Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Central African Republic (Ratification: 1964)

Articles 3–5 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide updated, detailed information on the operation and activities of the Central African Agency for Employment and Vocational Training (ACFPE), as well as on any developments relating to the operation of the Standing National Labour Council (CNPT). It also requested the Government to communicate information on the number of public employment offices established and their location, the number of applications for employment received, vacancies notified and persons placed in employment by employment offices. The Government indicates that the ACFPE has seven regional public employment agencies, spread across the national territory, which provide services to enterprises and work to promote youth employment. To this end, the ACFPE has signed a certain number of partnership agreements with investors, to ensure that continuous and vocational training are provided in the technical areas corresponding to the needs of enterprise. Regarding the employment sector, the Government indicates that in 2019, 11,142 jobseekers were registered with the ACFPE; 1,823 jobseekers received training in jobseeking techniques; 6,173 contracts were drawn up and 2,468 job vacancies were registered. The Committee notes that, among the measures taken in respect of occupational training and employment creation, several workers and jobseekers received occupational training: 727 persons were trained in entrepreneurship, and 26 enterprise creation projects were financed. It also notes that three market surveys on income generating activities were carried out in the country’s second cities (Paoua, Bozoum, Sibut, Kaga Bandoro and Dekoa) and that the ACFPE had signed a certain number of collaboration agreements with technical partners and financiers, including the French Development Agency (AFD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the International Labour Office (ILO). The Government also indicates that the CNPT is not always operational. However, ACFPE activities are coordinated and overseen by a governing body, with strong implication of the social partners in the form of two employers’ representatives, two workers’ representatives and one State representative. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated, detailed information, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, on the impact of the collaboration agreements with the technical partners and financiers, in particular regarding their contribution to full, productive and freely chosen employment in the country. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken to ensure that the employment agencies are sufficiently numerous to serve all geographic regions of the country.

Articles 6–8. Functions of the public employment service. The Committee previously requested the Government to provide information on the measures taken to facilitate, within the various employment offices, specialization by occupation or industry and to provide detailed information on the measures adopted or envisaged in respect of vulnerable categories of workers, such as workers with disabilities and young persons, including the placement programme within the public employment service. The Government indicates that reforms have been undertaken in conformity with Articles 6 and 8 of the Convention concerning the functions of the public employment service. According to the Government’s report, these reforms concern primarily the organization and functioning of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Occupational Training and Social Protection (Decree No. 18.168 of 21 June 2018), the adoption of a public policy in respect of employment and occupational training, and the follow-up to the establishment of the General Directorate responsible, in close collaboration with the ACFPE, for the public employment service. Moreover, every year, the ACFPE draws up a catalogue of continuous training courses in certain technical areas that require specialization, which are aimed at vulnerable social categories, including young persons. In this regard, the Committee notes that in 2019, 110 young, qualified persons benefited from occupational insertion contracts in enterprises and 881 apprentices were trained and certified in apprenticeship techniques. The Committee requests the Government to communicate updated, detailed information showing the impact of the reforms on effective recruitment and placement of workers and on specialization by occupation or branch of activity within the employment services to respond adequately to the needs of particular categories of jobseekers, such as persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups of jobseekers. The Committee also requests the Government to communicate updated information on measures taken to provide specialized training to the public servants in the employment service to allow them to ensure a service answering to the concerns of specific groups, such as persons with disabilities, women and long-term unemployed persons.

Article 11. Effective cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. In its previous comments, having noted the Government’s indication that the Labour Code of 2009 introduced a liberalization of private employment agencies, the Committee asked the Government to provide information on any developments regarding the regulation of private employment agencies, particularly to ensure their cooperation with the public employment service, and to provide copies of any legislative texts adopted in this respect. The Government indicates that the provisions of the Act concerning the revised Labour Code address cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies. The Committee observes that sections 341, 342 and 343 of the Labour Code of 2009, concerning the organization and functioning of the private employment agencies, contain no provision relative to cooperation between the public services and private employment agencies. It notes however that a first draft revision of the Labour Code has been submitted to the National Assembly for adoption, with a view to promoting the expected cooperation. The Committee requests the Government to continue to supply updated and detailed information on developments concerning the regulation of private employment agencies, including on the adoption process of the first draft revision of the Labour Code and to provide a copy of any legislative text modified or adopted in this regard.