Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2007, published 97th ILC session (2008)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Slovakia (Ratification: 1993)

The Committee takes note of the detailed information contained in the Government’s report received in January 2007 in response to the previous comments.

1. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Committee notes that the public employment services offered in Slovakia by the Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family received 318,861 applications for employment in 2005 and 154,018 in the first half of 2006. The number of notified vacancies by the public employment services was 96,358 in 2005, and 64,771 in the first half of 2006. In summary, the number of jobseekers placed in employment by the public employment services was 238,251 in 2005 and 119,969 in the first half of 2006. The Government further reports that the public employment service offered professional consultations for jobseekers, which included the provision of information, advice, support and professional assistance to persons experiencing problems in accessing the labour market. Professional consultations were offered by 423 advisers placed at the 46 Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, at 72 detached/outpost workplaces, at 59 labour clubs and 15 other office facilities. Professional consultations have been carried out in individual and group sessions: 318,039 individual sessions were provided to 264,627 persons and 24,249 group sessions were provided to 21,997 individuals. The Government reports that the majority of the personal consultations comprised the development of an individual action plan, which entailed the identification of objectives, processes and steps to be followed so as to improving access of the individual to the labour market. Such consultations were offered by advisory divisions of the public employment services and by external persons licensed to carry out this activity. Most of the personal consultations carried out in the first half of 2006 were provided outside of a specific project, on an individual basis, and within the context of an individual action plan. The most prevalent professional consultations were jobseekers in the age group of 25–50, those registered with the Offices for three to six months, individuals who have completed secondary education and school graduates. The Committee notes with interest the information received and, with reference to its observation on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), requests the Government to continue providing information on the activities undertaken by the Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family and such other public employment agencies to ensure the effective functioning of the free public employment service, in cooperation with the social partners, to meet the specific needs of jobseekers and employers throughout the country as requested by the Convention.

2. Article 11 of the Convention. Cooperation with private employment agencies. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report on the activities of the private employment agencies. The Government reports that fee-charging mediators of employment agencies for temporary employment and agencies for supported employment may offer employment services as natural persons or legal persons under conditions determined by Act No. 5/2004. In 2005, 188 new licences were issued for agencies wishing to undertake fee-charging mediation of employment, 139 agencies were issued licences for mediation in temporary employment and 17 for supported employment. Approximately 660 private entities were thus licensed to carry out employment mediation activities. The Government reports that private employment agencies succeeded in mediating a total of 27,746 employments, including temporary allocations, which represents an annual growth of more than 21 per cent from 2004 to 2005. The Committee notes that the denunciation of the Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention, 1933 (No. 34), was registered on 25 July 2007. It further notes the Government’s intention to ratify the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), after implementing changes in the legislation on employment services. The Committee draws the attention of the Government to the provisions set forth in Convention No. 181, and the guidance provided in its corresponding Recommendation No. 188. As required by Article 11 of Convention No. 88, the Committee also requests that the Government provide information in its next report on the measures taken to secure effective cooperation between the public employment service and the private employment agencies not conducted with a view to profit.