Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Trinidad and Tobago (Ratification: 2013)

Articles 1–3 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of a national employment policy. Consultation with the social partners. In response to the Committee’s previous direct request for information regarding the adoption of an active national employment policy, the Government reports on the development and adoption of a National Development Strategy 2016–30 (Vision 2030), a set of detailed policy initiatives, projects, programmes and measures developed to put the country back on the path to socio-economic recovery and stability. It adds that Vision 2030 was developed through a highly consultative approach and is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Government indicates that an important element of Vision 2030 is the creation of an economy that supports decent work for all, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation. The Committee notes that some of the key priorities articulated in Vision 2030 include: promoting rehabilitation and access to decent, sustainable employment; the development of a world-class workforce; collaboration with the private sector to, inter alia, promote innovation, create employment and patterns of sustainable production; the identification of skill gaps and the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship through education and training. The Government indicates that its policy is focused on achieving sustained economic growth through increased diversification, as well as on improving the quality of life for its citizens in an inclusive and environmentally sustainable manner. The Government reports that research to inform the development of a National Employment Policy is continuing in the context of Vision 2030 as well as other Government initiatives, such as the Social Mitigation Plan and the Ten Point Plan on unemployment. The Committee notes that the Ten Point Plan, developed in response to increased numbers of retrenchments and terminations across the labour force, provides for the establishment of a range of measures, including the creation of the national retrenchment register of retrenched workers, launched on 18 March 2016. The Ten Point Plan also aims to facilitate access to training, retraining, upskilling and multiskilling programmes for unemployed persons, provide psychological and financial counselling and training to job applicants, and to support the creation of start-ups and new businesses. The Committee notes that, according to Vision 2030, the Government predicts a rise in frictional and structural unemployment while a new incomes policy is under development. The Government considers that during this transition, retrenched workers would find it harder to be re-employed as there will be greater demands for new and different skills, and that older and less skilled workers will be the ones most affected. It therefore undertakes to provide greater support to those who lose their jobs and provide training and skills development programmes so that persons can acquire the additional skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated and detailed information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age on the impact of measures implemented in the framework of Vision 2030 to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work. It further requests the Government to provide information on the nature and extent of the involvement of the social partners in the development and implementation of such measures, as well as in the review mechanisms implemented. The Government is further requested to provide updated information on the nature and impact of measures undertaken in response to the predicted rise of frictional and structural unemployment, as well as to mitigate the impact of the anticipated changes, particularly with regard to retrenched, older and low skilled workers.

Collection and use of labour market information. The Government reports that measures undertaken to modernize the national Labour Market Information System (LMIS) and improve delivery of accurate Labour Market Information (LMI) include developing the LMIS IT platform, conducting a baseline survey of the supply and demand for labour, establishing the LMI Unit within the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development (MLSED), and establishing the Standing National Labour Market Council (SNLMC). On the basis of the survey results, the Government developed a projections model of the labour market to quantitatively model the relationship between variables in the labour market, identify the factors influencing labour supply and demand and developing a short, medium, and long-term forecasts. The Committee notes that, from 2012 to 2016, total labour participation in the country decreased by 2.2 per cent. Although men continue to account for a larger share of the total labour force, both male and female participation decreased during this period, by 2.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively. It further notes that youth employment declined by 15.3 per cent, whereas total unemployment increased by 4 per cent in 2016, with women experiencing higher unemployment rates than men. The Committee requests the Government to provide additional up-to-date information on progress made in relation to the development and roll-out of the national Labour Market Information System and on the results and impact of the baseline survey of the supply and demand for labour in Trinidad and Tobago. It further requests the Government to provide updated information on employment trends, particularly in relation to rates of employment, unemployment and underemployment, disaggregated by age and sex.

Education and training. The Committee reiterates its request that the Government provide detailed information on the impact of the education and training policies and on the measures taken or envisaged to coordinate education and training policies with prospective employment opportunities. The Committee further requests the Government to indicate the manner in which the social partners and other stakeholders concerned are consulted with respect to the development of education and vocational training programmes designed to meet the current and future needs of the labour market (Article 3).

Particular categories of workers. The Government indicates that it is currently undertaking a review and revision of the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities and intends to conduct a gap analysis regarding the services available to persons with disabilities. In this context, new measures will be implemented with the participation of the relevant stakeholders. In addition, the Government indicates that, to increase the participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market, it intends to operationalize the National Enrichment Centre and launch Community Therapeutic Services during fiscal year 2018–19. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government regarding the activities of the Joint Steering Committee on Human Rights, Equality and Diversity (JSC) established in Parliament to consider matters relating to human rights in Trinidad and Tobago. In particular, the Committee notes the second report examined by the JSC which indicated that employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, are provided through the On-The-Job Training Programme, the Re-Training Programme and the Multi-Sector Skills Training Programme, as well as through the National Employment Service (NES) and its nationwide network of offices. The Committee notes that the measures undertaken by the Government include awareness-raising aimed at employers and commercial estate owners, facilitating access for persons with disabilities to mainstream education, as well as conducting a survey on employers’ perspectives concerning the employability of persons with disabilities. The Committee notes that, according to the survey, 59 per cent of the respondents indicated that they do not currently hire persons with disabilities and 75 per cent reported that they have not introduced any measures to accommodate persons with disabilities in the workplace. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that vocational training and limited job placement services are provided by key stakeholders in the disability sector, such as: the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), which provides vocational assessment, counselling, training, rehabilitation and skills development, with 40–50 persons graduating annually; Goodwill Industries Limited, which caters for persons with a wide spectrum of disabilities, or the Lady Hochoy Centre, which focuses on academic studies, skills, technical and vocational training and is currently training 80 persons. According to the annual tracer system launched by the NCPD, approximately 51 per cent of trainees secured employment following their graduation from the NCPD programmes. The Government reports that the main challenges related to the job placement of persons with disabilities include discrimination, sexual harassment and the minimal level of support services available to persons with disabilities. With regard to employment measures aimed at women and disadvantaged communities, the Government refers to various programmes: the Unemployment Relief Programme; the School Crossing Guard Programme, which targets unemployed women over the age of 17; the Community Education (Short Skills Training Programme), through which some 7,500 persons benefit from 323 programmes; and the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) Company Limited, which, until July 2017, facilitated the employment of 10,941 persons. The Committee notes that measures to promote employment opportunities for young persons include: the Youth Apprenticeship Programme in Agriculture (YAPA), the Business Advisory Services O Level/Non-Graduate Programme and the On-The-Job Training Programme, which placed 4,553 trainees in employment in both the public and private sectors from October 2016 to March 2017. With respect to the situation of women, the Committee notes that, according to the 2016 report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW/C/TTO/CO/4-7), labour participation of women is limited regardless of their high attainment rates in education. Moreover, the CEDAW Committee noted the wide gender pay gap and occupational segregation in the labour market, where women often engage in temporary work and do not benefit from an explicit provision which would give effect to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. In this context, the Committee recalls its 2018 observation regarding the application of the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), as well as its 2018 direct request with regard to the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), in which it noted the persistent gender wage gap and occupational segregation. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the nature and impact of active employment measures taken in the framework of the revised National Policy on the Persons with Disabilities, as well as measures targeting specific groups of workers, including women, young persons, older workers and persons in disadvantaged communities. It also requests the Government to provide information on the nature and impact of measures implemented or envisaged as a result of the survey on employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee further requests the Government to provide up-to-date information on the activities of the JSC relating to employment and decent work for members of disadvantaged groups. In light of limited labour force participation rates, higher unemployment rates for women in Trinidad and Tobago and occupational gender segregation, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the nature and impact of measures taken to promote the employment of women at all levels and across all sectors of the economy, including in non-traditional occupations. The Committee further requests the Government to provide full information on any measures taken to address occupational segregation as well as the gender pay gap.

Micro- and small enterprises (MSEs). In response to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development has facilitated the implementation of the Fair Share Programme (FSP) and the establishment of the Community-Based Business Incubators Programme (CBBI). The latter has now been superseded by the National Integrated Business Incubator System (IBIS). In 2018, an evaluation was conducted of both programmes, which resulted in the discontinuation of both the FSP and IBIS, due to low rates of participation and unsatisfactory performance. The evaluation team nevertheless expressed the view that consideration should be given to restarting the IBIS programme, with a clear sustainability strategy. In this context, the Government indicates that the National Entrepreneurship Development Company Limited (NEDCO) is aware of the continuing need for an incubation programme for MSEs and is considering restarting the programme, albeit based on a different model. The Committee notes that, as of June 2018, 2,411 MSEs have been registered and approximately 60 per cent of them have been certified in the framework of the FSP, whereas the impact of the IBIS programme was minimal and did not contribute significantly to the optimization of new and emerging MSEs. The Committee requests the Government to provide up-to-date information on the measures adopted and implemented to promote the creation of lasting employment through micro- and small enterprises, including lessons learned from the discontinued projects and the nature and impact of new projects launched with the aim of supporting an enabling environment for SMEs.