Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Albania (Ratification: 2009)

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

Article 3 of the Convention. Operation of the employment service. The Government indicates in its report that the National Employment Service has undertaken a substantive modernization of the public employment service system. Changes include the modernization of its headquarters and regional offices, updating its online service, developing new objectives and profiling techniques, improving its strategy to provide effective services to employers and building partnerships with other labour market partners. The Committee notes that 13 offices have been reorganized and a total of 20 employment offices will be restructured by the end of 2015. The modernization will be extended to the remaining employment offices in 2016. The Government indicates that the modernization showed tangible results in 2014 when assistance was provided to 81,251 persons, 30,600 vacancies were reported to the employment offices, close to 12,700 persons attended training courses and about 16,500 jobseekers were mediated into employment. The Committee further notes that the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth developed a National Strategy for Employment and Skills 2014–20 with the overall goal to promote quality jobs and opportunities for education and vocational training. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the modernization of the public employment service, as part of the National Strategy for Employment and Skills 2014–20. Please also continue providing information on the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by the employment offices.

Article 6. Activities of the employment service. The Government indicates that the employment service provides information, counselling, mediation, promotion of employment and vocational training as well as financial support during periods of unemployment. These activities are based on the prior evaluation of the labour market through the collection and analysis of statistical information. To this end, regional employment offices monitor programmes for employment promotion and collect statistical information on unemployed persons, recipients of unemployment benefits, vacancies announced to the employment offices as well as mediation services. Moreover, as part of the “Tracer” system, employment trend estimates are compiled with regard to the trainees who have completed vocational training courses. In 2014, a new information system was introduced which offers automatic information on labour supply and demand. It is further envisaged to link the information system with other governmental information systems such as economic aid, health insurance, taxation and social security. The Committee notes in this regard that the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 2010 (IPA 2010) aims at developing an information management system for the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth and the State labour inspectorate and at preparing a labour market skills needs analysis. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information concerning the manner in which the employment service is organized in order to carry out its functions effectively as required by the Convention. Please also continue to provide information on the progress in establishing the new information system and results achieved through information sharing across different public authorities, whether employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned and the general public also benefit from the new information system as well as how it assists other public and private bodies in social and economic planning to ensure a favourable employment situation.

Article 7. Special categories of applicants. The Government provides a general overview of measures and programmes implemented through employment offices, in coordination with other government authorities, taking into account the needs of the Albanian business community to assist long-term unemployed jobseekers and jobseekers with disabilities as well as returnees in the aftermath of the economic crisis in neighbouring countries. The Committee notes the comprehensive information on work inclusion and training programmes to meet the needs of the often long-term unemployed Roma minority. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated information on the specific arrangements made on the programmes adopted to adequately meet the needs of particular categories of jobseekers, such as persons with disabilities and other vulnerable unemployed jobseekers.

Article 8. Special arrangements for young persons. The Government recognizes that unemployment, underemployment and informal work of young persons bear a high cost for the country. Since 2007, the Government has aimed at addressing this issue through the public employment service’s focus on vocational training and retraining for young persons. In 2014, in cooperation with a UNDP project, employment office staff received training on addressing the challenge of local youth employment. During that year, 38,500 young persons up to 29 years of age benefited from specific services offered by the public employment service, including targeted employment promotion programmes (2,300 persons). Some 9,250 young persons participated in vocational training programmes and 7,650 were mediated into employment. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the arrangements made for young persons within the framework of the employment and vocational guidance services.

Article 9. Staff of the employment service. The Government reports that the National Employment Service comprises 433 staff members, out of which 38, all employed in the general directorate, are civil servants whose recruitment is governed by the Law on civil servants. The recruitment and selection of the other members is regulated by the Civil Code. As part of IPA 2010 and further to the assistance provided from other partners, 323 staff were trained to provide general information, employment information and individual counselling in the 13 modernized offices. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the status and conditions of service of the employment service staff, and further information on the methods of recruitment, selection and training of such staff.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

The Committee notes the Government’s first report on the application of the Convention received in September 2012. The Government indicates that Law No. 7955 of 20 September 1995 on employment promotion, as later amended, stipulates that the National Employment Service provides free employment mediation for employers and jobseekers throughout the country. It further indicates that there are 12 regional employment offices and 25 local employment offices under the authority of the National Employment Service. Management and execution of the National Employment Service is carried out by the Tripartite Administrative Council, which is chaired by the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations are members of the Tripartite Administrative Council. The Committee invites the Government to indicate in its next report what provision is made to review and revise, where necessary, the network of National Employment Service offices to meet the changing requirements of the economy and the labour force (Article 3(2) of the Convention). Please also provide information on the activities of the National Employment Service and information on the number of beneficiaries of employment services obtaining lasting employment (Article 5).

Article 6. Activities of the employment service. In its report, the Government refers to the activities of the employment service listed in the law on employment promotion and in the Statute of the National Employment Service. The Committee invites the Government to provide further information concerning the manner in which the employment service is organized and the activities which it performs in order to carry out effectively the functions listed in Article 6. More specifically, information should indicate how it collects and analyses comprehensive information on the situation of the labour market and its probable evolution and make such information available systematically and promptly to the public authorities, the employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned, and the general public (Article 6(c)); and how it assists other public and private bodies in social and economic planning to ensure a favourable employment situation (Article 6(e)).

Article 7. Special categories of job applicants. The Government indicates that it supports employment offices with equipment and special preparation to perform mediation for qualitative and effective work. When determining the candidates for filling job vacancies, employment offices give priority to: (a) jobseekers belonging to specific groups; (b) long-term unemployed jobseekers; and (c) other jobseekers. The Committee invites the Government to provide further information on the arrangements made to adequately meet the needs of particular categories of jobseekers, such as persons with disabilities and other vulnerable unemployed jobseekers.

Article 8. Special arrangements for young persons. The law on employment promotion includes persons under the age of 18 as a specific group. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the arrangements developed for young persons within the framework of the employment and vocational guidance services.

Article 9. Staff of the employment service. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the status and conditions of service of the employment service staff, and general information concerning the methods of recruitment and selection of this staff. It is also invited to provide information on the arrangements made to ensure the training of employment service staff for the performance of their duties, including both: (a) arrangements for their initial training at the time of appointment to the service; and (b) arrangements for subsequent training.

Article 10. Use of employment service facilities. The Government indicates in its report that regional and local employment offices will be run by the director of the office, who carries out their functions in consultation with the local tripartite council. Local tripartite councils consist of representatives from the employment office and from employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the operation of the arrangements made nationally and locally, in cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations, to encourage full voluntary use of employment service facilities.