Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Panama (Ratification: 1970)

The Committee notes the observations made by the National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO) and the National Confederation of United Independent Unions (CONUSI), received on 31 August 2015, and the Government’s reply, received on 1 December 2015.

Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. Participation of the social partners. CONATO and CONUSI declare that there is no employment policy in the country. These organizations indicate that the growth in the tourism, export, agriculture and industrial sectors has fallen. The Government accepts that the country does not have an employment policy which includes all of the subjects that should be addressed by such a policy. The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government in its report and the adoption of the Government’s Strategic Plan “A single country” (2015–18), the basic elements of which include an economic and social strategy, a five-year investment plan and a financial programme. The economic and social strategy 2015–18 identifies the relationship between employment, construction and trade, sectors in which the capacity to maintain the rhythm of growth could be affected by changes in the regional and global situation. The strategy also identifies three sectors with a high employment creation potential: logistics and transport; agriculture, forestry and fishing; and tourism. The Committee observes that the Panamanian economy has undergone sustained expansion at a rate of slightly higher than 6 per cent a year (6.2 per cent in 2014), which is one of the highest growth rates in the region. Nevertheless, growth could fall due to the slower pace of investment in residential and commercial projects, and the completion of the work on the extension of the Panama Canal. At the national level, the rates of total unemployment and open unemployment increased from 4.1 to 4.8 per cent and from 3.1 to 3.5 per cent, respectively, in 2015. The Committee notes the establishment in August 2014, with ILO technical assistance, of the High Commission on Public Employment Policy, a tripartite body for the sharing of initiatives and strategies to enable the Government to implement and consolidate an employment policy. The Government indicates that in November 2014 the High Commission submitted a document to the President of the Republic entitled “Increasing employment, productivity and social inclusion through more and better technical and vocational training”, which includes an assessment of the Panamanian labour market. In November 2014, the Government, the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), CONATO, CONUSI and the ILO concluded a Memorandum of Understanding for the initiation of the ILO technical cooperation framework: the Decent Work Programme for the Republic of Panama 2015–19, the priorities of which include the creation of greater opportunities for women, men and young persons, so that they can have access to decent jobs, and the strengthening of tripartism and social dialogue. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures adopted to promote full employment. Please continue to provide up-to-date statistical data on the situation, level and trends of the labour market. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the consultations held with the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations on the subjects covered by the Convention and, in particular, on the formulation of an active employment policy. Furthermore, please indicate the manner in which the representatives of the most vulnerable categories of the population, and particularly representatives of rural and informal economy workers, have participated in the formulation of employment policies and programmes. In this respect, the Government may consider it useful to consult the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204).

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.