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

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Belgium (Ratification: 1969)

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. Labour market trends. The Committee notes with interest the statistics provided by the Government showing the positive trends in the Belgian labour market. The Government indicates in its report that employment rose by 1.3 per cent in 2016 and will increase again by 1.1 per cent in 2017, representing the net creation of 59,000 and 51,000 jobs, respectively. The Government adds that over the whole period 2017–20 the total number of jobs created was 257,000. It is also estimated that the number of unemployed will fall by 58,000 over the whole of the period 2016–17. The harmonized unemployment rate is forecast to fall from 8.5 per cent in 2015 to 7.6 per cent in 2017. The Government indicates that the factors contributing to this trend include the tax reforms (tax shift) and measures to help jobseekers through unemployment allowances. It is also due to the reduction of taxes on labour and wage moderation, which have improved the competitiveness of Belgian enterprises in terms of labour costs. In this regard, the Committee notes the adoption of the Act of 19 March 2017 amending the Act of 27 July 1996 on employment promotion and preventive measures to safeguard competitiveness, which are intended to ensure the external competitiveness of the Belgian economy. This Act introduces the possibility of the preventive adaptation of trends in wage costs to the expected trends in wage costs of its principal trading partners. The Act also contains provisions covering, among other matters, half-time early pensions, the recruitment plan to promote the hiring of jobseekers, part-time work, temporary work and the reduction of hours of work. The Government also refers to the measures adopted by the regions and communities in the context of the implementation of the Recommendation of 2016 of the Council of the European Union on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market (2016/C 67/01), including the establishment of a financial incentive for employers hiring the long-term unemployed in Flanders and the strengthening of collaboration between the public employment services and local social services (CPAS) to offer them an individual plan of action in Wallonia. Measures to be developed in collaboration with the social partners are also envisaged to deal with cases of significant enterprise restructuring. The Government also recalls that, in the context of the Sixth Reform of the State, certain elements of the employment policy, such as controls of the availability of the unemployed and the policy focusing on target groups have been transferred to the regions and the German-speaking community. In this context, the Committee notes the new measures implemented by the Flemish authorities, the Walloon Region and the German-speaking community for the sustainable labour market integration of target groups, namely medium- and long-term jobseekers, young persons and immigrant workers. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing updated information on the active employment measures adopted and implemented, and on cooperation with the social partners in this respect, as well as on the impact of these measures in promoting opportunities for full, productive and sustainable employment. It also requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the new Act on employment promotion and preventive measures to safeguard competitiveness. It further requests the Government to indicate the results of the measures taken by the regions and communities for medium- and long-term jobseekers and immigrant workers.

Youth employment. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government provides information on the measures adopted in the various regions and communities within the framework of the European Union Youth Employment Initiative and Youth Guarantee. In Wallonia, new forms of assistance have been introduced for jobseekers under 25 years of age without work experience, including an integration contract for those who have been unemployed for over 18 months and a work allowance for three years for those with low or medium-level skills. In Flanders, employers who hire a young person under 25 years of age with low or medium-level skills may, for eight quarters, apply for a reduction of employers’ contributions of €1,150 and 1,000 a quarter, respectively. In the German-speaking community, young jobseekers have benefited from individualized action plans and various types of vocational training. With reference to the Brussels-Capital Region, the Government refers to the implementation of a youth guarantee in close collaboration with the social partners. With regard to youth employment trends, the Government indicates that the youth employment rate has fallen in the three regions, which may be explained by the prolongation of the period of inactivity among young persons under 25 years of age, and particularly longer periods of studies. The Committee also notes that, according to Eurostat data, the youth unemployment rate fell from 20.2 per cent in March 2016 to 18.2 per cent in March 2017. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information, including statistics disaggregated by sex and age, on the impact of the measures adopted, in consultation with the social partners, to promote the sustainable employment of young persons.

Education and training policies. The Government recalls that, following the Sixth Reform of the State, education is the competence of the communities, while training is a community and regional responsibility. The Government indicates that the skills acquired do not always match labour market needs and that significant reforms were therefore introduced in 2016 in education and training, in close collaboration with the social partners, and particularly within the framework of the Pact for Employment and Training in Wallonia and Strategy 2025 in the Brussels-Capital Region. The Government adds that the communities have continued the development of dual training, particularly through the strengthening of the underlying structures, the increase in the number of internships available and the reduction in differences of status. The Committee also notes that the three regions are currently developing skills recognition measures, the validation of formal and informal learning, the promotion of further training opportunities and the certification of technical and vocational training. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing detailed information on the impact of the programmes and measures adopted in the fields of education and training and their links with future employment opportunities.

Older workers. The Government indicates that, in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy, Belgium has undertaken to achieve by 2020 an employment rate of 50 per cent among persons between the ages of 55 and 64 years. The Committee notes that, according to the Labour Force Survey (EFT) of the General Directorate of Statistics of the Federal Public Service (SPF) for the Economy, the employment rate of persons over 55 years of age has continued to increase in recent years (from 34.5 per cent to 45.5 per cent). The Government indicates that these trends can be explained by legislative changes, the aging of the active population and the impact of the economic situation on the employment of older workers. The Government refers to a whole series of reforms that are being undertaken by the regions, such as the reduction of social contributions for the target group of older workers in all regions, the provision of an activation allowance for thirty months to jobseekers who have been unemployed for 12 months (the Brussels-Capital Region) and an employment bonus for employers who recruit workers over 50 years of age (the German-speaking community). The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information, including statistics disaggregated by sex, age and region, on the impact of the active labour market measures targeting older workers.