Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Mongolia (Ratification: 1976)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments.

Repetition

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends and implementation of an active employment policy. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the impact of its labour market measures and programmes on employment. The Government indicates that, in accordance with Clause 6.3 of the Law on Employment Promotion, various employment promotion activities have been set up in the form of projects and programmes. The Tripartite National Council on Employment implemented seven programmes and one project in 2016. The Employment Promotion Fund allocated 19.5 billion Mongolian tugrik (MNT) to finance the projects and programmes, which aim to create temporary and permanent employment for jobseekers, herders, young people, people with disabilities and small business owners, among others. The Committee notes that, according to the data provided by the Government, these programmes created 32,731 jobs in the first half of 2016, of which 69.7 per cent were temporary positions and 30.3 per cent were permanent positions. With regard to the mining industry, the Government indicates that, despite the revision of the Mining Code and the adoption of the Law on Investment, investments and sales in the mining industry fell sharply during the reporting period, a decline which the Government attributes to the global economic downturn. The Committee requests the Government to provide information, including statistical data disaggregated by age and sex, on the impact and effectiveness of active labour market measures taken under the national employment policy to reduce unemployment and promote the objectives of full, productive and freely chosen employment. The Committee also requests the Government to provide disaggregated data on the labour market situation, levels and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment.

Vocational training and education. The Committee notes the adoption on 2 February 2016 of amendments to the Law on Vocational Education and Training. In addition, on 6 June 2016, the Government issued Resolution No. 304, which establishes a “National Programme for the development of vocational and technical education, 2016–21”. The Government indicates that progressive implementation of this Programme, in coordination with the Government’s Action Plan 2016–20, is expected to broaden cooperation with the social partners in the area of vocational education and training, strengthening the national vocational education system and enhancing the quality of the training provided. The Committee notes that, as of July 2016, functions related to vocational education and training are the responsibility of the Vocational Education and Training Division of the Department of Employment Policy Implementation. The Government adds that the creation in 2016 of the Department on Vocational Education and Training within the General Agency for Labour and Social Service, the Government’s implementation agency, is expected to foster coordination between vocational education policy and supply and demand in the labour market. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated detailed information on the impact and effectiveness of the measures taken in the area of vocational training and education and their relation to prospective employment, including available statistics disaggregated by age and sex. It also requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged to provide vocational training and education in rural areas and remote communities, as well as to particular groups, such as young persons, people with disabilities, older workers, herders and those working in the informal economy.

Employment services. Collection and use of employment data. In response to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that the new employment centres as well as the subsidiary institutions of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare are all connected to the integrated Labour Market Information System (LMIS) and operate through an online exchange, to generate, analyse and provide information on current and future skills needs. The LMIS facilitates the exchange of information and coordination, not only between labour and social welfare institutions, but also between the State Registration Agency, the General Tax Authority and the General Authority for Social Insurance. The Government adds that the LMIS programme and Government website (hudulmur) serve as a job placement system by providing information on the Ministry, employment centres, jobseekers, employers, vacancies, vocational education and projects to promote employment. The Government also offers employment information services through the online exchange in remote provinces and areas of the country. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated detailed information on the functioning and impact of the employment centres as well as of the online employment registration system, including information on the numbers of persons placed in employment through this system.

Small and medium-sized enterprises. The Government indicates that Cabinet Resolution No. 191 of 2014 establishes a list of equipment and parts exempted from customs duty and value-added tax (VAT), when these are imported for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) production. Pursuant to the Resolution, 9,383 individuals and legal entities benefited from reductions in customs duties and VAT during 2012–15. From 2012–16, the Government also provided loans in the amount of over MNT301 billion for 1,968 SME projects. The Fund for the Promotion of SMEs and the Fund for the Development of Soums (administrative districts), created for the purpose of promoting SMEs, extended credit to SMEs in the amount of MNT312 billion, leading to the creation of 36,500 jobs, of which 52 per cent are permanent positions. During the same period, the Employment Promotion Fund extended MNT55.8 billion in credit to 11,000 citizens, private businesses and partnerships, for starting up SMEs, resulting in the creation of 48,000 jobs. The Committee requests the Government to continue to report on the impact of measures taken to promote job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Specific categories of workers. The Committee welcomes the measures implemented by the Government to promote the employment of young persons, including the provision of financial support, incubation services and entrepreneurial training to young graduates of vocational training institutes. The Government also implemented measures for persons with disabilities, including placement services, career guidance, financial support for entrepreneurship and employment training activities, and sign language interpretation assistance. The Committee notes that the Government also provided economic incentives to employers who provided permanent jobs for persons with disabilities. During the third quarter of 2016, 725 young persons and 3,477 persons with disabilities benefited from these employment promotion programmes. With regard to workers in the informal economy, the Government indicates that, as of the second quarter of 2016, there were 1,460,000 persons working in the informal economy, with 98.4 per cent working in informal employment as their primary job. To assist people in transitioning from the informal to the formal economy, the Government amended the Law on Employment Promotion on 4 February 2015. The amendment expands the provision of financial support to small and micro enterprises through the granting of loans to private businesses and to citizens establishing community cooperatives. In addition, with respect to legislation and programmes in the area of labour migration, the Government indicates that the World Mongolian Programme and the Beehive Programme have been implemented with the aim of supporting Mongolian citizens working abroad to return to their homeland. It further indicates that the 2001 Law on Sending the Labour Force Abroad and Receiving Labour Force and Specialists from Abroad is currently in the process of revision, to respond to current national circumstances. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the impact of the measures taken to create opportunities for sustainable and lasting employment for young persons and persons with disabilities, as well as for workers in rural areas and remote communities. The Committee also requests the Government to provide more detailed information on measures taken or envisaged to facilitate the progressive transition of workers from the informal to the formal economy, including updated statistics on the numbers of workers in informal employment. In addition, the Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the impact of measures taken in the area of labour migration.

Article 3. Consultation with the social partners. The Government reports that it collaborates with the Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions and the Mongolian Employers’ Federation in developing and implementing employment-related programmes and events. To ensure that the social partners have the opportunity to make inputs and suggestions, the Branch Council for Employment, composed of representatives from the National Council and the Tripartite Council for Employment, meets to discuss employment-related programmes and projects and make recommendations. Local representatives are also involved in this dialogue process. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the outcome of the consultations held with the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations on the formulation and implementation of employment measures.