Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - France (Ratification: 1971)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Youth employment. The Committee previously requested the Government to provide information on youth employment trends and to include statistics disaggregated by age and sex, as well as updated evaluations of the active policy measures implemented to reduce the impact of unemployment on young persons, particularly the most disadvantaged. The Government indicates in its report that several measures have been introduced, especially as part of the recovery plan, “Recovery France” (“France Relance”), to strengthen support for young persons, through the youth guarantee, apprenticeship reform through the adoption of Act No. 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one’s professional future, and the extension of compulsory training up to 18 years of age. In this respect, the Committee notes that the youth employment agreement replaced the youth guarantee from 1 March 2022. Under certain terms, the youth employment agreement targets young people aged 16 to 25 and people with disabilities aged under 30. The Government also refers to the implementation, since July 2020, of a €9 billion plan to support the employment and social integration of young people, entitled “A solution for every young person” (“Un jeune, une solution”). The three main pillars of this plan support the occupational integration of young people by providing grants (introduction of a grant for apprenticeship and professionalization agreements, and a grant for recruitment of under 26-year-olds), strengthen investment in young people’s education, and create new individualized pathways for those most removed from the labour market (through the increase in the number of places in the youth guarantee, the employment and autonomy support contract, and the development of new on-the-job skills development programmes). To encourage job creation for small and medium-sized enterprises, and very small enterprises, since 1 January 2019, the single grant for employers of apprentices has replaced the grant for young apprentices of very small enterprises, the regional apprenticeship bonus for very small enterprises, the recruitment grant for an additional apprentice and the apprenticeship tax credit. This grant scheme has been enhanced as part of the “A solution for every young person” plan, under the “Recovery France” plan. With respect to youth employment trends, the Committee notes the detailed statistics disaggregated by age and sex, provided by the Government, on the unemployment and underemployment rates of the economically active population, particularly young persons aged 15 to 24 years. In this regard, it notes that the unemployment rate for young persons aged 15 to 26 decreased significantly during the reporting period, from 28 per cent for women and 24.2 per cent for men in 2016, to 18.8 per cent for women and 19 per cent for men in 2021. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed and up-to-date information, including statistical information disaggregated by age, sex and type of employment contract, on the impact of measures taken to ensure full, productive, freely chosen and sustainable employment for young persons, including as part of the implementation of the “A solution for every young person” and “Recovery France” plans. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on labour market measures taken or envisaged to respond to the employment needs of young graduates from further education and those belonging to target groups, such as young persons in rural areas, young persons with disabilities and young migrant workers.

Older workers. In response to its previous comments, the Government indicates that the public authorities are working to secure the employability of older persons and encourage employers to adopt the professionalization agreement for these workers, which allows workers to participate in training alongside their job and acquire a vocational qualification. In addition, employers who recruit job seekers aged 45 years or older under this framework are awarded a €2,000 grant. The Government also refers to the on-the-job skills development programme, created in 2018, which specifically targets population groups furthest removed from employment, such as young persons and older persons. This programme is based on three pillars: a job that fosters the development of transferable skills, facilitated access to training, and support throughout the programme from the employer and the public employment service. The Government adds that the public authorities have also adopted specific measures for older people affected by long-term unemployment, particularly within the framework of the experimental project “No long-term unemployed”, which was launched in 2017 and renewed in 2021. Within the framework of this project, the long-term unemployed are employed on contracts for an indefinite period by social and solidarity economy enterprises, known as job-focused enterprises, to carry out activities not covered by the private sector in the employment areas involved (recycling centres, grocery shops or community garages). In this regard, the Committee notes the introduction of specific measures designed to promote the integration of older workers, such as contracts for indefinite periods for the integration of older workers and the bridge contract (contrat passerelle), which were established under Act No. 2020-1577 of 14 December 2020 on strengthening integration in employment through economic activity, and the “No long-term unemployed” project. It also notes the detailed statistics provided by the Government, including those on the unemployment rates of older workers, which in 2021 stood at 5.5 per cent for women and 6.0 per cent for men 50 years or over. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed and up-to-date information on the situation, level and trends in the employment of older workers and on the effects of the measures taken in terms of improving access for the long-term unemployed and older workers to productive and sustainable employment, including within the framework of the experimental project, “No long-term unemployed”.

Education and training policy. The Committee previously requested the Government to provide updated information on the programmes to promote lifelong training with a view to improving the vocational skills of adults, as well as an evaluation of their impact on access to decent and freely chosen work. The Government refers to Act No. 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one’s professional future, reforming the personal training account, notably by monetarizing it, providing for further options for replenishing it, setting up a “transition” personal training account, and creating an application to manage rights, choose training, register and pay online. The Government indicates that this Act also provided for the reform of vocational training and apprenticeships. The Act established the career development counselling service, established new definitions of actions that fall within the scope of vocational training, and set up a new work-study retraining and promotion scheme, enabling employees to change jobs or occupations, or to benefit from social or occupational promotion through training. Additionally, new national governmental department for vocational training and apprenticeships was introduced through the creation of the “Skills for France” (“France compétences”) scheme. In particular, the department is responsible for the financing of apprenticeships, the national register of vocational qualifications, and the evaluation of the Qualiopi quality certification, which is compulsory from 1 January 2022 for all training providers receiving public or pooled funds. In this regard, the Committee notes that 912,700 job seekers took up training in 2019, that is 15 per cent more than the previous year, as well as 48,900 persons who took up training under schemes such as “Skills Prep” and “Apprenticeship Prep”, within the framework of the skills investment plan. With regard to apprenticeships, the Government indicates that the above Act has: liberalized the development of training for apprentices and apprenticeship training centres; streamlined the procedure for signing, carrying out and terminating a contract; increased the minimum age to allow persons 26 to 29 years to take up apprenticeships; raised wages for apprentices; and established a third class of so-called vocational occupations by replacing the former introductory work-study scheme (DIMA). The Act has also required providers to make certain information available to the public (such as the rates of certification) and undertaken an in-depth reform of funding for skills at the national level by occupational branch, to determine the level of funding by skill certification, which was in turn subject to the opinion and recommendation of “Skills for France”. In this respect, the Committee notes that this reform and the exceptional recruitment grants put in place in response to the health crisis (€5,000 for a minor and €8,000 for an adult) have resulted in an unprecedented number of apprenticeship agreements in France, namely 525,600 agreements signed in 2020 (42 per cent more than in 2019). The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide up-to-date information on the impact of programmes to promote lifelong training aimed at improving adults’ vocational skills for the creation of sustainable and freely chosen employment.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the active employment policy and its impact with regard to the creation of productive employment and combating unemployment and underemployment, and to indicate whether any other mechanism is envisaged to replace the “small and medium-sized enterprise recruitment bonus”. The Government indicates in its report that since the entry into force of Act No. 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one’s professional future, the employment policy in France has continued to evolve particularly in terms of combatting unemployment and increasing labour market dynamism. The Government also indicates that measures to facilitate both job retention and recruitment, particularly for the most vulnerable groups, such as young persons, have been established as part of the “Recovery France” plan. In addition, new comprehensive and integrated job search support measures have been established within public employment services, such as Pôle emploi or local branches. The Government indicates that additional resources will be allocated to Pôle emploi as part of the “National Recovery and Resilience Plan”. Furthermore, the part-time economic activity scheme has been made more flexible and generous in order to contain the rise in unemployment. The retraining and skills enhancement schemes have also been strengthened with, inter alia, FNE-Training (a scheme dedicated to training for part-time employees or those in enterprises facing economic difficulties) or the scaling-up of the ProA scheme (work-study promotion or retraining schemes). A new scheme to anticipate economic change and retraining needs, entitled “Collective Transitions”, has also been introduced. In this respect, the Committee notes the detailed statistics provided by the Government, particularly those relating to the number of people registered with Pôle emploi and required to seek employment (categories A, B, C), which stood at 5,688,700 in the second quarter of 2021. It also notes the INSEE annual data for 2021 on underemployment, disaggregated by sex (8.6 per cent for women and 4.3 per cent for men) and age (10.4 per cent for young persons aged 15–24, 6 per cent for those aged 25-49 and 6.1 per cent for workers aged 50 or over). With regard to employment trends, the Committee notes the data relating to labour market analyses and indicators (INSEE), in particular those relating to trends in salaried employment, excluding temporary work, by status and by activity sector from 2015 to 2020, and in temporary work by user sector from 2000 to 2020. Regarding bonuses and recruitment grants, the Government refers to the introduction of bonuses and recruitment grants with a view to promoting the integration of particular categories of workers who face obstacles in accessing the labour market, such as young persons, persons with disabilities, the long-term unemployed and older workers. In this respect, the Committee notes the establishment of specific measures to promote the integration of older workers into the labour market, such as through the payment of a €2,000 grant to employers who recruit job seekers aged 45 or over. The Committee also notes the Government’s indication that the French employment policy has been significantly affected by the health crisis and that several measures have been put in place to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on governmental employment policies, particularly within the framework of the “Recovery France” and “A solution for every young person” plans. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed and up-to-date information, including statistics, disaggregated by age and sex, on the nature, scope and impact of the active labour market measures taken to promote sustainable employment and decent work, particularly within the framework of the implementation of the provisions of Act No. 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one’s professional future and the implementation of the “Recovery France” plan and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in response to its previous request concerning the application of the provisions of Article 3.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

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

The Committee notes the observations of the General Confederation of Labour–Force Ouvrière (CGT–FO), received on 20 October 2017. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this regard.

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Youth employment. In response to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government reiterates in its report that youth employment is a priority. In this regard, it refers to three main mechanisms: the jobs of the future; the youth guarantee; and the reform of apprenticeships. The Government adds that, in 2016, more than 120,000 young persons benefited from the jobs of the future mechanism, which allowed young persons with no qualifications to gain their first professional experience and access skills training. With regard to the youth guarantee, the Government indicates that this mechanism was implemented with the financial support of the European Union and targets young persons in extremely precarious conditions. It indicates that a report evaluating this mechanism, published in November 2016, concluded that its effects were positive, including an increase of more than ten points in the employment rate of its 73,000 beneficiaries and its capacity to effectively target them. In this regard, the highest level of education attained by three out of four young persons was a high school diploma and one in four lived in a priority neighbourhood for town policy. The Government indicates that the Labour Act of 8 August 2016 applied this mechanism throughout the country. Furthermore, Decree No. 2016-1855 of 23 December 2016, issued under the Labour Act, provides for the inclusion of the youth guarantee in the Labour Code, in the context of the employment and autonomy support contract (PACEA). It indicates that these innovations facilitate the articulation of assistance mechanisms and enshrine the right to assistance in a broader context than just employment and working life, by introducing an approach of youth employment and autonomy. The Government refers to several measures taken to promote apprenticeships, including: the launching, in September 2014, of a mobilization plan for the development of apprenticeships; the establishment, under the Decree of 29 June 2015, of assistance for young apprentices, known as “TPE young apprentices”; the introduction by the ministry responsible for employment of the possibility to gain professional qualifications through apprenticeships; the possibility to opt for distance learning in the context of an apprenticeship; the increase of the maximum age for apprentices up to 30 years under the Labour Act; and the use of apprenticeships as a general method of training in the public service. The Government indicates that it has made available €450 million to update the training system, within the framework of the Investment in the Future Programme (PIA). After two years of decline, due in part to the economic crisis, the Committee notes an increase in admissions to apprenticeships of more than 3.5 per cent between May 2015 and June 2016 and more than 1.5 per cent in the first seven months of 2016. The Committee notes the observations of the CGT–FO indicating that young people joining the workforce suffer precarious employment and financial uncertainty. It adds that 24.7 per cent of the youth labour force was unemployed at the beginning of 2017. The CGT–FO indicates that more than one third of young persons join the workforce through short-term contracts and they are less likely to receive a permanent contract (CDI). Indeed, in 2015, fewer than 5 per cent of workers with a permanent contract were under 25 years of age. The CGT–FO adds that it would like the jobs of the future mechanism to be fully deployed in 2017, as it is operational. The CGT–FO also indicates that it has always supported the youth guarantee mechanism, which has led to an increase of 9.1 percentage points in the proportion of young persons benefiting from lasting employment. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing detailed information on youth employment trends and reiterates its request to the Government to include statistics disaggregated by age and sex, and on other categories for which data are available. It also requests the Government to continue to include an updated evaluation of the active policy measures implemented to reduce the impact of unemployment on young persons, particularly the most disadvantaged, and to facilitate their lasting integration into the labour market.

Older workers. The Government indicates that, in 2016, in metropolitan France 53.7 per cent of persons aged from 55 to 64 years were economically active, of whom 49.9 per cent were in employment and 3.8 per cent were unemployed. It indicates that 76 per cent of persons between the ages of 55 and 59 years are economically active, and 30.1 per cent of persons between the ages of 60 and 64 years. The Government indicates that, at 7.1 per cent, the unemployment rate of older workers is lower than that of young persons. It indicates that, from 2001 to 2016, the activity rate of older workers increased by 21 points; more than 23 points among those aged 55–59 years and more than 20 points among those aged 60–64 years. However, the Government adds that older persons are most affected by long-term unemployment. Accordingly, 3.9 per cent of persons over 49 years of age have been unemployed for over a year, in comparison with 3.7 per cent of persons aged 25–49 years. In this context, the Government indicates that, from 2008 to 2013, despite the economic crisis, the employment rate of older workers increased by 12 points, while their share of unemployment grew by only two points. However, it indicates that older persons represent a growing percentage of the unemployed: 11 per cent of the unemployed were aged between 55 and 64 years in 2016, in comparison with 4 per cent in the second half of the 1990s. Regarding statistics disaggregated by age and sex, the Government indicates that, for older persons, gender gaps in the labour force participation rate are a result of cuts in public funding for retirement measures and retirement reforms. It adds that the Directorate of Research, Studies and Statistics publishes a quarterly report on the labour market participation of older persons and the employment policies that target them. The Committee notes that, at the end of March 2017, the unemployment rate among men between the ages of 50 and 54 years was 7 per cent, in comparison with 6.9 per cent among women, and the rate for men aged between 60 and 64 years was 9 per cent, in comparison with 6.1 per cent among women. The Committee notes the observations of the CGT–FO indicating that unemployment is longer among older persons. In this context, it indicates that, in 2015, six out of ten workers over the age of 50 years had been unemployed for at least one year. The CGT–FO adds that the number of subsidized contracts envisaged for 2018 has been reduced, even though during a period of crisis they are necessary to facilitate integration into quality employment. It considers that these contracts should be retained and should be of sufficient duration and emphasize increased individual support for beneficiaries. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the employment situation, level and trends for older workers and to indicate the specific results achieved through measures to address the unemployment and underemployment of older workers, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, and on other categories for which data are available. The Committee requests the Government to respond to the comments of the CGT–FO regarding the duration of unemployment of older workers and the reduction in the number of subsidized contracts.

Education and training policy. The Government indicates that the development of apprenticeships and the reform of vocational training are its priorities. In this regard, the Act of 5 March 2014 on vocational training, employment and social democracy constitutes an important part of the current administration’s action. It indicates that this Act transposes into law the National Interoccupational Agreement (ANI) of 14 December 2013 and covers the entire vocational training system and its mechanisms, funding and governance. In this context, the Act abolishes the taxation of expenses and grants greater freedom regarding methods to implement employee training. Thus, the legal obligation was reduced from 1.6 per cent to 1 per cent and the single contribution of enterprises is paid to authorized joint collection bodies (OPCA). The Government adds that the Act establishes a new legal requirement regarding the quality and effectiveness of training, which must provide more and better certify skills to receive funding through certain mechanisms, such as the personal training account (CPF), implemented in 2015. It indicates that the Act entrusts the social partners with the responsibility of establishing the lists of training courses that are eligible for the personal training account. The Government adds that the Act of 5 March 2014 strengthened the rules respecting quality of continuous training. In this regard, the National Council for Employment, Vocational Training and Guidance (CNEFOP) is responsible for fostering the improvement and promotion of quality certification processes. The Act of 5 March 2014 also lays the foundations for a right to training for each person via the personal training account, included since 1 January 2017 in the personal activity account (CPA), established by the Labour Act in order to redress inequalities in access to training for unskilled or low-skilled workers. The Government indicates that to guarantee this right in practice, the Act of 5 March 2014 established a free vocational development advice service (CEP). It indicates that this right will contribute to the development of the progressive acquisition of vocational qualifications for adults and facilitate their lifelong labour market integration. The Act also finalizes the transfer to regional councils of responsibility for vocational training with regard to all specific public policies by encouraging stakeholders to establish a comprehensive regional strategy on employment, training and guidance policies within a framework that is now quadripartite, comprising the State, regional councils and the social partners with the establishment of new governance bodies, including the CNEFOP and the Regional Council for Employment, Vocational Training and Guidance (CREFOP). Regarding apprenticeships, the Government indicates that the reform of 5 March 2014 has allowed further resources to be allocated, while maintaining the funding of other types of initial vocational and technical training. In this context, the career paths of apprentices have been further secured and they have improved rights. Furthermore, genuine simplifications have been introduced for enterprises. The Government adds that the issue of apprenticeship was examined from an interministerial perspective by the public service and the national education system in partnership with all stakeholders. This led to the formulation and implementation of a recovery plan in September 2014 with a view to an in depth reform of training. The Government adds that a joint platform was agreed upon on 30 March 2016 between the State and the regional councils of the new regions, established following the merger of regional councils on 1 January 2016, to ensure their joint mobilization for employment, apprenticeship, training and economic development in the regions. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the programmes to promote lifelong training with a view to improving the vocational skills of adults, as well as an evaluation of their impact on access to decent and freely chosen work.

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

The Committee notes the observations of the General Confederation of Labour–Force Ouvrière (CGT–FO), received on 20 October 2017. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this regard.

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. In response to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates in its report that several measures to reduce the cost of labour have been approved and implemented in order to promote employment. In this context, it indicates that, since 2015, the Tax Credit for Competitiveness and Employment (CICE) has been supplemented by exemptions from social security contributions introduced in the framework of the Responsibility and Solidarity Pact. The first phase of the Pact, implemented in 2015, reduced employer social security contributions for wages lower than 1.6 times the minimum interoccupational growth wage (SMIC) and the social security contributions of the self-employed. The Government adds that, since 2016, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from support for the recruitment of low-skilled workers through the “SME recruitment” mechanism, which provides a quarterly bonus of €500 when a worker is recruited with a fixed-term contract (CDD) of more than six months or a permanent contract (CDI), earning up to 1.3 times the SMIC. It indicates that this mechanism, which came to an end in 2017, aimed to boost recruitment. The Government indicates that, since 2015, job creation in the commercial sector has been growing, with 290,000 jobs created since the first quarter of 2015. It adds that the recruitment bonus for fixed-term contracts of more than six months and permanent contracts benefited over 2 million workers, with the creation of 30,000 jobs in 2016 and 45,000 jobs in 2017. The Committee notes that combating unemployment and precarious employment has been one of the Government’s ongoing priorities and it has strengthened the capacities of enterprises to adapt to their circumstances, facilitated recruitment with permanent contracts through quality training that matches workers’ skills with the needs of enterprises and improved the unemployment insurance system. The Government also indicates that a policy of increasing the minimum wage has supplemented these measures in order to avoid penalizing the employment of low-skilled workers. It indicates that the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 points in 2015 and 0.2 points in 2016. In the final quarter of 2016, unemployment affected 10 per cent of the workforce, not including the island of Mayotte. However, the Government reports negative economic consequences of a split between persons with stable employment and those in precarious employment or who are unemployed. The Committee notes the observations of the CGT–FO indicating a deterioration in the overall employment situation. The CGT–FO adds that, between 2014 and 2017, unemployment grew by 1.6 per cent, increasing from 6,284,920 persons in December 2014 to 6,653,790 persons in December 2016. The CGT–FO asserts that, in 2015, including unemployment and hidden unemployment, 11.5 per cent of persons between 16 and 64 years of age were without employment and seeking employment throughout the country. It highlights a serious deterioration in the employment situation characterized by long-term unemployment, which has been increasing since 2008. Indeed, 42.6 per cent of unemployed persons report that they have been out of work for a year or more. The CGT–FO also reports a sharp increase in the number of jobseekers in part-time work: more than 2,105,000 persons in August 2017, while 89.3 per cent of persons who are involuntarily unemployed are seeking full-time employment. It also indicates an explosion in the number of very short contracts from 1.6 million to more than 4 million since the year 2000. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the current active labour market policy and its impact. It requests the Government to continue to evaluate the measures implemented, indicating their impact with regard to the creation of productive employment and combating unemployment and underemployment, and to indicate whether any other mechanism is envisaged to replace the “SME recruitment bonus”. The Committee requests the Government to provide statistics disaggregated by age and sex on employment trends.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that the Act of 5 March 2014 reforming vocational training updated the regional and national rules governing the vocational training system by allowing the State, the social partners and regional governments to establish new dialogue procedures. In that regard, at the national level, the National Council for Employment, Vocational Training and Guidance (CNEFOP) has replaced the National Employment Council and the National Council for Lifelong Vocational Training. The Government adds that this Council brings together the State, represented by 12 ministries including those responsible for employment and vocational training, national education, the regions, and the representative social partners at the national and interoccupational, multi-occupational or other concerned levels, as well as the consular chambers and the leading operators. It indicates that the Council is a consultation body for all the legislative and regulatory texts in this area. It is also a body for dialogue, monitoring, coordination and evaluation of policies on employment and lifelong initial and continued vocational training and guidance. At the regional level, the Government indicates that the Regional Council for Employment, Vocational Training and Guidance (CREFOP) ensures coordination between stakeholders regarding vocational training and guidance and employment policies and the consistency of training programmes. It indicates that the Council brings together representatives of the State, the regions, the social partners and the public employment service. The Government adds that the Council promotes the formulation and implementation of a concerted regional strategy on vocational guidance, the development of alternance training and vocational training of employees and jobseekers, and that it conducts an evaluation of the actions taken. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing further examples of the participation of the social partners in the formulation of an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment. It also requests the Government to indicate the manner in which the consultations with the social partners held in the CNEFOP and the CREFOP have contributed to the formulation of employment policies and the manner in which their experience and views are fully taken into account when formulating such policies.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Youth employment. The Government indicates in the report received in August 2014 that youth employment is a priority. The Committee notes that the measures taken to prevent the growth of youth unemployment include, on the one hand, those intended to help young persons to gain access to the labour market, particularly through jobs for the future, the youth guarantee and the measures taken within the framework of the National Interoccupational Agreement (ANI) of 7 April 2011 and, on the other, the measures intended to facilitate a return to training, particularly through follow-up and support facilities for young drop-outs, training skills employment networks (FOQUALE), second chance schools (E2C) and the reform of apprenticeship. The Committee notes the objectives set out by the Government in the context of the implementation of the measures referred to above, and the first elements of the assessment of jobs for the future (94,660 as of 31 December 2013), the ANI (11,900 young persons supported by the employment services and 9,700 by local missions completed the second stage “contract concluded and intensive support”) and the FOQUALE networks (14,000 young persons “reinserted” since the beginning of the 2013 school year). The Government adds that several subjects relating to the situation of young persons on the labour market were addressed at the third major social conference held in July 2014, including: an easier transition from school to the world of work, efforts to combat students leaving school without qualifications, and more sustained development of apprenticeship. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing detailed information on employment trends for young persons, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, as well as for other categories for which data are available. It also invites the Government to include an updated evaluation of the active policy measures implemented with a view to reducing the impact of unemployment on young persons, particularly the most vulnerable, and facilitating their lasting integration into the labour market.

Older workers. The Government indicates that between 2011 and 2013 the employment rate of persons aged 50–64 increased by 5 per cent. The employment rate of older workers was 57.9 per cent at the end of 2013. Although its increase had been very dynamic in previous years, the rise in the employment rate for older workers slowed down in 2013. Among the measures adopted for older workers, the Government reports a series of provisions intended to increase their activity rates and make their employment more dynamic, in addition to the sustained mobilization of assisted contracts. The Government emphasizes that the continuation of measures for the employment of older workers and their maintenance in employment remains more than ever its priority, in the same way as combating the long-term unemployment affecting them. The Committee invites the Government to provide detailed information on the situation, level and trends of employment for older workers, and to indicate the specific results obtained through the measures intended to remedy unemployment and underemployment among older workers, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, as well as for other categories for which data are available.

Education and training policy. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government concerning the reform of the vocational training system, particularly through the creation of individual training accounts (CPF) and the vocational development council. The CPF is linked to the individual and no longer to the employment contract, and it ensures the monitoring of individuals throughout their life, thereby permitting the acquisition of financed training hours, without limit of time, irrespective of changes in occupational status. Vocational development counselling will be delivered by five national operators and consists of supporting vocational development projects and facilitating access to training, particularly through the use of CPFs. Moreover, the Plan on “priority training for employment” launched in September 2013 is intended to increase the entry into training of jobseekers in sectors and occupations which offer short or medium term employment opportunities. The Government considers that the outcome of the plan is positive, as it resulted in 38,922 enrolments in training as of 31 December 2013. A second priority training plan was launched for 2014 with a view to benefiting 100,000 jobseekers. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on programmes for the promotion of lifelong learning with a view to improving the vocational skills of adults, and an assessment of their impact on the creation of lasting and freely chosen jobs.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. With reference to its previous comments, the Government indicates in a report received in August 2014 that the years 2012 and 2013 were characterized by a return of job destruction, an increase in temporary employment and in underemployment. The unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2014 was 10.2 per cent of the economically active population. In metropolitan France, unemployment amounted to 2.8 million persons, with underemployment affecting around 1.6 million workers. The Committee notes that the reduction in the cost of labour for enterprises is the principal strategy adopted by the Government, particularly through the Tax Credit for Competitiveness and Employment (CICE) introduced in January 2013; the National Pact for Growth, Productivity and Employment, launched in November 2012; and the Responsibility and Solidarity Pact, announced in 2014. The Committee notes that, in exchange for the Responsibility Pact, the occupational branches will make commitments in terms of employment, vocational training and the quality of employment. The Government adds that part of these subsidies will be financed, not by an increase in taxation, but by a reduction in public expenditure. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the active labour market policy implemented. It also invites the Government to conduct an evaluation of the measures adopted, with an indication of their impact in terms of creating productive jobs and combating unemployment and underemployment, and to indicate the ways in which the initiatives taken by the Government to reduce public debt have affected the employment situation.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that it has made social dialogue one of its priorities and a pillar of its method of governing. It reports the National Interoccupational Agreement (ANI) on competitiveness and employment security concluded by the social partners in January 2013, the objective of which is to establish a new balance between the security required by employed persons and the possibilities for adaptation that are indispensable to enterprises. More recently, interoccupational negotiations on vocational training were completed in December 2013 with the conclusion of a national interoccupational agreement, which has served as a basis for the principal measures of the Act of 5 March 2014 respecting vocational training, employment and social democracy. This Act provides, among other measures, for the creation of individual training accounts and the establishment of vocational development counselling. In the context of the social conference held in July 2014, the Government and the social partners reaffirmed their commitment to employment and expressed the wish to extend their action, particularly in relation to employment for young persons, older workers and persons in difficulties. The Committee invites the Government to provide further examples of the participation of the social partners in the formulation of an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment.

The Committee is raising other matters in a direct request addressed directly to the Government.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the detailed replies in the Government’s report for the period ending in June 2011. It notes that the unemployment rate for the active population in metropolitan France was 9.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2010, amounting to 2.6 million unemployed persons. The Government indicates that the measures taken to improve the employment situation did contribute to an increase in the number of persons hired in the course of 2010, with more than 200,000 jobs created, amounting to annual employment growth of 0.8 per cent and an employment level almost equal to that recorded before the 2008 crisis. The Government nevertheless states that more than half of these jobs were attributable to a dynamic temporary job sector, particularly in industry. Furthermore, as the temporary job sector continued to generate employment, the proportion of persons in stable employment fell, posting a drop of 1.2 points as compared to 2009. Underemployment, affecting both part-time employees seeking more work and unemployed jobseekers (temporary layoffs and short timers), increased by 0.6 per cent over 2009. The Committee notes that with the entry into force of new subsidized contracts in 2010 – the Employment Initiative Contract (CUE–CIE) and the Employment Support Contract (CUI-CAE) – the number of workers in assisted employment remained stable in relation to 2009. The Committee also notes that the number of jobseekers registering with Pôle emploi centres has continued to increase in 2011. The Committee accordingly invites the Government to provide an evaluation of the active employment policy measures currently implemented and to indicate how, in practice, they have affected the creation of productive employment and the objective of reducing unemployment and underemployment nationwide. Please also indicate how the recent public debt retrenchment initiatives taken by the Government will contribute to improving the employment situation.

Youth employment. The Committee notes that the youth unemployment rate remains high, having reached 23.7 per cent in 2009, and that the employment rate in the 15–25 age group was around 64 per cent in 2010. In reply to the comments made by the Committee in its previous observation, the Government indicates that several measures to revive youth employment have been launched to facilitate the integration of young people in the labour market. Thus, in 2010, young people accounted for 85 per cent of all persons hired under integration contracts and support contracts in the commercial sector, and 28 per cent in the non-commercial sector, so that, in all, over 25 per cent of jobs in the under-26 age group were subsidized by the State. Work/training scheme has also been developed through fiscal incentives to hiring, such as the recruitment premium for hiring an additional employee granted to more than 55,000 enterprises, generating more than 65,000 new jobs, or the exemption from charges granted to more than 500 enterprises, enabling a further 33,000 persons to be hired. The Committee also notes the results obtained through the Social Integration Contract (CIVIS). The CIVIS has been offered to around 1 million young people since its creation in 2005, and 34 per cent of the beneficiaries, most of whom are low-skilled, have gone on to find employment. “Autonomy” contracts, of which 36,000 have been signed since they were introduced in 2008, enabled 10,000 new jobseekers to go on to employment in 2010. The introduction of “single entrepreneur” (autoentrepreneur) status and the creation of the cheque emploi service in 2009 have likewise had a positive effect on employment, generating an increase in self employment among young people in 2010. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide detailed information on youth employment trends, including statistics disaggregated by age, gender and any other grounds in respect of which data is available. The Committee invites the Government to include an evaluation of the active employment policy measures implemented to minimize the impact of unemployment on young people and to encourage their sustainable integration in the labour market, in particular the most disadvantaged categories of young people.

Older workers. The Committee notes that the employment rate of older workers aged from 55–64 years stood at 40 per cent at the end of 2010, with recruitment under subsidized contracts amounting to only 4 per cent in the commercial sector, and 19 per cent in the non-commercial sector. Although older workers have suffered less than youth from the repercussions the crisis has had on unemployment, the Government indicates that more than 6 per cent of this group were unemployed in 2009. The Committee notes that publicly funded retirement, arrangements, including early retirement, have had a positive effect on the activity rate of elderly workers. It also notes that in January 2010, new arrangements were introduced to encourage employers to adopt an active age management strategy. Thus, since 2010, provision has been made for the abolition of mandatory retirement at the age of 65 in the Social Security Financing Act, and the age at which an employer may order retirement has been raised from 65 to 70 years, this being the age at which the employer may terminate the contract of an older worker, citing the statutory age of entitlement to retirement benefit. In the public service too, employees may work beyond the maximum age and up to the age of 65 at the request of the worker and subject to physical fitness. The Government indicates lastly that, even though the activity rate of older workers varies according to age and declines rapidly after the age of 54, it has increased consistently in the last ten years across all occupations, and that large firms are increasingly giving consideration to employing older workers. The Committee requests the Government to continue to send detailed information on the situation, level and trends of employment for older workers, and to indicate the results obtained by the measures intended to remedy unemployment and underemployment among these workers.

Education and training policy. The Government indicates that the Joint Career Security Fund (FPSPP), established by the 2009 Act on lifelong vocational guidance and training, has provided support for more than 100,000 jobseekers and 250,000 wage earners. The FPSPP covers various types of measures aimed at affording jobseekers easier access to labour market information and at facilitating recourse to the “validation of non-formal learning” (VAE) system. The Government further indicates that the Association for Vocational Training for Adults (AFPA) enabled 60 per cent of its trainees in 2010 to find employment within six months of completing the programme, 30 per cent of whom obtained fixed-term appointments. The Individual Training Leave (CIF) system, which enables workers on indefinite contracts, fixed-term contracts or temporary contracts to undergo training of their choice, has enabled more than 80 per cent of the beneficiaries to keep their jobs and to sit an examination on completion of training in order to validate their experience. The Committee notes that the social partners recognize the effectiveness of the CIF and consider that it plays an active part in employment policies, particularly to the benefit of underskilled employees. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the programmes to promote lifelong training with a view to improving the professional skills of adults, together with an evaluation of how they affect the generation of lasting and freely chosen employment.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government indicates that the social partners are consulted both before employment policies are created and after they are in place, thanks in particular to the role the National Employment Council (CNE) plays in consultation. It adds that the CNE held nine meetings in the course of 2010 during which it was consulted about a number of decrees and a law pertaining to employment policy, and about requests for approval for decisions taken by the social partners, such as agreements on the temporary cessation of activity or the 2010 National Interoccupational Agreement on social management of the consequences of the economic crisis on employment. The Committee also notes that in 2011, the social partners introduced the Occupational Security Contract (CSP) to facilitate the return to employment of workers dismissed on economic grounds. The Committee asks the Government to include in its next report other examples of how the consultations held with social partners have had an impact on the formulation of an active policy to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Article 1(1) and (2) of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the detailed information contained in the Government’s reports received in May and October 2010, in reply to its 2009 direct request. The Government indicates that, between October 2007 and March 2008, around 150,000 additional jobs were created in the competitive sector. At the end of 2009, the economic recovery was not visible in the unemployment rate, which stood at 10 per cent of the active population at that time. The main aims of the employment policy implemented for the period 2007–09 were to integrate as many people as possible into the labour market, promote close cooperation with the social partners and enhance job security. In view of the difficult economic climate and its consequences on employment, the Government indicates that it is continuing a programme of reforms for the years 2008–10 with the aim of promoting growth and employment in the context of the European Lisbon Strategy, while implementing an economic recovery plan. The Committee previously noted that, in November 2008, the Government established an economic recovery plan to tackle the crisis, which totalled 26 billion euros (€), including €14.9 billion allocated to supporting enterprises and employment. The plan aims to create a secure framework that acts as an incentive for jobseekers and encourages them to look for work more actively and tackle the major challenge of long-term unemployment. The Government also mentions other specific measures that have been implemented to combat the effects of the crisis, including the creation of the Social Investment Fund (FISO) designed to support workers and jobseekers exposed to the crisis; the temporary use of part-time work, particularly in the automotive sector; and the strengthening of the employment services through the establishment of Pôle Emploi. In July 2010, the Government provided a detailed assessment of the measures financed under the FISO, which have benefited nearly 2 million people. As a tool to support workers exposed to the crisis, nearly 400,000 workers have benefited from the part-time scheme, nearly 80,000 of whom have received training. As support for the retraining of workers made redundant, at the end of May 2010 around 115,000 persons had benefited from one of the two schemes designed to get them back into work quickly. Under the measures to provide compensation and support the purchasing power of jobseekers, a total of 47,708 allowances were granted between April 2009 and March 2010 to workers who had lost their jobs but were not eligible for unemployment benefit. The Government also mentions a new method of terminating an employment contract based on the mutual agreement of the employer and the employee, implemented by Act No. 2008-596 of 25 June 2008 modernizing the labour market. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on the results of the various measures reforming the labour market and their impact on the employment situation. It also requests the Government to continue providing information on the progress made in implementing the measures to tackle the crisis, in terms of employee protection and improved access to the labour market for jobseekers.

Article 1(2). Youth employment. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the results achieved in terms of the creation of jobs for young persons. The Government indicates that, in the first quarter of 2010, of the 2.7 million persons who are unemployed (9.5 per cent of the active population), 634,000 persons, or 23 per cent, are aged between 15 and 24 years. To address this situation, the Government indicates that it has established a series of specific measures targeting young persons, particularly those without qualifications and those from sensitive areas. On 31 May 2009, 468,000 young persons had benefited from CIVIS, which target young persons without qualifications, of whom 176,000 have found long-term employment, 32,000 short-term employment and 31,000 have received training. As of 14 September 2009, 13,044 autonomy contracts had been signed under the Plan Banlieues, aimed at young persons under 26 years of age, which resulted in 1,026 positive outcomes, of which 75 per cent involved the young persons concerned finding long-term employment. The Government also indicates that, in the context of the emergency youth employment plan of 24 April 2009, it has been decided to implement a programme of additional training for young persons aged between 16 and 25 years who are finding it difficult to find a job. Among other measures, it is envisaged to provide 50,000 young persons with new and enhanced skills for accessing employment. The Committee also notes other measures in favour of the training of young persons financed by the recovery plan which are focused on the long‑term vocational and social integration of young persons who have left the education system without qualifications and without a job, namely “training support contracts” and “second chance schools” (E2C). Under the emergency youth employment plan, which provided for the creation of 7,200 places in E2Cs, 925 places had already been opened in May 2010. A total of 775,400 assisted contracts had been signed in the form of employment initiative contracts in the commercial sector and bridging contracts in the non-commercial sector. The Government indicates that the recovery plan also contributes to the “Action for Youth” plan (designed to reduce school drop-out rates and promote the vocational integration of young persons) by including a provision to increase the resources allocated to the contracts for integration into working life, which will assist 200,000 young persons in 2010. In this regard, the Committee refers to paragraphs 288 and 289 of its General Survey of 2010 concerning employment instruments, which refer to the employment situation of young persons in France. The Committee also expressed its concern at the very high unemployment rate among graduate jobseekers, particularly among young university graduates, who are unable to find employment commensurate with their skill level. This problem affects both developing and industrialized countries, where the skills of these young graduates are underutilized and they find themselves accepting casual jobs. This situation can prove detrimental to their career progression. The Committee therefore encourages governments to develop job creation and career guidance policies targeted at this new category of graduate workers (see General Survey, op. cit., paragraph 800). The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the efforts made to improve the youth employment situation. It would like to be able to examine elements in the Government’s next report which allow it to assess the effectiveness of the various measures implemented to promote the long-term integration of young persons into the labour market.

Older workers. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide up-to-date information on the impact of the measures intended to increase the employment rate of older workers. The Committee notes the indications that, in 2008, 56 per cent of persons aged between 50 and 64 years were active. Although unemployment affects young persons more than older workers, the latter struggle to find a route out of unemployment, particularly men, and, in 2008, 60 per cent of unemployed men aged between 50 and 64 years had been unemployed for more than one year, compared to 38 per cent of those aged between 30 and 49 years. The Government mentions a number of measures in favour of older workers, such as special allowances which guarantee a replacement income for older workers who lose their jobs and whose employment prospects are limited, until they are able to claim their pension rights. The Government also indicates that enterprises with up to 50 employees are required to conclude an agreement or establish a unilateral action plan in favour of the employment of older workers before 1 January 2010, failing which they will incur a financial penalty equivalent to 1 per cent of their total wage bill. The Government indicates that enterprises with 51–300 employees have been granted a period of three years (from the first quarter of 2010) to enable them to hold negotiations and finalize their action plans. These measures must include the overall objective of keeping employees aged 55 years and over in employment or recruiting workers aged 50 years and over. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the results of the implementation of the action plans in favour of the employment of older workers in enterprises with up to 50 employees. It also requests the Government to provide any relevant information concerning the progress made with regard to the employment of older workers in other enterprises.

Education and training policy. The Committee notes the adoption of Act No. 2009-1437 of 24 November 2009 concerning lifelong vocational training and guidance which aims to facilitate the training of jobseekers and workers with few qualifications and develop training within small and medium-sized enterprises. The Committee notes that the Act guarantees the right to lifelong training. It also notes the communications sent in July 2010 by the National Autonomous Union of Sciences and the National Union of Scientific Researchers concerning the possible effects of the Act of 3 August 2009 concerning mobility in the civil service and also the Government’s reply received in November 2010. The Government indicates that this Act has established a joint job security fund designed to contribute to the funding of vocational training leading to the qualification and renewed qualification of workers and jobseekers. The Act also provides for regional planning contracts for the development of vocational training (CPRDF) designed to define a medium-term programme of vocational training for young persons and ensure the coherent development of initial and continuous vocational training paths based on a joint regional analysis. The vocational reorientation mechanism enables civil servants to progress in their professional careers according to their skills, abilities and wishes, thus reinforcing their freedom of choice in employment. In addition, by providing for guidance, training and evaluation measures, the mechanism creates favourable conditions for ensuring that civil servants receive the best training for their new jobs. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the vocational training measures and their impact in terms of integration into the labour market. It hopes that the report will contain information on the measures to coordinate education and training policies with employment, as well as on their impact in terms of the long-term integration of the most vulnerable categories of workers into the labour market.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the preparation and formulation of policies. The Government indicates that employment and vocational training policies are defined in close consultation with the social partners and that certain measures are financed jointly and implemented through coordination between the State and the social partners, such as the vocational training measures for young persons, the unemployed, older workers and workers at risk of redundancy. The social partners also took part in the social summit of 18 February 2009 which resulted in the establishment of the FISO designed to coordinate crisis response policies on employment and vocational training. The Government indicates that the latest inter-occupational agreement signed on 9 July 2009, concerning the social management of the impact of the economic crisis on employment, has resulted in the implementation of a number of temporary measures (in force until 1 January 2011), such as the “occupational transition contract” (CTP) and the “personalized back-to-work assistance agreement” (CRP) to improve the situation of employees who are made redundant. The Government also mentions the composition of the National Employment Council, which brings together representatives of all actors involved in employment and training policies. The Committee requests the Government to indicate how the consultations held with the social partners within the National Employment Council have contributed to the formulation of employment policies and how their experience and opinions have been fully taken into account when formulating these policies.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

The Committee notes the Government’s report received in January 2009 containing detailed indications in reply to its 2007 observation.

1. Article 1, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Convention. Labour market trends and active employment policy. The Government has provided an assessment of the employment measures adopted since 2005, together with information on strategic policy trends in relation to employment and vocational training for the period 2007–08. The Government attached to its report studies published by the DARES (Directorate of Dissemination and Research, Studies and Statistics) containing statistical data for the period 2005–07 on the implementation of measures, such as the employment assistance contract, the employment initiative contract, the contract for young persons in enterprises and the contract for integration into working life. The Government also refers to the Act for economic modernization of 4 August 2008 as being pivotal to its strategy of supporting economic growth, particularly through innovation, training and enterprise development. In this respect, the Committee notes that new measures have been adopted to attenuate the consequences of the global crisis on employment. According to forecasts, the unemployment rate, which had remained around 8 per cent in 2008, could rise up to 10 per cent in the months to come. The Committee refers to its 2008 observation and once again invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the results achieved by the labour market measures taken to attenuate the consequences of the crisis on employment.

2. Article 1, paragraph 2. Youth employment. In its previous comments, the Committee invited the Government to provide information on the results achieved by the measures introduced to facilitate the access of young persons to decent employment, particularly in sensitive urban areas and underprivileged regions, as well as for young persons who lack the necessary qualifications for integration into working life. The Government indicates that the measures adopted for young persons consist principally of accompanying them towards employment with the objective of expediting the transition towards long-term employment or a vocational qualification for those who do not have any. In 2008, the unemployment rate among young persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (approaching 23 per cent) was higher than the European average (approaching 17 per cent), and young persons were over-represented in precarious forms of employment, as 35 per cent of them, compared with fewer than 15 per cent for employed persons as a whole, only had temporary employment (a short-term contract, temporary employment or assisted employment). The Espoir banlieues Plan announced in February 2008 includes three measures in its employment component: the autonomy contract, which provides for individualized support for a period of one year, for six months prior to and six months following the conclusion of an employment contract with remuneration based on performance, between the public or private employment institution and young persons in sensitive urban areas; support for enterprise creation, with the attribution of financing in the form of interest-free loans for 20,000 creators of enterprises each year as from 2010; and the conclusion of a “national commitment to jobs for young persons in sensitive areas” by major enterprises, offering recruitment, work experience and sandwich training courses. The Committee invites the Government to provide detailed information with its next report on the results achieved in terms of the creation of jobs for young persons through the measures adopted, and particularly the implementation and impact of the Espoir banlieues Plan, including evaluations of the impact of these measures in terms of the long-term integration of young persons into the labour market.

3. Employment of older workers. The Government indicates that the improvement of the employment rate of older workers is a major goal for growth and social cohesion. Recalling that the employment rate of workers aged between 55 and 64 years is 38.3 per cent in France, compared with an average of 44.7 per cent in the EU, the Government refers to the implementation of the National Plan of Concerted Action for the Employment of Older Workers, 2006–10, which has three objectives: encouraging enterprises to retain older workers, easing the conditions for the accumulation of employment and retirement benefits and facilitating the return to work of older workers. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain updated information on the impact of the measures intended to increase the employment rate of older workers, including the measures implemented following agreements negotiated with the social partners in enterprises with over 300 employees and at the sectoral level.

4. Education and training policies. The Government refers to the reform process of the vocational training system as one of the priorities for action in 2008. The report enumerates the principal policy aims of this reform, which is intended to simplify and improve the effectiveness of the system and make it more equitable, as indicated by the results of a tripartite group bringing together the State, the regions and the social partners. Negotiations on the reform of vocational training were due to be held before the end of 2008 between the Government and the social partners, and dialogue between the Government and the regions was due to commence with a view to determining the respective areas of competence of all of the stakeholders. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report the measures adopted, the arrangements for their implementation and their impact in the context of the reform of the vocational training system. Please also indicate the positions of the various parties, and particularly of the social partners.

5. Article 3. Participation of the social partners in policy formulation and implementation. The Government refers to the Act of 31 January 2007 to modernize social dialogue, as well as the Act of 13 February 2008 on reforms in the organization of the public employment service, in relation to the various dialogue, consultation and information procedures through which the social partners participate in employment policy formulation. The Committee notes that the Act of 13 February 2008 envisages the establishment of a National Employment Council (CNE), to replace the former Higher Employment Committee. The effectiveness of this body in determining the strategic orientations of employment policy has been reinforced with a view to improving dialogue between the State, the social partners and the territorial communities. Moreover, the CNE has been made responsible for adopting a programme for the evaluation of employment policies every year. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain information on the basis of which it can examine the manner in which the experience and views of the representatives of the persons affected have been taken into account in the formulation and implementation of an active employment policy. It hopes that the report will also contain examples of the manner in which dialogue with the social partners was held prior to the implementation of employment policy.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2008, published 98th ILC session (2009)

1. The Committee notes the Government’s report for the period November 2004 to January 2007, which was received in August 2008. It also notes the attached observations provided by the General Confederation of Labour–Force Ouvrière (CGT–FO), which considers that placing greater responsibility on the unemployed through the introduction of a system of graduated sanctions places the responsibility on employees for their unemployment despite the fact that most are dismissed as a consequence of the economic situation of the enterprise. The CGT–FO also points out that the references made in the report to the “contract for new employment” (CNE) disregard the developments which led to the repeal of the CNE and the fact that the CNE would never have worked from the viewpoint of job creation. The Committee refers to its observation on the Termination of Employment Convention, 1982 (No. 158), and the other matters raised in the present observation. It hopes that the Government will provide data in its next report providing a basis for an evaluation of the employment situation and its development over the period under consideration and the measurement of the impact on employment of the policies pursued and the principal active measures adopted.

2. Article 1, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Convention. Labour market trends and active employment policy. The Committee notes that, during the period under consideration, positive results were achieved in relation to the employment rate, which experienced a regular rise between mid-2006 and the end of 2007 (increasing from 63.6 per cent in 2005 to 64.3 per cent in 2007, according to the information published in June 2008 by the Directorate of Dissemination and Research, Studies and Statistics (DARES)). The unemployment rate has fallen slightly to around 8.5 per cent in 2006 and 8 per cent in 2007. The Government recalls in its report that the French employment strategy is defined in the context of the European Employment Strategy and particularly in the national reform programme 2005–08 “For social growth”. In this context, the Government is pursuing a strategy whereby employment development will remain the principal objective of Government action, with employment being placed at the centre of the fiscal and social reforms that have been carried out in recent years. The Committee notes the adoption of Act No. 2007-1223 of 21 August 2007 to promote work, employment and purchasing power (TEPA), which envisages several specific mechanisms intended to act on both the supply and demand for labour: a lowering of social contributions for enterprises which increase the hours of work of their employees, a reduction in social contributions and, for workers, exemption from income tax in respect of the overtime hours performed. With a view to the implementation of the national interoccupational agreement of 11 January 2008, Act No. 2008-596 of 25 June 2008 to modernize the labour market introduces amendments to the Labour Code designed to allow greater flexibility in the employment relationship while at the same time offering employed persons greater security by providing them with new safeguards. In this respect, the Committee invites the Government to include in its next report an evaluation of the impact of the TEPA Act and the amendments to the Labour Code on the employment situation, and to indicate the problems encountered and the lessons to be drawn from the experience of the social partners with regard to their application.

3. Article 1, paragraph 2. Youth employment. In its previous comments, the Committee invited the Government to provide information on the results achieved through the measures taken to promote decent employment for young persons. In its report, the Government indicates that the vocational and social integration of young persons is at the heart of the priorities set out in the emergency employment plan. Youth employment experienced a slight improvement as a result of the emergency employment measures taken in the autumn of 2006, and the youth unemployment rate fell from 21.3 per cent in 2004 to 19.3 per cent in 2007. According to the DARES, one economically active young person out of five was unemployed; young persons are frequently outside the labour market, as many of them pursue studies without working (only one third of young persons are economically active). Among the measures taken to promote youth employment, the Government refers to the reform of the mechanism for “support for the employment of young persons in enterprises”, intended to allow a broader application of assisted contracts for lower skilled and unskilled young persons so that such contracts can be of benefit to young persons who are distant from employment and likely to be affected by discrimination, and particularly those living in sensitive urban areas. For young persons who work, the TEPA Act envisages exemption from income tax. The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position to provide an overall evaluation in its next report of the results of the measures adopted to combat youth unemployment, particularly for young persons in sensitive urban areas and underprivileged regions, and those without qualifications, with a view to their integration into active life.

4. Employment of older workers. In its previous comments, the Committee also invited the Government to provide information on the results achieved by the measures adopted to promote the continued employment and reintegration into the labour market of older workers. The DARES indicates that the employment rate of persons aged 55 to 64 years increased (by 1.4 points) between 2005 and 2007, with this rise being explained by the arrival into this age category of generations of women who have a higher activity rate than their predecessors. In its report, the Government refers to the implementation of the national interoccupational agreement of 13 October 2005 and the concerted national plan of action for the employment of older workers in 2006–10. This plan of action is intended to increase the employment rate of workers between the ages of 55 and 64 years so as to achieve an employment rate of 50 per cent by 2010. This increase in the employment rate should be achieved by the combined effect of the financial incentives established to push back the age of cessation of work and the measures adopted to facilitate the maintenance in and return to employment of older workers, and to improve the organization of the latter years of their career. In its observations, the CGT–FO indicates that the concerted national plan of action has not achieved the expected results and that new measures promoting the active management of older workers in enterprises and branches of activity are envisaged at the end of 2008. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain updated information on the results achieved by the measures adopted for older workers.

5. Education and training policies. The Government refers in its report to the continued reform of apprenticeships that has been undertaken since 2002 and the reform of the vocational training system. These reforms have been pursued in collaboration with the regions and employers’ and workers’ organizations. In its comments, the CGT–FO refers to measures allowing the transfer from one enterprise to another of the hours of individual entitlement to training envisaged in the interoccupational agreement of 11 January 2008. The Committee refers to its observation on the application of the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), and invites the Government to provide information on the measures adopted to coordinate education and training policies with employment.

6. Participation of the social partners in the preparation and formulation of policies. In reply to the previous comments concerning the participation of representatives of the persons affected in the preparation and follow-up of employment policies, the Government describes in its report the mandate and provides details on the dialogue and consultation bodies, with emphasis on the adoption of Act No 2007-130 on the modernization of social dialogue of 31 January 2007. The Committee notes that section 1 of the Act provides that any draft reform envisaged by the Government which relates to individual and collective labour relationships, employment and vocational training and to fields covered by national and interoccupational collective bargaining shall be the subject of prior dialogue with the representative organizations of employed persons and employers at the national and interoccupational levels with a view to the possible opening of such negotiations. The Committee invites the Government to provide examples in its next report of the manner in which prior dialogue with the social partners has been held in the field of employment policy. It hopes that the report will also provide a basis for examining the manner in which the views and experience of the representatives of the persons affected have been taken into account in the formulation of employment policy. Finally, the Government is requested to report on the manner in which employers’ and workers’ organizations collaborated in and assisted in securing support for the measures adopted to promote full and productive employment, as required by Article 3 of the Convention.

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

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It must therefore repeat its 2006 observation which read as follows:

1. Articles 1, paragraph 1, and 2 of the Convention. Labour market trends and active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in October 2005, covering the period ending October 2004, and the comprehensive documentation attached. The Committee notes that, during the period under consideration, the employment rate remained stagnant (62.5 per cent in 2003 and 62.4 per cent in 2004) and that it was lower relative to the European average of 63.3 per cent (the target set within the framework of the European Employment Strategy is 70 per cent by 2010). The Committee notes the information provided in the National Action Plans for Employment (PNAE) for 2003 and 2004, and, in particular, the fact that improving the dynamism of the labour market and creating sustainable employment constitute one of the Government’s main priorities. In this regard, the Committee notes the various measures to promote economic activity, which are listed in the Government’s report (reduction of employers’ social security contributions, the new scale for the prime pour l’emploi (working tax credit) in 2003, and measures to facilitate the creation of enterprises). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information on the results achieved through the implementation of recently adopted and ongoing measures, and indicate the strategic employment policy priorities targeted by these measures.

2. Article 1, paragraph 2. Labour market policies for young people. The Committee notes that during the period examined, the OECD standardized unemployment rate remained stagnant (9.5 per cent in 2003 and 9.6 per cent in 2004), whilst the youth unemployment rate rose to over two times that of the active population as a whole (from 20.1 per cent in 2003 to 21.3 per cent in 2004). The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, 57,000 young people who had been unemployed for one year were to be interviewed individually by the National Employment Agency before the end of September 2005, and that the number of work placement contracts (CAE) was to be increased from 20,000 to 100,000. The Government indicates that one of the objectives of the employment policy for young people is to bring them closer to enterprises by strengthening work-based training and by facilitating their direct integration into enterprises. To realize this objective, the Government has established various subsidized contracts for those who are least qualified: the contrat jeunes en entreprise (young people in the enterprise contract); the contrat d’insertion des jeunes dans la vie sociale (integration of young people into society contract); and the contrat soutien à l’emploi des jeunes en entreprises (support for the employment of young people in enterprises contract). The Committee notes that, with regard to young people who have left school without any diplomas or qualifications (in 2003, 19.1 per cent of young people of 22 years of age had no secondary school diploma), an adapted military service offering recognized training and supervision will be proposed to those who are interested. This scheme aims to provide training for 20,000 young people in 2007. In this regard, the Committee refers to paragraph 9 of the Conclusions on promoting pathways to decent work for youth, adopted at the 93rd Session of the Conference, which states that whilst employment cannot be directly created but only encouraged by legislation or regulation, it is recognized that labour legislation and regulation based on international labour standards can provide employment protection and underwrite increased productivity, which are basic conditions in order to create decent work, particularly for young people. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the results achieved through measures taken to promote decent employment for young people, particularly for those who have few or no qualifications.

3. Labour market policies for older workers. The Committee notes that the employment rate for older workers is one of the lowest in the European Union (37 per cent in 2004) and that, in this respect, the Government refers in detail to the provisions of the Act of 21 August 2003 reforming pensions, which envisages prolonging the period of insurance and thus the working life of a worker, by encouraging workers over 55 years of age to remain in employment, particularly by limiting recourse to early retirement pensions and by creating work opportunities for those over 60 years of age. Annual negotiations in enterprises must now address, every three years, the issue of access to employment for older workers, the retaining of such workers in employment, and their access to vocational training. The Committee invites the Government to provide, in its next report, information on the results achieved through the measures taken to promote the continued employment and reintegration into the labour market of older workers.

4. Education and training policies. The Committee notes that since 2002, long-term unemployment has risen significantly (from 33.8 per cent in 2002 to 41.7 per cent in 2004). The Government indicates that the New Start Personalized Action Programme (PAP-ND), which, in July 2001, reformed the system for monitoring the unemployed, enabled the number of return-to-work assistance benefits to increase by 84 per cent between 2001 and 2002, although additional support concerned only 17 per cent of unemployed persons. The number of unemployed persons benefiting from the employment initiative contract (CIE) between their 12th and 24th month of unemployment increased due to the relaxation of access requirements (93,000 employees were recruited in 2004). The Government also refers to the adoption of the Act of 4 May 2004 on lifelong vocational training and social dialogue, which establishes the individual right to training and contains provisions on contracts and periods of vocational integration. This Act follows the interoccupational agreement concluded by the social partners in December 2003. In response to the Committee’s 2003 direct request, the Government indicates that the decentralization movement was pursued by the Act of 27 February 2002 on local democracy and the Act of 13 August 2004 on local freedoms and responsibilities, which give regional councils general competence in respect of vocational training for young people and adults who are seeking employment or a new direction in their career. They must, in consultation with the State and employers’ and workers’ organizations, devise a regional plan to develop vocational training for young people and adults. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the measures adopted within the framework of education and training policies, and on their impact in terms of the sustainable integration of the most vulnerable categories of workers in the labour market.

5. Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the preparation and formulation of policies. In response to the Committee’s 2003 direct request, the Government states that it firmly subscribes to a tradition of labour law that gives priority to collective bargaining, as witnessed by the adoption of the above Act of 4 May 2004. Bearing in mind the numerous initiatives taken to promote full employment, the Committee asks the Government to indicate, in its next report, the manner in which the representatives of the persons affected were consulted when policies were prepared and formulated “with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies” (Article 3). The Committee recalls, in this regard, that it is the joint responsibility of governments and the representative organizations of employers and workers to ensure that representatives of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of the measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries (2004 General Survey on promoting employment, paragraph 493).

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

1. Labour market trends and active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in October 2005, covering the period ending October 2004, and the comprehensive documentation attached. The Committee notes that, during the period under consideration, the employment rate remained stagnant (62.5 per cent in 2003 and 62.4 per cent in 2004) and that it was lower relative to the European average of 63.3 per cent (the target set within the framework of the European Employment Strategy is 70 per cent by 2010). The Committee notes the information provided in the National Action Plans for Employment (PNAE) for 2003 and 2004, and, in particular, the fact that improving the dynamism of the labour market and creating sustainable employment constitute one of the Government’s main priorities. In this regard, the Committee notes the various measures to promote economic activity, which are listed in the Government’s report (reduction of employers’ social security contributions, the new scale for the prime pour l’emploi (working tax credit) in 2003, and measures to facilitate the creation of enterprises). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information on the results achieved through the implementation of recently adopted and ongoing measures, and indicate the strategic employment policy priorities targeted by these measures (Articles 1, paragraph 1, and 2 of the Convention).

2. Labour market policies for young people. The Committee notes that during the period examined, the OECD standardized unemployment rate remained stagnant (9.5 per cent in 2003 and 9.6 per cent in 2004), whilst the youth unemployment rate rose to over two times that of the active population as a whole (from 20.1 per cent in 2003 to 21.3 per cent in 2004). The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, 57,000 young people who had been unemployed for one year were to be interviewed individually by the National Employment Agency before the end of September 2005, and that the number of work placement contracts (CAE) was to be increased from 20,000 to 100,000. The Government indicates that one of the objectives of the employment policy for young people is to bring them closer to enterprises by strengthening work-based training and by facilitating their direct integration into enterprises. To realize this objective, the Government has established various subsidized contracts for those who are least qualified: the contrat jeunes en entreprise (young people in the enterprise contract); the contrat d’insertion des jeunes dans la vie sociale (integration of young people into society contract); and the contrat soutien à l’emploi des jeunes en entreprises (support for the employment of young people in enterprises contract). The Committee notes that, with regard to young people who have left school without any diplomas or qualifications (in 2003, 19.1 per cent of young people of 22 years of age had no secondary school diploma), an adapted military service offering recognized training and supervision will be proposed to those who are interested. This scheme aims to provide training for 20,000 young people in 2007. In this regard, the Committee refers to paragraph 9 of the Conclusions on promoting pathways to decent work for youth, adopted at the 93rd Session of the Conference, which states that whilst employment cannot be directly created but only encouraged by legislation or regulation, it is recognized that labour legislation and regulation based on international labour standards can provide employment protection and underwrite increased productivity, which are basic conditions in order to create decent work, particularly for young people. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the results achieved through measures taken to promote decent employment for young people, particularly for those who have few or no qualifications (Article 1, paragraph 2).

3. Labour market policies for older workers. The Committee notes that the employment rate for older workers is one of the lowest in the European Union (37 per cent in 2004) and that, in this respect, the Government refers in detail to the provisions of the Act of 21 August 2003 reforming pensions, which envisages prolonging the period of insurance and thus the working life of a worker, by encouraging workers over 55 years of age to remain in employment, particularly by limiting recourse to early retirement pensions and by creating work opportunities for those over 60 years of age. Annual negotiations in enterprises must now address, every three years, the issue of access to employment for older workers, the retaining of such workers in employment, and their access to vocational training. The Committee invites the Government to provide, in its next report, information on the results achieved through the measures taken to promote the continued employment and reintegration into the labour market of older workers (Article 1, paragraph 2).

4. Education and training policies. The Committee notes that since 2002, long-term unemployment has risen significantly (from 33.8 per cent in 2002 to 41.7 per cent in 2004). The Government indicates that the New Start Personalized Action Programme (PAP-ND), which, in July 2001, reformed the system for monitoring the unemployed, enabled the number of return-to-work assistance benefits to increase by 84 per cent between 2001 and 2002, although additional support concerned only 17 per cent of unemployed persons. The number of unemployed persons benefiting from the employment initiative contract (CIE) between their 12th and 24th month of unemployment increased due to the relaxation of access requirements (93,000 employees were recruited in 2004). The Government also refers to the adoption of the Act of 4 May 2004 on lifelong vocational training and social dialogue, which establishes the individual right to training and contains provisions on contracts and periods of vocational integration. This Act follows the interoccupational agreement concluded by the social partners in December 2003. In response to the Committee’s 2003 direct request, the Government indicates that the decentralization movement was pursued by the Act of 27 February 2002 on local democracy and the Act of 13 August 2004 on local freedoms and responsibilities, which give regional councils general competence in respect of vocational training for young people and adults who are seeking employment or a new direction in their career. They must, in consultation with the State and employers’ and workers’ organizations, devise a regional plan to develop vocational training for young people and adults. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the measures adopted within the framework of education and training policies, and on their impact in terms of the sustainable integration of the most vulnerable categories of workers in the labour market.

5. Participation of the social partners in the preparation and formulation of policies. In response to the Committee’s 2003 direct request, the Government states that it firmly subscribes to a tradition of labour law that gives priority to collective bargaining, as witnessed by the adoption of the above Act of 4 May 2004. Bearing in mind the numerous initiatives taken to promote full employment, the Committee asks the Government to indicate, in its next report, the manner in which the representatives of the persons affected were consulted when policies were prepared and formulated “with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies” (Article 3). The Committee recalls, in this regard, that it is the joint responsibility of governments and the representative organizations of employers and workers to ensure that representatives of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of the measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries (2004 General Survey on promoting employment, paragraph 493).

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

1. The Committee notes the reports and documents sent by the Government pertaining to the period from June 2000 to May 2003, and the information sent in response to its previous comments. It also notes the information contained in the National Action Plan for Employment (PNAE) 2002.

2. The statistical data supplied by the Government show that, in the period under study, after having reached its lowest level in 2001 unemployment started to climb. At the beginning of 2003 there was a downturn in the labour market. Between March 2002 and March 2003, the number of jobseekers increased by 130,000, reaching a total of 2,505,000. Men were the most affected by this trend in the labour market: whereas the number of new jobseekers increased by 8.7 per cent in the case of men, it rose by only 2.9 per cent among women. In March 2003, only 47.8 per cent of jobseekers were women. The Government reports an increase in unemployment among young people. Young people’s share in unemployment rose from 16.5 per cent in January 2001 to 17.7 per cent in January 2003. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide detailed information on the measures taken and their effect, actual or expected, on the employment situation. It asks the Government to continue to provide information on the manner in which the principal measures are decided on and kept under periodical review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy", so that the promotion of full, productive and freely chosen employment remains "a major goal", in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee would appreciate receiving information enabling it to examine the various aspects of the macroeconomic policies applied in order to promote growth in activity and employment.

3. The Committee notes that the Government plans to use two levers in order to modernize procedures for action, decision and organization: decentralization and renewed social dialogue. It requests the Government to specify in its next report the manner in which these two new approaches have contributed to a recovery in the employment situation and to encouraging the integration in the labour market of the most vulnerable categories of workers. Please also provide information on any difficulties encountered in achieving and implementing the employment objectives set by the PNAE.

4. The Government reports that a scheme was set up in July 2003 to support the employment of young people by means of contracts known as "les jeunes en entreprise". The Committee asks the Government to continue to report on developments in the promotion of youth employment and the impact of such programmes on the situation of young workers in the labour market.

5. The Committee notes the information on the social partners’ contribution to the development and implementation of the PNAE 2002, and on the Government’s vocational training policy. In view of the downward trend in employment, the Committee hopes that the Government will provide details in its next report on the way in which the representatives of the persons affected are consulted concerning employment policies "with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies", as required by Article 3 of the Convention.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

1. The Committee notes with interest that the Government has established a programme to personalize employment placement services for unemployed persons during the first six months of unemployment for people less than 25 years of age and during the first 12 months for other jobseekers, in particular those at higher risk of long-term unemployment. The programme seeks to coordinate the actions of various government agencies and mobilize resources to help people find work as quickly as possible. There were 841,000 participants in 1999. Please continue to provide information on the number of participants and whether this programme has been effective in preventing and reducing long-term unemployment.

2. The Committee also notes that the Government has doubled the contribution called DELALANDE. An employer must pay a contribution equal to a minimum of two months’ salary for workers who are 50 years old, rising to a maximum of 12 months’ salary for workers who are 56 years old. The Committee notes that the initial impact of this programme on the employment rate of older workers in general has been positive, but that the data supplied does not indicate the particular impact on older jobseekers. The Committee would appreciate receiving disaggregated data on the impact of this measure on both employed and unemployed older workers.

3. Lastly, the Committee notes with interest that the Government is developing the possibility of a person’s doing an apprenticeship at any time during his or her working life. One of the objectives of this programme is to aid women to reintegrate into the workforce. The Government also aims to improve the system of certification. Please continue to supply information on progress made on this initiative, and its impact on employment promotion.

4. Article 3. The Committee notes the detailed description of the contribution of the social partners in developing and implementing the Action Plan 2000. It would appreciate continuing to receive information on such consultations and their outcomes.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report for June 1998 to June 2000, as well as information supplied in response to previous comments. It also notes the information set out in the very informative Action Plan 2000.

1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Government states that its employment strategy is based on economic growth that is strong, produces lots of jobs, and enables everyone to benefit. Economic growth was strong during the reporting period, driven primarily by domestic demand. More than 380,000 new posts were created in 1999 and 460,000 in 2000. Total employment grew by about 2.1 per cent in 1999 and 2.2 per cent in 2000. Unemployment decreased from 11.6 per cent in 1998 to 9.8 per cent in May 2000. Between June 1998 and June 2000, youth unemployment decreased by about 26 per cent, unemployment for workers over 50 decreased by about 14 per cent, and the number of people unemployed for over a year decreased by about 23 per cent. There are 220,000 workers with disabilities employed in the private sector, 100,000 in sheltered workshops, and 134,200 unemployed. The Committee notes these positive trends and would appreciate continuing to receive detailed disaggregated information on labour market trends.

2. The Committee also notes that the law on negotiated reduction of working time of 13 June 1998, which instituted a legal limit on working time of 35 hours per week or 1,600 per year, came into force and was extended by the law of 19 January 2000. The Committee would appreciate receiving further information on the impact of these measures on promotion of employment.

3. A request regarding other points (personalized employment services, older workers, training throughout life of workers) is being addressed directly to the Government.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1998, published 87th ILC session (1999)

1. With reference to its previous observation, the Committee notes the Government's report for the period from June 1997 to May 1998, which also contains the observations made by the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). The Government indicates that growth, sustained by the recovery of domestic demand, has led to an improvement in the employment situation. The unemployment rate, which in June 1997 reached a record level (12.6 per cent), has started to fall (12 per cent in March 1998) and this has especially benefited young people below the age of 25 years. The Government nevertheless considers that this recent progress must not be allowed to conceal structural imbalances in the labour market, which are resulting in particular in high levels of unemployment among the least skilled, a high level of long-term unemployment, difficulties in integrating young people in the labour market and the rise of certain forms of precarious employment, such as temporary employment or involuntary part-time employment. The CGT emphasizes in this respect that the increasing insecurity of employment in its various forms -- short-term contracts, temporary work, involuntary part-time work, subcontracting or "false" self-employment -- has discriminatory effects, restricts freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining and, in the long term, is detrimental to the "employability" of the workers concerned.

2. The Government states that it is convinced that growth alone will not lead to a reduction in unemployment unless policies aimed at job creation and at combating inequalities in access to the labour market accompany the economic growth policies. The Government describes its Employment Action Plan, which is part of an initiative launched by the extraordinary European Council on Employment held in Luxembourg in November 1997. The Government is committed to seeking, in coordination with its European partners, to a reduction in fiscal pressures and to pursuing reforms aimed at boosting demand and maintaining the purchasing power of households, while bringing public expenditure under control. The emphasis is on stimulating technological innovation, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and encouraging the emergence of new forms of activity, especially in the service sector. Furthermore, the adoption of Act No. 98-461 of 13 June 1998 to guide and promote the reduction of working time should encourage the creation of new jobs, as well as reducing the social charges levied on low wages.

3. The CGT considers that the Government has correctly made combating unemployment the priority of its social policy. However, it emphasizes the negative attitude of employers towards the reduction of working hours, as illustrated by recent negotiations in the metal industry, the sole result of which was to allow more overtime without any jobs being created. The CGT also states that it totally disagrees with the idea that it is the excessive labour costs of the least skilled workers that is the principal cause of unemployment: the reductions in social charges on low salaries that have been introduced since 1993 have been very expensive and had little effect, and the trend towards lower wages could eventually affect consumption, growth and employment. The Committee notes that, according to the CGT, there have hitherto been no real consultations with the unions on this issue. Recalling that under Article 2 of the Convention, employment policy measures must be decided on and kept under review within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy, the Committee requests the Government to indicate whether consultations with employers' and workers' representatives have taken place on this issue, in accordance with Article 3.

4. The Committee notes the information concerning active labour market policy measures to prevent long-term unemployment by systematically offering a "fresh start" in the form of personalized follow-up or training. It also notes the information concerning the implementation of Act No. 97-740 of 16 October 1997 respecting the development of activities for the employment of young people. Noting that the fixed-term employment contracts concluded under this Act are of 60 months' duration, the Committee requests the Government to describe the measures taken or contemplated to ensure the long-term integration of the beneficiaries into employment after the end of their contract. More generally, the Committee recalls its interest in any assessment of the effectiveness of the various active labour market policy measures undertaken by the Government, in particular with respect to the reduction in working time.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

1. The Committee took note of the Government's report for the period ending May 1997, which contains information in response to its previous observation. It also notes a communication from the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) sent by the Government in August 1997. The Committee notes with concern that the information supplied by the Government and the most recent data published by the OECD reveal the persistence of a high level of unemployment. Although the upturn in economic activity led to employment growth of 1.2 per cent in 1994 and 0.9 per cent in 1995 and brought down the unemployment rate to 11.7 per cent in 1995 as compared to 12.3 per cent in 1994, this slight improvement in the employment situation has not been continued. With the slow-down in growth and the continued 0.8 per cent annual increase in the active population, employment again declined in 1996, while the unemployment rate reached 12.4 per cent, which is considerably higher than the average rate in the European Union, as the CGT stresses. Furthermore, long-term unemployment continues to account for almost 40 per cent of total unemployment, and the unemployment rate among young people under the age of 25 is over 30 per cent despite the continued decline in the participation rate of this age group. The CGT also draws attention to the growing proportion of various forms of precarious employment, including involuntary part-time work.

2. The Government states that unemployment is still the main challenge facing the economy, even if growth has become structurally more abundant in terms of jobs. It stresses that the present budgetary and monetary polices provide the conditions for growth with job creation. The fact that inflation is under control and external surpluses remain high shows that the economy is competitive, and this, together with the effort to improve public finances, creates the necessary conditions for a sustained drop in interest rates conducive to investment and consumption. In this context, the Government indicates that the main aspects of its employment policy concern improving enterprise competitiveness through lower labour costs, job sharing through the organization and reduction of working time negotiated by the social partners, the promotion of personal service jobs through tax incentives and support to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

3. Disagreeing entirely with the Government's analysis, the CGT describes as "deflationist" the policy conducted to satisfy the criteria for access to the single European currency. Seriously affecting employees, wage adjustments and heavier taxation, so as to remedy the poor state of the public finances, are preventing a return to growth of domestic demand. While investment by enterprises is declining, at the same time profits are increasing. The trade union considers that a policy which pursues the employment objectives of the Convention must involve an increase in incomes in order to stimulate demand, a substantial reduction in working time and priority for investment in training and research. The Committee, for its part, regrets to note that progress made in redressing the macroeconomic balance, which the Government presents as a prerequisite for a sustained return to growth and employment, has not yet been reflected in an improvement in the labour market situation.

4. The Committee also notes that the CGT refers to the first measures taken by the Government since June 1997 with regard to employment policy. It notes in particular that a conference on wages, employment and the reduction of working time was to begin in September 1997. It also notes the adoption of Act No. 97-740 of 16 October 1997 concerning the development of activities for the employment of young people. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide detailed information on the new measures taken or envisaged and their effect, either noted or expected, on the employment situation. More generally, it asks the Government to indicate how the principal measures are decided on and kept under review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy", to ensure that the promotion of full, productive and freely chosen employment remains a "major goal", in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention.

5. In its report the Government gives a detailed description of the various active labour market policy measures, which, however, concern only 1995. The CGT considers that these measures, whose cost is considerable, are ineffective in terms of reducing unemployment and contribute to the development of precarious forms of employment. The Committee notes in this connection the main conclusions and recommendations of the independent evaluation body set up by the Five-Year Act of 20 December 1993 respecting labour, employment and vocational training. With regard to "employment-solidarity contracts" and "back-to-work contracts" (replaced in 1995 by "employment-initiative contracts"), the above body notes that, in more than 50 per cent of cases, people were recruited without assistance, which leads it to question the relevance of such arrangements and to recommend that results should be constantly evaluated in terms of their ultimate objectives (reducing unemployment among young people, for example) rather than the number of subsidies allocated. With regard to measures for lowering the cost of labour by reducing contributions on low wages, the above body stresses that such measures cannot solve on a lasting basis the difficulties encountered by the least skilled workers. Furthermore, the evaluation highlights the contribution of such measures to the development of a segment of the labour market in which employment conditions are less favourable than those offered by wage employment under the ordinary law. Generally speaking, the above body notes that these measures are unstable and frequently modified, and account is not always taken of available assessment findings. The Committee notes that these conclusions and recommendations are largely consistent with its own concern, which it has been expressing for years, that the various labour market policy programmes should be regularly assessed and adapted in the light of their contribution to the effective and lasting integration of their beneficiaries in employment. It asks the Government to describe the measures taken to this end in its next report.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1996, published 85th ILC session (1997)

The Committee notes that the Government's report has not been received. It must therefore repeat its previous observation which read as follows:

1. The Committee notes the Government's detailed report for the period ending June 1994, which demonstrates the consideration given to the comments on the application of the Convention. It regrets, however, that the data supplied by the Government, like those from the OECD, confirm the continuing deterioration of the employment situation since the beginning of the decade. The slow growth in economic activity and its recession in 1993 resulted in a decrease in total employment of 0.8 per cent in 1992 and 1.2 per cent in 1993. The unemployment rate, which was 9.4 per cent in 1991, increased rapidly to 10.4 per cent in 1992, 11.7 per cent in 1993 and 12.3 per cent in 1994. The Committee notes that, according to the OECD, the upsurge in activity and in employment should allow unemployment to stabilize at a rate estimated at 12 per cent in 1995. Swelled by dismissals and a drop in the number of unemployed finding work, the increase in rate of unemployment has been more pronounced for the age groups having the highest rate of activity. Young people under 25 years of age, however, experienced unemployment levels of up to 27.5 per cent in 1994, despite the considerable reduction of activity in this age group. The unemployment situation is still very worrying, because of both the unprecedented level of unemployment and the percentage of long-term unemployment. 2. Referring to its previous observations, the Committee notes the indications supplied by the Government on the general economic policy measures taken with a view to promoting employment. The Government stresses that priority must be given to reducing interest rates which can only be obtained by reducing public deficits. It considers that the beneficial effects of such a policy for activity and employment will be felt only progressively, which justifies the adoption in the interval of selective fiscal measures to encourage private consumption of durables and investment in home ownership or assisting enterprises to overcome their present difficulties. In addition, as a remedy for structural financing problems of firms, the Government has adopted measures designed to promote a better allocation of savings, to cut down the tax burdens on restructuring operations in enterprises and to conclude privatization of enterprises in the competitive sector. The Committee invites the Government to continue to supply information on the various aspects of the macroeconomic policies pursued with a view to promoting growth in activity and employment. It requests it in particular to specify in what manner the main objectives in terms of interest rates, exchange rates or budgetary deficit are determined and reviewed regularly on the basis of their actual or expected impact on employment. 3. The Government has, moreover, sent detailed information on the labour market policy measures implemented during the period. The Committee, which notes the importance of hirings under the solidarity employment contract system, invites the Government to supply information on how this arrangement contributes to lasting integration into employment of those concerned. It also requests the Government to supply any assessment available of the effectiveness of the various measures for integrating young people in alternating training. The Committee notes the provisions of the five-year law of 20 December 1993 concerning work, employment and vocational training. It notes that this law tends to promote the creation or maintenance of jobs by lowering the cost of labour through measures to exempt from social charges, to encourage better distribution of work by the negotiated arrangement of the organization and duration of work and to better coordinate the various measures for apprenticeship, training and occupational integration. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report information on the results which had been obtained in each of these fields through these arrangements, which do not for the moment, as the 1995 OECD economic survey seems to suggest, according to evaluation available, to have had clear and appreciable effects in terms of combating unemployment. 4. The Committee notes the indications on the consultation of representatives of employers' and workers' organizations in the higher employment committee established under the Ministry of Labour. It recalls on this score that the consultations required by Article 3 of the Convention should be extended to all aspects of economic policies having an influence on employment. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate whether such consultations allowing the representatives of the persons affected to collaborate in formulating these policies are held, for example, in the Economic and Social Council.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 83rd ILC session (1996)

1. The Committee notes the Government's detailed report for the period ending June 1994, which demonstrates the consideration given to the comments on the application of the Convention. It regrets, however, that the data supplied by the Government, like those from the OECD, confirm the continuing deterioration of the employment situation since the beginning of the decade. The slow growth in economic activity and its recession in 1993 resulted in a decrease in total employment of 0.8 per cent in 1992 and 1.2 per cent in 1993. The unemployment rate, which was 9.4 per cent in 1991, increased rapidly to 10.4 per cent in 1992, 11.7 per cent in 1993 and 12.3 per cent in 1994. The Committee notes that, according to the OECD, the upsurge in activity and in employment should allow unemployment to stabilize at a rate estimated at 12 per cent in 1995. Swelled by dismissals and a drop in the number of unemployed finding work, the increase in rate of unemployment has been more pronounced for the age groups having the highest rate of activity. Young people under 25 years of age, however, experienced unemployment levels of up to 27.5 per cent in 1994, despite the considerable reduction of activity in this age group. The unemployment situation is still very worrying, because of both the unprecedented level of unemployment and the percentage of long-term unemployment.

2. Referring to its previous observations, the Committee notes the indications supplied by the Government on the general economic policy measures taken with a view to promoting employment. The Government stresses that priority must be given to reducing interest rates which can only be obtained by reducing public deficits. It considers that the beneficial effects of such a policy for activity and employment will be felt only progressively, which justifies the adoption in the interval of selective fiscal measures to encourage private consumption of durables and investment in home ownership or assisting enterprises to overcome their present difficulties. In addition, as a remedy for structural financing problems of firms, the Government has adopted measures designed to promote a better allocation of savings, to cut down the tax burdens on restructuring operations in enterprises and to conclude privatization of enterprises in the competitive sector. The Committee invites the Government to continue to supply information on the various aspects of the macroeconomic policies pursued with a view to promoting growth in activity and employment. It requests it in particular to specify in what manner the main objectives in terms of interest rates, exchange rates or budgetary deficit are determined and reviewed regularly on the basis of their actual or expected impact on employment.

3. The Government has, moreover, sent detailed information on the labour market policy measures implemented during the period. The Committee, which notes the importance of hirings under the solidarity employment contract system, invites the Government to supply information on how this arrangement contributes to lasting integration into employment of those concerned. It also requests the Government to supply any assessment available of the effectiveness of the various measures for integrating young people in alternating training. The Committee notes the provisions of the five-year law of 20 December 1993 concerning work, employment and vocational training. It notes that this law tends to promote the creation or maintenance of jobs by lowering the cost of labour through measures to exempt from social charges, to encourage better distribution of work by the negotiated arrangement of the organization and duration of work and to better coordinate the various measures for apprenticeship, training and occupational integration. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report information on the results which had been obtained in each of these fields through these arrangements, which do not for the moment, as the 1995 OECD economic survey seems to suggest, according to evaluation available, to have had clear and appreciable effects in terms of combating unemployment.

4. The Committee notes the indications on the consultation of representatives of employers' and workers' organizations in the higher employment committee established under the Ministry of Labour. It recalls on this score that the consultations required by Article 3 of the Convention should be extended to all aspects of economic policies having an influence on employment. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate whether such consultations allowing the representatives of the persons affected to collaborate in formulating these policies are held, for example, in the Economic and Social Council.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

The Committee notes that, by way of a report on the application of the Convention, the Government has forwarded the successive editions of the report on the activities of the employment delegation of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training for the years 1989-90, 1991 and 1992 (the latter reached the Office on 4 February 1994). The Committee points out that, although these documents contain detailed information on the employment situation and the implementation of various labour market measures, they cannot by themselves replace the report due under article 22 of the Constitution of the ILO. The Committee hopes that the Government will supply in its next report all the information required under both the report form approved by the Governing Body and its own comments.

The Committee refers in this respect to paragraph 4 of its previous observation. It reminds the Government of the interest that it attaches to information relating to the manner in which measures adopted under the general economic policy, in fields such as fiscal and monetary policies, industrial policy and prices, incomes and wages policies, contribute "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy" to pursuing "as a major goal" the objective of full, productive and freely chosen employment. The Committee also hopes that the next report will indicate the manner in which the representatives of the persons affected, and in particular representatives of employers and workers, are consulted concerning employment policies, in accordance with Article 3 of the Convention.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1993, published 80th ILC session (1993)

The Committee notes that the Government's report has not been received. It must therefore repeat its previous observation which read as follows:

1. The Committee has taken note of the Government's report for the period ending June 1990 and of the attached documents dealing in particular with the results of the employment policies in 1989. Referring to the information supplied by the Government and the data given in the reports and studies of OECD, the Committee observes that the sustained growth of economic activity enabled total employment to increase by 1.2 per cent in 1989 and by 1.1 per cent in 1990, while the unemployment rate (standardized by OECD) was reduced from 10 per cent in 1988 to 9 per cent in 1990. Since the end of the period covered by the report, however, employment has virtually ceased to grow owing to the fall-off in performance of the economy, and in 1991 the unemployment rate increased sharply to 9.8 per cent. The unemployment rate is still higher in France than in most other OECD countries which have ratified the Convention, and the duration of unemployment there remains a source of concern. Long-term unemployment (for a year or more) still accounts for 44 to 45 per cent of total unemployment; while slightly down among young people, it has grown worse for workers in the peak-activity age groups, an increasing proportion of whom have been unemployed for over three years. Workers with few skills form a category particularly sensitive to the unfavourable trend of employment and unemployment. The trend towards dualism in the labour market, which was noted in the previous comments, appears to be persisting. 2. The Government explains in its report the main lines pursued by its employment policy, whose priorities are: to avert difficulties of employment management at undertaking level by helping undertakings to foresee their labour problems and respond to them, in particular by measures to train their employees; to promote employment under a policy of backing local economic development and supporting the creation of new activities; and to simplify and rationalize the machinery of assistance in the integration of jobseekers by involving local actors more closely in their management, improving the quality of the actions undertaken and concentrating efforts in favour of the groups most exposed to the risk of exclusion, such as people who have been unemployed for more than three years, older unemployed persons and persons in receipt of the "minimum integration income" (RMI). 3. The Committee notes the information concerning the incidence of the various measures taken along these lines. The arrangements for preventing dismissals and for reclassifying dismissed workers have been strengthened in pursuit of the policy of backing restructuring. Measures of assistance to unemployed persons who set up or take over undertakings made a 17 per cent contribution to the creation of undertakings in 1989. Half of the 71,000 jobs filled in that year under the system of exemption from social contributions for the engagement of a first employee went to unemployed persons. As to the arrangements for assistance in the training and integration of jobseekers, the return-to-employment contract, a new form of incentive for the engagement of long-term unemployed persons, made it possible by the end of October 1990 to reintegrate 83,000 unemployed persons, 46 per cent of them under contracts of indefinite duration. By the same date, 230,000 young people had been recruited on alternate training contracts, in most cases of limited duration. The "employment solidarity contract", for its part, enabled public agencies or associations to take on 177,000 persons between February and October 1990 for a fixed term. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to supply detailed information on the results achieved by these various programmes and to state in particular how far they contribute to the effective and lasting integration of the beneficiaries in employment. 4. The Committee appreciates the information supplied by the Government but observes that it deals exclusively with specific policies of employment and labour market management. It appears that in recent years these policies alone have not made it possible to advance towards the objective of full employment, whereas the objective of "competitive disinflation" pursued by means of restrictive macroeconomic policies seems largely to have been attained, judging by the difference in inflation rates for those of the main OECD countries. With reference to its previous observations, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report full information calculated to enable it to assess the way in which the Convention as a whole is applied. It again asks the Government to indicate, in response to the questions in the report form, the measures taken or contemplated to give effect to the fundamental provisions of the Convention, among which Article 1 asks each Member to declare and pursue, "as a major goal", an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment, while Article 2 provides that the measures to be adopted for attaining those objectives should be decided on and kept under review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy". The Committee further asks the Government to explain how representatives of the persons affected, and in particular representatives of employers and workers, are consulted concerning employment policies "with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies", as required by Article 3 of the Convention.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1992, published 79th ILC session (1992)

1. The Committee has taken note of the Government's report for the period ending June 1990 and of the attached documents dealing in particular with the results of the employment policies in 1989. Referring to the information supplied by the Government and the data given in the reports and studies of OECD, the Committee observes that the sustained growth of economic activity enabled total employment to increase by 1.2 per cent in 1989 and by 1.1 per cent in 1990, while the unemployment rate (standardised by OECD) was reduced from 10 per cent in 1988 to 9 per cent in 1990. Since the end of the period covered by the report, however, employment has virtually ceased to grow owing to the fall-off in performance of the economy, and in 1991 the unemployment rate increased sharply to 9.8 per cent. The unemployment rate is still higher in France than in most other OECD countries which have ratified the Convention, and the duration of unemployment there remains a source of concern. Long-term unemployment (for a year or more) still accounts for 44 to 45 per cent of total unemployment; while slightly down among young people, it has grown worse for workers in the peak-activity age groups, an increasing proportion of whom have been unemployed for over three years. Workers with few skills form a category particularly sensitive to the unfavourable trend of employment and unemployment. The trend towards dualism in the labour market, which was noted in the previous comments, appears to be persisting.

2. The Government explains in its report the main lines pursued by its employment policy, whose priorities are: to avert difficulties of employment management at undertaking level by helping undertakings to foresee their labour problems and respond to them, in particular by measures to train their employees; to promote employment under a policy of backing local economic development and supporting the creation of new activities; and to simplify and rationalise the machinery of assistance in the integration of jobseekers by involving local actors more closely in their management, improving the quality of the actions undertaken and concentrating efforts in favour of the groups most exposed to the risk of exclusion, such as people who have been unemployed for more than three years, older unemployed persons and persons in receipt of the "minimum integration income" (RMI).

3. The Committee notes the information concerning the incidence of the various measures taken along these lines. The arrangements for preventing dismissals and for reclassifying dismissed workers have been strengthened in pursuit of the policy of backing restructuring. Measures of assistance to unemployed persons who set up or take over undertakings made a 17 per cent contribution to the creation of undertakings in 1989. Half of the 71,000 jobs filled in that year under the system of exemption from social contributions for the engagement of a first employee went to unemployed persons. As to the arrangements for assistance in the training and integration of jobseekers, the return-to-employment contract, a new form of incentive for the engagement of long-term unemployed persons, made it possible by the end of October 1990 to reintegrate 83,000 unemployed persons, 46 per cent of them under contracts of indefinite duration. By the same date, 230,000 young people had been recruited on alternate training contracts, in most cases of limited duration. The "employment solidarity contract", for its part, enabled public agencies or associations to take on 177,000 persons between February and October 1990 for a fixed term. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to supply detailed information on the results achieved by these various programmes and to state in particular how far they contribute to the effective and lasting integration of the beneficiaries in employment.

4. The Committee appreciates the information supplied by the Government but observes that it deals exclusively with specific policies of employment and labour market management. It appears that in recent years these policies alone have not made it possible to advance towards the objective of full employment, whereas the objective of "competitive disinflation" pursued by means of restrictive macroeconomic policies seems largely to have been attained, judging by the difference in inflation rates for those of the main OECD countries. With reference to its previous observations, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report full information calculated to enable it to assess the way in which the Convention as a whole is applied. It again asks the Government to indicate, in response to the questions in the report form, the measures taken or contemplated to give effect to the fundamental provisions of the Convention, among which Article 1 asks each Member to declare and pursue, "as a major goal", an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment, while Article 2 provides that the measures to be adopted for attaining those objectives should be decided on and kept under review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy". The Committee further asks the Government to explain how representatives of the persons affected, and in particular representatives of employers and workers, are consulted concerning employment policies "with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies", as required by Article 3 of the Convention.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

1. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government for the period 1986-88 which is contained in the Employment Delegation document "Assessment of Activities 1987-88", to which the list of new texts respecting employment is attached.

2. The Government recalls the directions in which employment policy has been developing for several years. These are four in number and, as the Committee noted in its previous comments, mainly cover:

(i) facilitating the transformation of enterprises and taking measures to assist and support restructuring;

(ii) promoting the vocational and occupational reintegration into the workforce of vulnerable groups such as young persons, the long-term unemployed and the disabled by means of various forms of specific assistance for employment and training;

(iii) encouraging both the development of employment through the creation of enterprises and the creation of new activities, particularly through a policy of local incentives and activities;

(iv) protecting loss of income through unemployment benefits and using these benefits more actively to stimulate the reintegration of jobseekers.

3. The document by the Employment Delegation mentioned above gives a detailed account for 1987-88 of the measures taken in those four main policy areas. The Committee notes in particular that, as regards young persons, who account for 30 per cent of jobseekers, the programmes that have been pursued (employment opportunity activities, training courses, contracts involving alternate training and employment) benefited 1,200,000 young persons in 1987 and had a positive impact in terms of employment. These measures, which broadly involve all the partners in employment policy (enterprises, territorial communities, training institutions), were to be pursued in 1989 with the objective of maintaining the levels attained as regards the number of young persons involved and improving the quality of the activities, particularly as regards training. The document also describes a series of measures that were introduced in 1987 and developed in 1988 to promote the social and vocational reintegration of the long-term unemployed through training and recruitment incentives. Although it is still difficult to assess the full effects of these measures on employment, the extent of the phenomenon of long-term unemployment (840,000 persons without a job for more than one year in 1987) is of concern to the authorities who consider it to be "the most serious problem on the labour market". The Committee notes that assistance to the unemployed by way of the creation of enterprises, which the Committee noted in its previous observation as the principal employment promotion measure, has not yet been the subject of an official and systematic assessment.

4. The Committee appreciates the information contained in the document prepared by the Employment Delegation, although it considers that this information only partially responds to the Committee's previous comments and the requests set out in the report form for the Convention. Based on specific employment and labour-market management policies, the Government's report does not fully permit an overall appraisal of the employment policy, in the meaning of the Convention, and fails to supply information on the situation, level and trends of employment and unemployment.

5. According to the information contained in official documents prepared by national bodies (the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) and international organisations (the annual reports and economic surveys of the OECD), the Committee believes that it can identify the following trends: after several years of contraction, jobs started to be created in 1987, and this trend was confirmed in 1988 when there was a particular increase in job creation in commercial sectors other than agriculture (in particular the manufacturing and construction industries). However, the recovery was still too limited (0.1 per cent in 1987 and 0.8 per cent in 1988) to result in a significant reduction in the unemployment rate, which remained over 10 per cent in 1987 and 1988 and was among the highest of the seven major economies in the OECD. Furthermore, two trends appear to have been strengthened: periods of unemployment are continuing to grow longer and "particular forms" of employment are increasing at the same rate as the fall in full-time salaried employment. The relationship between precarious forms of employment and unemployment is suggested by the fact that in 1987 over half the persons who became unemployed did so after the termination of contracts for a limited period (fixed-term and temporary contracts).

6. In view of these developments, of the relative impact of specific employment policies and the limits attained by "social treatment" measures to deal with unemployment, which remain a massive problem (affecting between 2.4 and 2.5 million economically active persons in 1987 and 1988), the Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate in greater detail the measures that have been taken or are envisaged to give effect to the fundamental provisions of the Convention, including those of Article 1 which call for an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment to be declared and pursued "as a major goal", and Article 2 which provides that the measures to be adopted for the achievement of these objectives must be decided upon and kept under review "within the framework of the co-ordinated economic and social policy". It hopes that the Government's next report will contain appropriate information that will enable the Committee to make a better assessment of the manner in which the Convention is applied as a whole.