Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Lithuania (Ratification: 2004)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends and active labour market measures. The Committee notes the Government’s comprehensive report containing detailed information on legislative and practical developments as well as statistical data on employment trends. In particular, the Committee notes the adoption of the Law on Employment No. XII-2470 (hereinafter the 2017 Law), which superseded the Law on Employment Support No. X-694 as of 1 January 2017. The 2017 Law seeks to avoid potential abuse of the labour exchange services by supplementing the definition of unemployed persons to include all persons 18 and over who are studying and seeking to attain a basic or secondary education. In order to benefit from labour exchange services, such persons must also be actively searching for employment. The 2017 Law also limits the target groups eligible to receive additional support in the labour market to persons with disabilities of working age with certain degrees of disability, persons considered as unqualified, unemployed and long-term unemployed. The Committee further notes that, despite the success of the Programme on Increasing Employment, the 2017 Law provides that vocational training made available under the Programme will be limited to unemployed persons and will no longer be provided to employees who have been warned about being dismissed. The Government adds that other measures, such as job rotation and measures of support for self employment have been discontinued due to the potential for abuse. The Committee notes the adoption, in February 2015, of the National Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men 2015–21 and it’s Action Plan, approved in April 2015. The Government indicates that new active labour market policy measures have been introduced, particularly the promotion of employment under apprenticeship contracts and advanced training to improve or restore work skills or professional qualifications. The Committee notes that, according to the statistical data provided by the Government through 2016, the general unemployment rate has continued to decrease, from 10.9 per cent in 2014 to 9.3 per cent in 2015, falling to 9 per cent in 2016. From 2014 to 2015, the overall unemployment rate for women decreased from 9.4 per cent to 8.4 per cent, while the unemployment rate for men decreased from 12.4 per cent to 10.3 per cent during the same period. From 2015 to 2016, the share of long-term unemployed among the unemployed fell from 31.3 per cent to 27.5 per cent. The unemployment rate for older workers (over 50 years of age) increased from 32.8 per cent in 2014 to 36.4 per cent in 2015, reaching 37.7 per cent in 2016. The Committee requests the Government to provide information including statistical data disaggregated by age and sex, on the impact of the active labour market policy measures implemented on reducing unemployment, particularly among the target groups identified in Law on Employment No. XII-2470, and including measures taken under the National Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men 2015–21. The Committee also requests the Government to provide updated statistics in relation to employment and unemployment trends.

Regional development. The Committee notes that regional disparities in unemployment rates persist. Despite significant decreases since the last report, the largest number of unemployed persons registered in 2016 was reported in Ignalina (17.6 per cent). Lazdija and Zarasai reported 16.1 per cent and 15.6 per cent unemployed persons registered, respectively, while Vilnius reported 6.3 per cent. With 5.1 per cent, the municipality of Elektrnai had the lowest unemployment rate in the country. The Committee notes that 96 local employment initiative projects were implemented in areas with high unemployment rates, of which 57 were projects in regions with unemployment rates 1.3 times higher than the national average, resulting in the creation of 390 jobs. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the results of the measures implemented to increase employment rates in regions undergoing economic crisis with high unemployment rates.

Youth employment. The Committee notes that from 2014 to 2015, the unemployment rate for young persons between 15 and 24 years of age decreased from 19.3 per cent to 16.3 per cent. The Government reports that the number of Youth Labour Centres providing targeted services under the 2014 Youth Guarantee Initiative (YGI) will increase from 37 to 45 by the end of 2016. In 2015, 57,000 out of 91,000 participants in the YGI aged 16 to 29 obtained employment, while 20,100 took part in active labour market measures and 10,000 became self-employed. As part of early intervention activities, the Government reports that the Discover Yourself Project will be implemented between September 2015 and September 2018, targeting 35,000 unemployed young persons who are neither studying nor taking part in other training. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the activities and outcomes of the YGI, the Discover Yourself Project and other measures adopted to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment for young persons.

Long-term unemployed, refugees, less qualified and older workers. The Government refers to the participation of the social partners in the YGI, the Discover Yourself Project and in the action plan on the integration of refugees into the labour market. The Committee further notes the projects Improving Competences of Unqualified Persons and Support for the Employment of the Long-Term Unemployed, launched in 2014. Focusing on unemployed persons above the age of 54, the Support for the Older Unemployed Project, which commenced in 2015, provided vocational training measures to 1,153 persons. In addition, 3,112 persons benefited from subsidized employment measures and 71 from measures supporting their territorial mobility. In this regard, the Committee notes with interest the mobility incentives established under the 2017 Law for persons participating in supported employment measures, jobseekers participating in group consulting sessions forming part of their individual employment plans and newly recruited persons. The incentives, which seek to encourage greater mobility within the area served by the local employment service office, cover travel costs for a maximum of three months and offer payments of up to 33 per cent of the national minimum monthly salary during the same time period. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the achievements of the projects for Improving Competences of Unqualified Persons, Support for the Employment of the Long-Term Unemployed, Support for the Older Unemployed, the travel costs compensation scheme and other measures adopted to enhance job opportunities for long-term unemployed, refugees, less qualified and older workers and the role played by the social partners in formulating employment policies (Article 3 of the Convention).