Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Georgia (Ratification: 2002)

Articles 1, 3 and 6 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Government indicates that the State Employment Support Agency, which started its operations in 2020 under the responsibility of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, ensures the implementation of programmes to promote employment within the framework of the active labour market policy. Referring to the public employment service’s staffing levels, the Government indicates that the Tbilisi and district employment service offices were fully staffed in 2022, and that six additional regional employment service offices were set to open in 2023. The State Employment Support Agency is also represented throughout the country at the municipal level, within the centres of the Social Service Agency, where interested persons have the opportunity to receive employment-related advice and participate in employment promotion programmes. The Agency offers a range of employment services to jobseekers, including training in key competencies, vocational training and retraining courses, internship opportunities, and subsidized employment. In terms of statistical information provided by the Government, the Committee notes that 48,665 active jobseekers were registered in the 2020–22 period and individual consultations were provided to 80,092 jobseekers throughout the country. During the same period, 17,365 jobseekers were employed in the open labour market, of which 12,645 in 2022. In addition, 29,323 socially vulnerable jobseekers were provided the opportunity to be employed in public works, through a programme that started in March 2022.

The Committee observes that despite these economic successes, the situation of the labour market in Georgia continues to be characterised by numerous vulnerabilities. The country’s labour force participation rate is low at about 52 per cent in 2022 (ILOSTAT, 2024), with a significant gap between men (64 per cent) and women (41 per cent). The unemployment rate reached almost 17 per cent in 2022 and severely affected youth, as over 38 per cent were unemployed in 2022 (ILOSTAT, 2024). Employment in the informal economy remains at high levels with an estimated of 37 per cent (43 per cent for men and 30 per cent for women). The country also faces some persistent structural challenges including an ageing population, weak productivity growth, limited high-quality employment creation, and poor learning outcomes. The Committee asks the Government to indicate whether and how the employment service plays an instrumental role in tackling these challenges.The Committee also refers to its comments on the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and requests the Government to provide detailed information on the impact of the activities carried out by the public employment service with a view to promoting full employment. It also requests the Government to provide updated statistical information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices.

Articles 4 and 5. Consultation with social partners. The Government indicates that work continues with the business sector to develop specific cooperation mechanisms and that meetings were held with representatives of employers’ organizations, including the Georgian Employers’ Association. Moreover, the State Employment Support Agency, with the support of the Rural Development Agency, held meetings with industry associations in the agricultural sector to include business operators working in agriculture in employment promotion programmes. To further develop social dialogue, the Government indicates that an Advisory Council was created to support the State Employment Support Agency’s effective implementation of the measures defined in Georgia’s active labour market policy. The Committee requests the Government to provide more specific information on the involvement of the employers’ and workers’ organizations in relation to the organization and operation of the employment service and in the development of an employment service policy. It also requests the Government to provide further details on the consultations held within the Advisory Council of the State Employment Support Agency on matters covered by the Convention.

Articles 7(b), 8 and 10. Meeting the needs of particular categories of workers. Outreach to employers and jobseekers. The Government indicates that the State Employment Support Agency held meetings with employers’ organizations to share information about the Agency’s services and inquire about the labour needs of the business sector. Within the framework of promoting the employment of persons with disabilities, several meetings were held with representatives of government departments and experts to exchange relevant experience and recommendations. The Government refers to a study conducted in 2022 that identified problems associated with the employment of persons with disabilities, as well as the need to introduce employment services focused on individual needs. During the 2020–22 period, Employment Support Counsellors provided support services to 477 persons with disabilities (with 245 persons with disabilities in 2022). Young people, aged 16 to 29, are also a priority group for the services and programmes delivered by the State Employment Support Agency, who implements them in close collaboration with the Youth Agency. Moreover, the Government indicates that the State Employment Support Agency contributed to the development and preparation of the State Youth Strategy 2023–26 and Action Plan, which were adopted in 2022. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures taken to meet the needs of particular categories of applicants for employment, including young people and persons with disabilities. Please also indicate measures taken to facilitate the access to employment of older workers and of members of ethnic minorities, including by supporting programs to improve accessibility, provide training, and combat discrimination. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide examples of the collaboration with employers’ and workers’ organizations to encourage the full use of employment service facilities by employers and workers.

Article 9. Status of employment service staff. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on the training activities that took place during the reporting period. For example, within the framework of a European Union-funded project, employees of the State Employment Support Agency received training on the development of a new service model, employment mediation, and active labour market policies and programmes. Training in 2022 included the ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme, where Agency employees were trained as certified trainers to support entrepreneurs and promote youth entrepreneurship. Other training delivered in 2022 aimed to improve the skills of Agency employees of the Labour Migration and Employment Promotion Departments, as well as the Agency’s regional service centres. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the training activities offered to the State Employment Support Agency staff, allowing for the effective performance of their duties.

Article 11. Cooperation between public and private employment agencies. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report on the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), that one of the main objectives of the 2023 amendments to the Law on Labour Migration was the development of cooperation between the public employment service and provide employment agencies. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the measures taken or envisaged to promote cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies.