Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Czechia (Ratification: 1993)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Articles 1 and 3 and 6, subparagraph (c), of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. Collection and analysis of information. The Committee welcomes the comprehensive information provided by the Government on the organization, country-wide structure and functioning of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic under the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA), as well as the detailed overview of jobseekers, vacancies and allocations. The Committee notes that the Labour Office comprises a total of 448 offices across the country responsible for compiling statistics, providing analyses and evaluations of the situation of the labour market in their respective regions. The Committee notes with interest that, during the reporting period, the number of offices providing employment services grew from 231 to 254. In addition, the number of specialized staff providing services in programmes targeting young persons and persons with disabilities was increased. The Government indicates that the entry into force of the 2020 amendments to the Employment Act removed the previous requirement that a jobseeker needed to physically apply for employment intermediation. The Committee notes that this change constitutes an important step towards the further digitization of these activities. In addition to promoting labour mobility, these changes have also significantly increased the availability of services and efficiency of employment intermediation activities. The MoLSA, in cooperation with the social partners, began implementing the “Labour Market Predictions” (KOMPAS) project, which aims to create and develop a comprehensive system for monitoring, analysing and forecasting changes in the labour market. Moreover, the Government indicates that KOMPAS will also function as an indicator for the early identification of new opportunities and emerging risks for the labour market, based on a comprehensive database, and taking into account trends in global markets as well as technological developments. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact and effectiveness of the activities of the Labour Offices, in particular following the structural, organizational and administrative changes brought about by the amendments to the Employment Act. It further requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of Labour Offices established, the number of employment applications received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by them, including information on the impact of digitization of these services. Finally, the Committee requests the Government to keep it apprised of the activities and outcomes of the KOMPAS project, indicating the manner and extent to which information gathered through it and other projects is made available systematically and timely to the public authorities, the employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned, and to the general public (Article 6, subparagraph (c)).

Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation with employers’ and workers’ representatives. The Committee notes the role played by the social partners in the adoption and implementation of the Strategic Framework for Employment Policy until 2030 and active labour market measures. The Committee notes that cooperation with the social partners continues to take place at the policy development level, including in the Council of Economic and Social Agreement, as well as at the implementation level, through the participation of the social partners, together with schools and self-governance structures in advisory councils organized at the level of contact offices, regional branches and at the Directorate General of the Labour Office – partly based on memoranda of understanding concluded between 2015 and 2018, through which the public employment services coordinate downstream measures and receive first-hand information upstream. In this regard, the Committee notes the Memorandum on cooperation between the Labour Office and the Prison Service of the Czech Republic, concluded on 13 February 2018 to foster cooperation in the integration of persons ending prison sentences into society through common retraining activities offered during their imprisonment. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide details of the outcome of the consultations held with employers’ and workers’ organizations at all levels of coordination, including within the Council of Economic and Social Agreement and the advisory councils, concerning the organization and operation of the employment service and in the development and implementation of employment service policy at national and regional levels.

Articles 7, subparagraph (b) and 8. Special arrangements for persons with disabilities and young persons. The Committee notes the Memorandum on cooperation of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic concluded with the Czech National Disability Council on 5 February 2018, which provides for the long-term cooperation and coordination of activities to increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities in the Czech Republic, in particular by exchanging experience, expertise and information, including through common trainings, consultation on legislative changes related to the employment of persons with disabilities, and through the transfer of information, knowledge and experience in the field of employment of persons with disabilities to current and potential employers of persons with disabilities. The Committee also notes that, in accordance with MoLSA Instruction No. 21/2017 on the Employment Support System for Persons with Disabilities and the Directive of the Director General No. 8/2015 Implementation of Work Rehabilitation and Cooperation of the Competent Divisions of the regional Labour Offices in the Integration of Persons with Disabilities into the Labour Market, the Government is implementing the “Development of the System of Support for the Employment of Persons with Disabilities on the Open Labour Market” focusing on targeted services, including vocational training for persons with disabilities, to improve their jobseeking prospects and increase their level of employment, for which the staff of the regional Labour Offices was increased by 85 disability-advisers and 14 disability-employment coordinators in addition to 99 the deployment of existing employees of the regional Labour Offices. The Committee also notes the regional Labour Offices’ continued involvement in the implementation of special arrangements for juveniles, such as the NUTS 2 Northwest project in the Karlovy Vary and Ústí nad Labem regions and the Youth Guarantee projects, with a focus on offering individual advice to young persons, in particular early school leavers, on their further professional orientation and on how to obtain and improve qualifications. The Committee also refers in this respect to its comments under the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122). The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the nature, scope and impact of the active labour market measures taken, including through the NUTS 2 Northwest and Youth Guarantee projects, to facilitate the transition of young persons, especially those in vulnerable situations, into the labour market.

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

The Committee notes the observations of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS), incorporated into the Government’s report.

Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Committee welcomes the detailed information provided by the Government on the organization, structure and functioning of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, as well as on the number of job placements made by the employment service during the reporting period. In this regard, the Committee notes that the Labour Office includes the General Directorate, 14 regional offices and the office for the capital city of Prague. The regional offices carry out employment service tasks attributed to them under the Employment Act, which include consistent monitoring and evaluation of the labour market situation in their respective regions, adopting measures to influence labour supply and demand, and coordinating the implementation of active labour market policy measures. These measures include the provision to employers of financial support for jobs, focused particularly on disadvantaged jobseekers. This group includes the long-term unemployed, young people, older persons and persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that of the 527 labour offices, 231 offices provided employment services in 2014. In this regard, the Committee notes that, in June 2014, the Government increased the number of Labour Office employees by 600, in a first wave of personnel reinforcement. In April 2015, the Government added another 300 employees to the Labour Office staff. The Committee recalls that, in its previous observations, ČMKOS expressed concern that changes to the organizational structure and management of labour offices in the country had negatively affected the public employment services in terms of scope and quality. In its most recent observations, ČMKOS considers it important to include information on practice based on the restrictive reforms in the area of labour and social affairs made in previous years, which have had a negative impact on families with children, elderly people and their families. In response, the Government indicates that it is working within the framework of social dialogue on the continual development of the economic and social rights of workers, to strengthen rights that might have been weakened based on past decisions. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact and effectiveness of the activities of the Labour Office, in particular following the changes made to the organization of the employment service. It also requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of employment applications received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by these offices.

Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation with employers’ and workers’ representatives. The Government indicates that the social partners are involved in consultations regarding the development of services and employment policy within plenary meetings and meetings of working teams of the Council of Economic and Social Agreement, the supreme tripartite national body. The Committee further notes from the report that Advisory Boards, composed of the representatives of major entities and institutions having an influence in the area of employment and the labour market, ensure cooperation on the labour market between the Labour Office, employers’ and workers’ organizations, cooperative bodies, metropolitan and municipal authorities and other actors. The Advisory Boards make proposals and recommendations in relation to the active labour market policy, the provision of employment services, support for the creation of new jobs, and evaluate the overall labour market situation. The Committee requests the Government to provide further details of the outcome of the consultations held with employers’ and workers’ organizations, including within the Council of Economic and Social Agreement and the Advisory Boards, concerning the organization and operation of the employment service and in the development and implementation of employment service policy at national and regional levels.

Article 8. Special arrangements for young persons. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government describes the principal measures taken to meet the employment needs of young persons, including the Youth Guarantee Programme, the key programme addressing unemployment and inactivity of young persons under 25. The programme aims to lower the unemployment rate of young people aged from 15 to 24 years to 12.3 per cent and reduce the unemployment rate of those with low qualifications to 18.8 per cent by 2020. Moreover, under the programme, the Government guarantees that every young person under the age of 25 will receive a high-quality job offer, further education, professional training and/or an apprenticeship within four months after becoming unemployed, completing formal education, or dropping out of the formal education system. The Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan is the basic document implementing measures to support the employment of young people. The Labour Office, its regional branches and contact points are the main organizers of the Youth Guarantee Programme, and cooperate with labour market actors at the regional and local levels, including employers, schools and educational facilities, regional authorities and other actors. In the context of the Youth Guarantee, the Committee welcomes the assessment of the European Commission in 2016 that, while the unemployment rate for youth (15–24) has fallen within the last two years, reaching 12.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2015; however, large differences between educational groups remain. On this basis, the Commission noted that the outreach capacities of the public employment services would be crucial to increase the labour market participation of vulnerable groups, particularly for Roma and the young unemployed. The Government indicates that the educational system should provide students with qualifications that correspond to labour market requirements, particularly in specializations that have the potential to generate further job opportunities and further development. The Government seeks to support activities facilitating the transition from the education system to the labour market, such as internships, as well as activities to identify future qualification requirements. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the employment and other measures taken, including the Youth Guarantee, to facilitate the transition of young persons into the labour market and promote full, inclusive and productive employment for youth, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups, including those from the Roma community, youth with disabilities and low-skilled youth.

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

The Committee notes the Government’s detailed report received in September 2013, which includes observations made by the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (CM KOS). It notes that changes were made to the organisational structure and management of labour offices which have been merged into a single organisational unit of the state administration, the Labour Office, in order to improve the efficiency in the spheres of employment and state social support and to reduce operating costs of the network of public employment services. The CM KOS indicates that the reform negatively affected the employment services in terms of their scope and quality and, hence, the implementation of certain provisions of the Convention, in particular Articles 6, 7, 8 and 11 of the Convention. The CM KOS believes that the reform reduced the quality and availability of employment services, which is evidenced by the fact that the number of people involved in active employment policy programmes fell from 99,682 in 2011 to 54,450 in 2012. The CM KOS also criticizes the establishment of the shared recruitment scheme that essentially allows funding of private employment agencies through the public active labour market policy. It considers this to be an effort to reduce the role of the state and to privatize public services, which may lead to a further weakening of the functionality of public employment services. The Government indicates in its report that it takes note of the CM KOS position and approaches the issue with full respect to the current situation; it will therefore prepare and adopt measures aimed at improving the situation from the point of view of both jobseekers and employers. The Committee notes in this regard that the Government Resolution No. 581 of 31 July 2013 will increase the number of employees of the Labour Office by 319 additional workers, particularly in regions showing the highest unemployment rates. Another increase of 381 employees is planned after 1 January 2014. The Government indicates that changes in internal management have been undertaken with the Labour Office with a view to strengthen the delivery of service at all levels. Active labour market policies will thus be administered with greater efficiency by an increased number of staff in all regions. In its 2011 direct request on the application of the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), the Committee invited the Government to provide information on the formulation, establishment, and periodical review of conditions to promote cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report on the Convention an evaluation of the changes made to the organisation of the public employment service in view of carrying out effectively the functions listed in Article 6 of the Convention. Please also provide information on the impact of the reforms introduced in 2013 with respect to the measures taken concerning the various occupations and industries, as well as particular categories of jobseekers, such as workers with disabilities (Article 7).

Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation of the social partners. The Government indicates that changes made to the organization of labour offices also triggered changes in the network of labour office advisory committees, which are now constituted at regional bureaus of the Labour Office. Sessions of the advisory committees, held approximately three times per year, are devoted mostly to the local implementation of national policies, use of active employment policy measures and their efficiency in practice, information on legislative changes and the situation of the labour market in the relevant region. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the involvement of the social partners in the organization and development of the employment service and in the development of an employment service policy.

Article 8. Special arrangements for young persons. The Government indicates that the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in cooperation with all interested parties, is preparing a conceptual solution to establish a Youth Guarantee in the Czech Republic, in accordance with the recommendation of the European Council. The Labour Office and its bureaus at the district and regional level have their active employment policy measures to support the transition of young people to the labour market, a group representing one of the key target groups of the employment policy. The Committee notes that the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is also preparing new innovative employment policy measures, including: shared jobs, supporting employment with state companies and their contractors, cooperation with private employment agencies, and activation through volunteering. Moreover, the Committee notes the various types of internship programmes available for young people described in the report. The Government indicates that a significant problem for young people in the Czech Republic seems to result not only from their insufficient experience, but also from the inadequate structure of education branches. In order to match the qualifications offered with the labour market demand and to enhance professional mobility, the National Register of Vocational Qualifications (NSK) is being elaborated, linked to the National Occupations System. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report information on the impact of the measures taken to meet the needs of young persons within the framework of the employment and vocational guidance services, allowing them to integrate the labour market.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

The Committee notes the report provided by the Government in November 2010, including comments from the Czech–Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (CMKOS) and the Confederation of Industry and Transport (CIT). The Government indicates that, as a consequence of the global economic crisis, the number of jobseekers has increased due to, in part, a fall in production. The Government further reports “made-to-measure” projects for specific target groups of jobseekers at the regional and national levels. The Government states that jobseekers are placed in motivational activities, are provided with consultancy on how to successfully enter the job market and requalification leading to an increase or change in their current qualifications, and are placed in jobs created and supported with wage contributions.

Articles 4 and 5 of the Convention. Cooperation of the social partners. The CMKOS indicates that some advisory committees work better than others. The Government indicates that it very much depends on local economic, social and other conditions and circumstances. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report further information on the effective involvement of the social partners in the organization and operation of advisory committees and in the development of an employment service policy.

Article 8. Special arrangements for young persons. The CMKOS reports concern with the 2008 amendment of the Employment Act, more specifically with regard to the abolishment of assistance provided by the labour offices to university graduates for a period of up to two years after successfully completing their studies (for persons up to 30 years of age). The CMKOS regards this group to be in constant danger and should therefore enjoy attention through the stability of legislation. According to the Government, the situation of the labour market did not further justify special care for this group in comparison to, for example, persons with disabilities or people over 50 years of age. However, young persons are continuously considered as one of the most vulnerable groups in the labour market and are therefore subject to special attention by the local and regional labour offices within the active labour market policies. The Committee refers to its General Survey of 2010 concerning employment instruments, paragraph 800, and encourages governments to develop job-creation and career guidance policies targeted at educated unemployed young persons, as unemployment among educated workers, particularly young university graduates, is now an issue for the advanced market economies as well as developing countries. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the special measures taken to meet the needs of young workers, within the framework of the employment and vocational guidance services, allowing them to integrate or reintegrate into the labour market.

[The Government is asked to reply in detail to the present comments in 2013.]

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 82nd ILC session (1995)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report on the application of the Convention. It notes, in particular, the revision of the network of employment services which took place under the Czech National Council Regulation No. 306/1990 as a result of a reform of local and regional administration structures. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply, with its next report, a text of the above-mentioned Regulation, as well as texts of Notifications Nos. 21/1991, 22/1991, 115/1992 and 399/1992 which the Government indicated were enclosed in the report but not received in the ILO, in order to enable the Committee to examine them and to assess the application of the Convention.