Social Dialogue and Employment
Social dialogue and employment, the role of social dialogue on the labour market and in the development and review of employment policies, the experience of the EU countries in building up social dialogue, the Azerbaijan employment strategy – those were the issues discussed at a two-day seminar in Baku (1-2 April 2004). Among the participants were representatives of the Government, trade unions and employers’ associations, as well as the ILO experts from Geneva and the ILO Subregional Office.
Azerbaijan has completed the work on the National Employment Strategy, and the draft has been submitted to various ministries for comments. The estimated average unemployment level in Azerbaijan is 10.8 per cent, with seasonal fluctuations. The highest unemployment rate was registered in the south of the country and in Nakhichevan.
The Government plans to create 600 000 new jobs in 2004-2008, or on average 10 000 jobs per month. The Government is convinced that the implementation of a five-year Programme of regional Developments would allow attaining those objectives. Job creation will be stimulated through new investment, tax and custom policies, through SME development, training and retraining programmes, and through adjustment of the education system to the labour market demand.
Speaking at the press-conference during the seminar, Ali Nagiev, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, stressed the importance of cooperation in the sphere of employment between Azerbaijan and international organizations, in particular with the ILO and the World Bank. The future economic and social development of the country will largely depend on the solution of the youth employment problem. Azerbaijan is one of the ten lead countries in an important global initiative called Youth Employment Network /public/english/employment/strat/yen/index.htm (YEN), said the Minister.
Azerbaijan has completed the work on the National Employment Strategy, and the draft has been submitted to various ministries for comments. The estimated average unemployment level in Azerbaijan is 10.8 per cent, with seasonal fluctuations. The highest unemployment rate was registered in the south of the country and in Nakhichevan.
The Government plans to create 600 000 new jobs in 2004-2008, or on average 10 000 jobs per month. The Government is convinced that the implementation of a five-year Programme of regional Developments would allow attaining those objectives. Job creation will be stimulated through new investment, tax and custom policies, through SME development, training and retraining programmes, and through adjustment of the education system to the labour market demand.
Speaking at the press-conference during the seminar, Ali Nagiev, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, stressed the importance of cooperation in the sphere of employment between Azerbaijan and international organizations, in particular with the ILO and the World Bank. The future economic and social development of the country will largely depend on the solution of the youth employment problem. Azerbaijan is one of the ten lead countries in an important global initiative called Youth Employment Network /public/english/employment/strat/yen/index.htm (YEN), said the Minister.