planning and the application of employment policies throughout the country. The Government also stated that ILO technical assistance is required to achieve its objectives. The Committee welcomed the fact that the Government was proposing to strengthen employment services. It also recalled that the Office provided support for programmes for the generation of employment opportunities by strengthening employment services for young persons. The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position to describe in its next report the manner in which the employment services reforms have contributed to securing their essential duty, which is to ensure “the best possible organization of the employment market as an integral part of the national programme for the achievement and maintenance of full employment and the development and use of productive resources” (Article 1 of the Convention), in cooperation with the social partners (Articles 4 and 5). In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide the statistical information that has been compiled concerning the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices (Part IV of the report form).

The Committee expects that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.