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

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Burkina Faso (Ratification: 2009)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. Collection and use of employment data. The Government indicates that the National Employment Policy (PNE) has become an integral part of the National Economic and Social Development Plan (PNDES), which includes 14 planning sectors, including a “labour, employment and social protection” planning sector. Each sector is required to develop a sectoral policy. A sectoral policy on labour, employment and social protection was developed for this purpose and adopted on 18 April 2018. The Government adds that, in planning, the different areas of the sectoral policy may be addressed under separate national strategies, which offers an opportunity to develop a national strategy that better addresses specific challenges related to employment. The Government adds that the Office was approached to support the department responsible for employment in this process. The Committee notes that the national employment strategy and guidance on the integration of employment in public policies was approved in 2021. With regard to the different sectoral policies developed in the context of the implementation of the PNDES, the Government indicates their contribution to employment promotion has not yet been assessed. It adds, however, that employment is a cross-cutting topic that is taken into account in different sectoral policies. With regard to the National Employment Agency (ANPE), the Government indicates that reform of the ANPE is ongoing, and an impact assessment of its activities has not yet been carried out. Concerning information on the labour market, the Committee notes with interest that an integrated regional survey on employment and the informal economy (ERI-ESI) was carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Demography (INSD) during the period from 2017 to 2018 and that the corresponding report was published in 2019. It further notes that, according to the survey, the average unemployment rate was 4.8 per cent for men and 4.6 per cent for women during this period. The rate was 9.5 per cent in Ouagadougou, as against 3.3 per cent in rural areas. Young people are the most affected by unemployment (6.6 per cent). Unemployment among young people is more prevalent in urban areas (13.7 per cent) than in rural areas (4.4 per cent). Furthermore, the overall time-related underemployment rate is 19.2 per cent. Underemployment is more prevalent among women (22 per cent) than among men (16.9 per cent). Moreover, labour underutilization is more prevalent among women (41.9 per cent) than among young people (40.7 per cent) and men (29.6 per cent). The Government also indicates that more than two thirds of jobs in the country are vulnerable (72.5 per cent). This situation affects women (84 per cent) more severely than men (63 per cent). The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed and updated information on the impact of the implementation of the “labour, employment and social protection” sectoral policies developed in the context of the implementation of the PNDES. It also requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the labour market, including updated statistical data, disaggregated by sex and age, on the employment rate, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate. Furthermore, it requests the Government to provide information on the progress achieved in the context of the reform of the ANPE.

Youth employment. The Government indicates that a number of initiatives have been developed in connection aimed at supporting for the integration of young people into the labour market, including the Socio-professional Integration Programme for Young People (PISJ), the Support Programme for the Socio-professional Integration of Young Graduates of Higher Education (PAISJD), the Programme for the Economic Empowerment of Young People and Women (PAE/JF), the Support Programme for Youth Employment and Skills Development in Rural Areas (PADEJ/MR), the Women, Young Entrepreneurs and Citizenship Project (PROFEJEC) and the Special Job Creation Programme for Young People and Women (PSCE/JF). The Government adds that assessment studies have not been conducted for all programmes currently being implemented. The Committee notes that the implementation of the PSCE/JF was the subject of a study which indicates that, from 2016 to 2018, the programme led to the creation of 10,835 direct jobs and 4,823 indirect jobs. With regard to training programmes, the Government indicates that reference materials on the content of training programmes have been developed and approved. It adds that according to the public vocational training centres’ back-to-school report, 4,418 young people, including 1,085 girls (24.56 per cent) participated in training courses during the period 2019–2020. The Committee notes that, according to the study conducted by the National Employment and Vocational Training Observatory (ONEF), in 2017, on the integration of the target group leaving professional training centres with professional qualifications, only 39 per cent of participants managed to find employment during the period 2010–2015. With regard to internships, the Government indicates that, from 2016 to 2018, under the PSCE/JF, 2,259 young people were placed in work experience programmes (51 per cent girls) and 507 young people took part in pre-employment courses (55 per cent girls). It also indicates that, under the PAISJD, 3,000 young graduates and 1,210 jobseekers were placed in traineeships by the ANPE. The Government adds that, at the General Directorate for Professional Integration and Employment (DGIPE) level, 252 young people were placed on pre-employment courses, including 31 trained in mining and construction (buildings and public works) (BTP) trades. The Committee notes that the impact assessment of these internships was carried out only by the PSCE/JF, which indicates that 11.3 per cent of young people placed in work experience programmes and 32.1 per cent of those placed on pre-employment courses managed to find jobs. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated information, disaggregated by sex and age, on the impact of the programmes adopted for the integration of young persons into the labour market. It also requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the content of training programmes and to provide statistical data, disaggregated by sex and age, on the number of young people who have participated in training courses and internships, and the impact of these measures on youth employment.

Employment of women. The Committee notes the establishment of specific programmes to increase income and promote decent employment for women and young people, including in particular the PAE/JF. The Committee also notes that the PAE/JF financed 13,329 women’s micro-projects during the period 2016–2019, equivalent to 62.94 per cent of projects financed by the programme during this period. The Government indicates that, according to the programme impact assessment of the PAE/JF, almost 67 per cent of beneficiaries state that their income is above the minimum wage (30,684 West African CFA francs) as a result of the support received. The Government further indicates that under the PSCE/JF, 47 economic units for processing agri-food products were established for the benefit of young people and women in the 45 provinces. In addition, 500 women’s groups received entrepreneurship training and were provided with working capital, 800 women received training in vegetable farming and animal fattening and were provided with start-up kits, and 300 women received training in agri-food processing and were provided with start-up kits. The Committee notes that, according to the final programme evaluation study of the PSCE/JF, 75.2 per cent of beneficiaries considered that the support given had improved their living conditions. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed and updated information on the nature and scope of programmes established to promote the lasting integration of women into the labour market and their impact.

Overall and sectoral development policies. The Government indicates that the consultations held in the context of the regional employment strategies (SREs) highlighted the need to update these strategies in order to take current employment challenges into account. Regional technical committees were established for this purpose, and SRE documents were reviewed and adopted by regional councils in four regions, namely, Boucle du Mouhoun, Nord, Est and Centre-Est. The Committee notes that the consultations with regional actors have yielded new approaches to the implementation of SREs, including through a management unit housed within the regional directorate responsible for employment and led by the regional Council in order to facilitate the mobilization of resources through decentralized government structures. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed and updated information on the nature, scope and impact of the activities of the regional councils, including in connection with the updating and implementation of regional employment strategies (SREs).

Informal economy. With regard to the integrated regional survey on employment and the informal economy (ERI-ESI 2018) and the organization of the third National Forum on the Informal Economy, from 18 to 24 July 2019, the Committee notes that the initiative for the promotion of social dialogue brought together more than 1,000 participants from the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, with the participation of the ILO. It also notes that, on 8 December 2019, the Government, through the constituent general assembly, supported the establishment by actors in the informal economy of an umbrella organization for industrial organizations in the informal economy, namely, the National Council for the Informal Economy. With regard to employment policies, the Committee notes the adoption of the Integrated National Strategy for the Transition to the Formal Economy and the related operational action plan, which were adopted in June 2021 with ILO technical and financial assistance. The Government indicates, however, that with the advent of the pandemic, activities were suspended and a diagnostic study on the impact of COVID-19 on actors in the informal economy was carried out. The Committee further notes that training sessions were organized in the context of the “Informal Economy Grand Prix” competition on business organization and management, occupational safety and health and social protection for workers in order to raise public awareness, including of the benefits of formalization. With regard to financing for actors in the informal economy, the Government indicates that the Informal Sector Support Fund (FASI), funded a total of 2,225 projects in 2019, benefiting 1,108 men and 1,117 women, at a cost of 1,021,250,000 CFA. The Committee notes that during the period 2016–2019, 8,609 micro-projects were funded, in the amount of 3,795,095,000. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information, including updated statistical data, disaggregated by sex and age, on the implementation and impact of the Integrated National Strategy for the Transition to the Formal Economy and the related operational action plan, including in terms of creating productive jobs and of the transition of workers from the informal to the formal economy. The Government is also requested to provide information on the development of cooperatives in the country.

Education and training policies. The Government indicates that, since 2016, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has been promoted through the implementation of the Sectoral Education and Training Plan (PSEF 2017–2030). The major objectives of this plan are to improve the quality of and access to the TVET in close alignment with the needs of the economy, and to upgrade the level of training among the working age population by training teaching staff and developing infrastructure. The Committee notes the implementation of vocational training programmes and the results achieved over the past four years, including the construction of four vocational lycées, one technical lycée and six non-formal basic education centres, in addition to the training and recruitment of 39 new supervisory staff and 1,761 new TVET teachers. It further notes the establishment of the National Employment and Vocational Training Council (CNEFP), which is the steering and consultation body for the implementation of the National Technical and Vocational Teaching and Training Policy and of the National Employment Policy (PNE). The Committee requests the Government to continue providing updated information on the impact of the Sectoral Education and Training Plan (PSEF 2017–2030), including in terms of the lasting integration into the labour market of the most disadvantaged categories of workers. It also requests the Government to provide detailed information on coordination between educational and vocational training policy and employment policy, and, more specifically, on the alignment of the vocational training on offer with current and future labour market demands and needs.

Article 3. Participation of the social partners in the preparation and implementation of policies. The Government reports on consultations held in the Standing Technical Committee of the CNEFP between government actors and the social partners on matters relating to employment and vocational training. It indicates that these consultations brought together government actors, technical and financial partners and the social partners. The Committee notes that the Government, with a view to promoting social dialogue, organized the third National Forum on the Informal Economy from 18 to 24 July 2019, which brought together more than 1,000 participants from the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, with the participation of the ILO. The Government also reports on the meeting of the constituent general assembly of the National Council for the Informal Economy, which, on 8 December 2019, brought together more than 400 participants from the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, as well as on the establishment of regional councils for the informal economy (CREIs) in the 13 regions. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing updated information on the consultations held with the social partners, including through the CREIs. Furthermore, it requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to ensure inclusive consultations with representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as with the representatives of workers concerned by the measures to be taken, including workers in rural areas and the informal economy, with a view to securing their cooperation in the formulation and implementation of employment policy programmes and measures, as required under Article 3 of the Convention.