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

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Panama (Ratification: 1970)

The Committee takes note of the information supplied by the Government in reply to its earlier comments.

Article 3 of the Convention. The Government indicates that the serious economic crisis experienced by the country since 1987 worsened the employment situation of the economically active population and led to the increase of unemployment and underemployment. The Committee notes from the Government's report that the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has taken steps with a view to ensure that the employment service of the National Directorate of Employment could satisfy the needs of each of the regions of the country. It also notes the creation in 1988 of the office to support self-employment which was set up within the framework of the National Directorate of Employment, as well as the detailed information on the activities of this newly established office. The Committee hopes that the Government will continue to supply information on any further development of the national employment services, with special emphasis on the measures taken to ensure that the network of local offices of the employment service would be sufficient to serve the employers and workers in each of the regions of the country, as required by the provision of paragraph 1 of this Article. Please state what provisions have been made for a review of the networks of employment offices and their revision, where necessary, to meet the changing requirements of the economy and the working population (paragraph 2).

Articles 4 and 5. The Government states that the National Directorate of Employment is working in close collaboration with the employers' and workers' organisations of the country and gives examples of such a collaboration, mostly in the form of various meetings and seminars, including a tripartite seminar on the employment of disabled persons with the participation of the ILO regional adviser on the vocational rehabilitation of the disabled. While noting this information, the Committee would like to draw the Government's attention to the fact that these Articles provide for the establishment of one or more national advisory committees and where necessary regional and local committees for the cooperation of representatives of employers and workers in the organisation and operation of the employment service and in the development of employment service policy. The Committee therefore asks the Government once again to provide information on measures taken or envisaged with a view to establish such advisory committees, on the scope of their activities and on the procedure for the appointment of employer and worker representatives on these committees.