Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Kyrgyzstan (Ratification: 1992)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report for the period ending October 2012 including some indications in relation to the comments formulated since 2004. The Government recalls its commitment to promote employment to reduce poverty. The Government also identifies the Ministry of Youth, Labour and Employment as the administrative body to implement the employment policy through the employment service. The purpose of the employment policy is to promote employment and provide social support to unemployed citizens and jobseekers, through the offices of the state employment service. The Government indicates that 200,000 people are provided employment counselling each year, 90,000 of whom are registered as unemployed. The Committee also notes that, on 31 January 2011, 60,000 people were registered with the employment service and that 1,056 of those workers who registered with the employment service received unemployment benefits in 2011. With respect to job creation, the Government indicates that 110,000 jobs are created every year, of which 88 per cent are seasonal or temporary jobs. The Government highlighted four measures that it has put in place to promote employment and reduce poverty: public temporary works jobs; training for workers; micro-credit loans; and unemployment benefits. The Government indicates that 20,000 to 25,000 people are employed with public temporary works jobs, 6,000 to 9,000 unemployed workers receive training each year, 25,000 unemployed workers receive micro credit loans to open their own businesses, and qualified unemployed persons can receive 400 Kyrgyz soms (KGS) a month in unemployment benefit for up to 12 months. The Committee also notes that the Government instituted quarterly reviews of the results of the policy in order to monitor and adjust their policies for the future and for their analysis of the social and economic situation of the country. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the impact of the measures taken to promote full employment within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy. Please include updated information on the employment situation of socially vulnerable groups such as women, young persons and older workers.

Poverty reduction. In its previous comments, the Committee requested information on measures taken for workers affected by structural reforms, such as the declining of the Kumtor gold mine. The Committee understands from the data available from the World Bank that following strong growth in 2011, the Kyrgyz economy was hit by a significant decline in gold production due to geological movements at Kumtor. Real GDP in the first half of 2012 contracted by 5.6 per cent as gold production at Kumtor fell by 60 per cent. Excluding Kumtor, real output grew moderately at 3.9 per cent with growth across all sectors. The Committee invites once again the Government to include in its next report information on the results of the measures implemented under its poverty reduction strategy to promote employment in sectors and regions (oblasts) that are affected by structural reforms.

Coordination of education and training policy with employment policy. The Committee notes that the Government offers vocational and technical education to create skilled workers who can be competitive in the labour market. Each year, the employment service refers 8,000 to 10,000 unemployed people to vocational and technical education. There are 110 educational institutions providing training to 15,000–16,000 workers in over 50 different occupations. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report further information on the education and training programmes implemented, with an indication of the results achieved in terms of the integration of the beneficiaries, and particularly women and young workers, into lasting employment.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Government indicates that the State and employers make agreements which include discussions to identify job vacancies and agreements to facilitate the filling of those vacancies. As a result of this cooperation, 70,000 vacancies have been identified and 45,000 to 50,000 of those vacancies have been filled. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report more specific information on the manner in which the workers’ and employers’ organizations are consulted on the implementation and revision of employment policies. It also invites the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to hold consultations with vulnerable categories of the population, in particular with the representatives of workers in rural areas and the informal economy, to obtain their help in developing and implementing employment policy programmes and measures.