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

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Panama (Ratification: 1970)

1. The Committee notes with interest the detailed and complete information provided by the Government in reply to the direct request of 2001 and the documentation that once again adds much information to the report. The Government pursues a policy and strategy of social development to promote sustainable human development and achieve a systematic and lasting reduction in poverty, with the integration of groups that are excluded from development, and a more equitable distribution of wealth. In 2001, the labour market was not very dynamic (the unemployment rate reached 13.7 per cent) and the sectors worst affected were those which generate employment (commerce, the banana industry and construction). The report refers to proposals to implement macro projects which could generate employment (a third set of canal locks, for example) or to promote increased exports, for example, through the negotiation of free trade agreements. The Committee requests that the Government continue to provide information on the results achieved in the creation of employment through the social development policy and strategy in accordance with the priorities set for the period 2000-04. Please also provide information on the measures adopted to develop infrastructure and their impact on employment creation, and on the manner in which trade agreements influence the labour market (Article 1 of the Convention).

2. The Government indicates that the National Dialogue for Economic Recovery, initiated in October 2001, facilitated the adoption of Act No. 20 of 7 May 2002, which establishes measures for economic recovery and fiscal responsibility. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information on the impact on employment of the measures adopted to promote economic development. In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would describe the manner in which it ensures that the principal employment policy measures decided on are kept under review within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy, as required by Article 2 of the Convention.

3. The Committee also notes with interest that the recommendations resulting from the analysis and revision of employment policies (ARPE) were debated in the round-table meetings on social insurance funds, economic recovery and education. Furthermore, efforts were made to modernize and update the public employment service in collaboration with ILO projects (Modernizing the Labour Administrations in Central America - MATAC) and the Latin American Labour Information and Analyses System (SIAL)). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information on ILO technical assistance relating to the formulation and implementation of policies and measures to promote employment.

4. In this respect, the Committee also trusts that the Government will continue to include information in its report on the programmes and projects carried out by the General Employment Directorate and by the National Vocational Training Institute, with an indication of the impact of these programmes on the creation of productive and high-quality employment. The Committee would also be grateful to be provided with information on the manner in which the most vulnerable groups - women heads of household, young persons entering the labour market, older workers, workers in the informal sector, rural and indigenous populations - have benefited from such programmes.

5. Article 3. The Committee notes with interest the bipartite consultations held in the framework of the Labour Foundation and the initiatives taken to contribute to the formulation and implementation of the employment policy. The Government could also consider including representatives of the most vulnerable groups referred to above in the consultations on employment policy when formulating and seeking support for the implementation of the programmes and measures required by the Convention.