Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Mozambique (Ratification: 1996)

1. Coordination of employment policy with poverty reduction. The Committee notes the general information contained in the Government’s communications received in September 2004 and January 2005. The Government indicates that it has done its utmost to create attractive conditions for investments. It also recognizes that efforts in areas of regulation, international cooperation and creating the conditions for access to credit for investments must be continued in order to accelerate the process of job management and reduce unemployment. The Committee notes that a partnership agreement was signed between the Government and the private sector with regards to technical professional training. A national strategy for technical education was approved and the Government will soon be approving a national strategy for employment and professional training. In its direct request of 2003, the Committee requested information on the measures taken to attain the objectives set out in the Convention in implementing the poverty reduction strategy (PARPA, 2001-05). According to Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention, governments undertake to declare and pursue "as a major goal" an active policy designed to promote fully, productive and chosen employment. The policy must take account of the stage and level of economic development. It must be decided on and kept under review "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy" (Article 2). The Committee trusts that the Government will not fail to include information in this regard in its next report.

2. Collection and use of statistics in employment. The Government states that the projections made on the basis of the 1997 population census indicate an active population of 5 million. It also states that it does not have detailed labour market statistics but plans to undertake a survey in the near future. The Committee hopes that, in its next report, the Government will provide information on the measures taken in order to establish statistics on the distribution of the labour force, the nature and volume of unemployment and underemployment and the trends in these fields, and that it will be able to indicate the manner in which the information compiled on the labour market is taken into consideration in deciding on and keeping under review the measures to be adopted under the national employment policy, as required by Article 2.

3. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Committee notes that the consultation of the social partners on all major decisions (for example, fixing the national minimum wage or drawing up and revising domestic labour legislation) is carried through the Consultative Labour Committee. The Government also indicates that social partners also had the opportunity to express their concerns at the Annual Conference of the Private Sector. The Committee asks the Government to provide examples of the decisions taken on the matters covered by the Convention and to indicate if representatives of other persons affected (rural workers, workers in the informal economy) are also associated with consultations on employment policy (Article 3).