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

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Montenegro (Ratification: 2006)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s detailed and comprehensive report including replies in relation to its 2011 direct request. The Government indicates that the National Strategy for Employment and Human Resources Development for the period 2012–15 was launched as a continuation of the previous strategy for 2007–11, while integrating new approaches and methodologies. The Government also provides information on the annual trend indicators in the context of achieving the goals set by the National Strategy for 2012–15 and the Action Plan for Employment for 2012. In this regard, the Committee notes that the employment rate for people aged between 15 and 65 increased from 46.6 per cent in 2011, to 47.4 per cent in 2012, and the unemployment rate fell from 20.1 per cent in 2011, to 19.6 per cent in 2012. It also notes that, although long-term unemployment decreased, the Government recognizes that it remains high (56.55 per cent at the end of 2012) and that the worst affected categories of workers are the elderly and, to a lesser extent, young people. The Government also refers to the revision of the Labour Law and the Law on Employment and Unemployment Insurance in 2011 and 2012, respectively, aimed at strengthening the objective of the Action Plan to increase employment and reduce unemployment. The Committee also observes that unemployment is more pronounced in the northern region of the country. In this respect, the Government indicates that a programme to promote competitiveness of entrepreneurs and SMEs in the northern region and other less developed areas of Montenegro has been launched. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on how the measures implemented in the framework of the National Strategy for Employment and Human Resources Development for 2012–15 and the Action Plan for Employment have succeeded in attaining full and productive employment, as required by the Convention.

Vulnerable categories of workers. Persons belonging to ethnic groups present in the country. In reply to its previous direct request, the Government indicates that 88 people self-identified as Roma and Egyptians were included in active employment policy programmes in 2012, representing 8.69 per cent of the total number of registered unemployed persons of the Roma and Egyptian communities. The report also indicates that several public works and vocational training programmes include Roma and Egyptian people among their participants. The Government also provides information on the strategy for improving the situation of Roma and Egyptians in Montenegro 2012–16 which, together with an Action Plan for 2013, was launched in December 2012. The Committee notes that the decree for the employment of certain categories of unemployed persons, adopted in April 2010, has been extended until the end of 2014. It also notes that women’s employment rate increased from 40.1 per cent in 2011 to 41.5 per cent in 2012. The Committee invites the Government to indicate in its next report the manner in which the labour market measures designed to encourage employment of vulnerable categories of workers have translated into the generation of productive and lasting employment opportunities for their beneficiaries.

Youth employment. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, despite the positive employment trends, youth unemployment remains a challenge for the country. According to the employment agency, young people under 25 years of age registered as unemployed in 2012 amounted to 19.86 per cent of total unemployment, compared with 18.11 per cent in 2011. Moreover, according to the Labour Force Survey, the youth unemployment rate reached 43.17 per cent in 2012. The Committee takes note of the Government’s information about various programmes intended to facilitate the access of young people to the labour market, and particularly, that the programme “Employ our young people in seasonal jobs” between June and September 2012, included 1,568 young people who worked an average of 70 days. The Government’s report also refers to a significant increase in the number of unemployed university graduates, particularly those who graduated recently and are without work experience. According to the Government, this is mainly due to the mismatch between labour supply and demand in many professions. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report an evaluation of the employment measures implemented to minimize the impact of unemployment on young people and to encourage their integration into the labour market, in particular young university graduates.

Article 3. Participation of social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Committee notes that an agreement on wage policy between government and public sector trade unions was concluded at the end of December 2011. According to the Government, this agreement, which sets negotiation benchmarks based on GDP trends and the official inflation rate, is the result of successful social dialogue in response to difficult economic circumstances. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report more specific information on the consultations held with the representatives of the social partners on the subjects covered by the Convention.