Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Bolivia (Plurinational State of) (Ratification: 1977)

1. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Committee notes with interest the information provided by the Government in the report received in November 2005 regarding the establishment of the General Directorate of Employment, through Supreme Decree No. 27732 of 15 September 2004, to promote employment policies for the development and use of human resources in the context of an integrated economic and social development policy. The functions of the General Directorate of Employment include the provision of vocational guidance, advisory and placement services. An electronic employment exchange (www.proempleo.gov.bo) has been developed, as well as access to other electronic exchanges in the country. The Government supplemented the report with detailed and illustrative information on the results achieved in the La Paz labour exchange, which benefited from assistance from the Government of the United States. The Committee also notes with interest the information provided on the activities undertaken by the Labour Enterprise Foundation in the Department of Santa Cruz, as well as in other departments of the country. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the measures adopted to ensure the efficient operation of the free public employment service comprising a network of employment offices sufficient in number to meet the needs of employers and workers throughout the country (Articles 1 to 3 of the Convention). The Committee expresses interest in continuing to receive statistical information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices (Part IV of the report form), and on the measures adopted as a result of the assistance received from the Subregional Office for the application of the Convention.

2. Cooperation with the social partners. In reply to the previous comments, the Government indicates that an Interinstitutional Employment Promotion Committee has been established. The relations between public institutions and employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as with other civil society organizations concerned or involved, is not confined to consultation or coordination on isolated matters, but involves active participation and shared responsibility in policy development, implementation and even in the co-financing of certain programmes. The Committee would be grateful if more detailed information could be provided in the next report on the cooperation of the social partners in the operation of the employment service at both the national and local levels (Articles 4 and 5).

3. Effective cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. The Committee refers to its 2006 observation on the application of the Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 96).