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

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Tajikistan (Ratification: 1993)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Government informs that it is currently implementing the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for 2020–24 through the adoption of several employment-related policies, strategies and concepts, namely: (1) the Concept for the Development of Productive Employment 2040 (Resolution No. 263 of 28 May 2022); (2) the Strategy of State Youth Policy up to 2030 (Resolution No. 166 of 30 April 2021); and (3) the State Employment Promotion Programme for 2023–27 (Resolution No. 135 of 28 March 2023). Furthermore, the Medium-Term Development Programme for Productive Employment 2023–27 is currently at the stage of coordination with the relevant ministries and agencies. As regards poverty reduction, particularly in rural areas, and the measures taken to reduce the regional disparities in economic growth and employment, the Committee notes that, according to the DWCP’s second priority, the Government is focusing on social protection floors and enhancing social protection systems to reduce poverty, social exclusion, and inequality. In this connexion, the Government indicates that the period from 2022 to 2026 has been named “years of industrial development of the country” with the adoption and implementation of various programmes, in particular the Medium-term industrial development programme for 2022–26 based on the gradual transition from an agrarian-industrial to a non-industrial-agrarian development model. Because of these objectives, developing the real economy will be a development priority and jobs will be created in this sector. The Government further refers to the measures adopted in the framework of the Employment Promotion Programme 2020–22, stating that 425,045 citizens applied to the labour and employment agencies, of whom 320,203 were registered as jobseekers, and 179,426 were officially recognized as unemployed. Active measures have been implemented and, as a result, a total of 217,359 unemployed citizens were employed. Including quota jobs, 21,981 unemployed persons from groups in vulnerable situations on the labour market were employed, and 10,181 were provided with preferential loans.

The Committee notes that these various policy measures demonstrate that the Government is conscient of the need to implement coordinated efforts to address the challenge of reaching full, productive and freely chosen employment, including as regards groups in vulnerable situations.

It also notes that the Rapid Assessment of the Situation of Informal Workers, presented to the National Tripartite Commission, highlights that a significant share of the workforce remains in informal employment, limiting their access to social protection and job security. This issue remains a critical and indeed requires comprehensive legal, policy, and enforcement measures. It also observes that the high youth unemployment rates require creating more employment opportunities for young people as this is essential to harness the potential of the growing young population. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the implementation of its strategy to secure effective gateways for the transition from the informal to the formal economy. It also requests the Government to provide detailed and up-to-date information on the impact of the measures undertaken in the framework of the Decent Work Country Programme (DCWP) 2020–2024, in particular the Medium-Term Development Programme for Productive Employment 2023–27, the Medium-Term Industrial Development Programme for 2022–26 as well as the Strategy of State Youth Policy up to 2030 taking into account that the young population is experiencing high unemployment rates (16.7 per cent), exceeding the national average.The Committee further requests the Government to continue to provide updated and statistical information on the trends in the labour market, especially in relation to the economically active population, employment and unemployment, disaggregated by sex, age, industry and region. Lastly, noting that the report does not contain previously requested information concerning the measures adopted in the framework of the National Development Strategy for the period up to 2030, the Committee also asks the Government to provide this information with its next report.

Coordination of education and training policy with employment policy. In response to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that it has enacted various programmes, in particular the Comprehensive State Programme for Social Protection Personnel Training for the Period up to 2030. The Committee notes that, under the State Employment Promotion Programme for 2020–22, 120,081 unemployed citizens and jobseekers received vocational training and validation of work skills out of which 69,576 were women and 47,325 were young persons. Taking into account of the importance of the coordination between education and training policy and employment policy including in the context of rapid transformations of labour markets, the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the measures taken to improve workers’ skills and qualifications and to coordinate education and training policies with employment opportunities as well as on the impact of these measures and to communicate up-to-date statistical information disaggregated by age, sex and region on the impactof the measures taken. It also requests the Government to provide disaggregated and detailed information by sex, age and disability status about the graduates of the training programme who have been employed.

Collection and Use of Employment Data. The Government indicates that the labour market of Tajikistan is characterized by employment, unemployment and labour migration in its 2.6 million strong workforce. As per the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment, the number of unemployed persons in December 2023 was 48,300 with 46.3 per cent of the unemployed persons being women. The Committee notes that the proportion of unemployed persons has declined by 9.7 per cent since December 2022. While the Committee notes the updated and detailed information about the labour market disaggregated by age provided in the report, it notes that the Government has not provided the requested labour market data disaggregated by sex, education and economic sector. Further, the Government has not indicated the manner in which the labour market data is used to feed into and review employment policy measures. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide this information with its next report and to continue to provide information on the results of the analysis of the state of the labour market and any follow-up measures taken on this basis.

Women’s employment. The Committee notes the measures taken by the Government to promote women’s access to the labour market. The Government has enacted policies and programmes, including Government Resolution No. 644 of 2019 on the State Employment Promotion Programme of the Republic of Tajikistan, No. 167 of 2021 on the National Strategy for Enhancing the Role of Women in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022–30, No. 263 of 2022 on the Concept of Development of Productive Employment in the Republic of Tajikistan for the Period up to 2040 to promote the employment of women in the national workforce. The Government indicates that the employment of women has increased by 11.5 per cent overall with a growth of 16.4 per cent in the real sector of the economy, 6.8 per cent in the service sector, 16.9 per cent in the agriculture sector, 5.2 per cent in health sector and 11.2 per cent in education. The Government further reports that in the sphere of entrepreneurship, 9,700 women have been granted preferential interest-free loans between 2018–22 with an average worth of these loans being 6.5 million Tajikistani somoni. During the same period, 11,500 women were engaged in paid public work, that is, in temporary employment. The Committee notes that, during this period, 73,900 women were enrolled in free vocational training courses and 16,300 received vocational guidance services. The Government further reports that under the Employment Promotion Programme of 2023–27, 49,300 women have been involved in handicraft training and 9,000 preferential loans have been allocated to women who have completed training courses to develop their own business in this area. Further, for the 2023–27 period, the Government intends to provide assistance to women in procuring permanent jobs, providing women with advanced training or retraining in professions to meet the requirements of the labour market and develop traditional crafts. The Committee welcomes the Government’s indication that it will continue supporting women’s initiatives in organizing entrepreneurship in the field of traditional crafts and involving more women in paid public work. Noting that the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) had expressed concerns about the concentration of women in horizontal occupational segregation in the labour market and in the informal sector in low-paying jobs in the healthcare, education and agriculture sectors (document CEDAW/C/TJK/CO/6, 14 November 2018, paragraph 37),the Committee requests the Government to provide updated and detailed information on measures adopted as well as on their impact to mitigate the negative effects of the concentration of women in horizontal occupational segregation in the labour market and in low paid jobs in the informal economy.

Article 3. Consultations with representatives of the persons affected and in particular with the social partners. The Committee notes the enactment of the General Agreement between the Government, trade unions and the Employer’s Association of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period between 2021–23. It notes, however, that the Government’s response does not indicate how the social partners have been engaged in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of active employment policies, including the National Development Strategy of Tajikistan. The Government’s report also does not indicate whether consultations have been held with representatives of groups in vulnerable situations, such as women, young persons, older workers, persons with disabilities as well as with representatives of workers in rural areas and the informal economy. Therefore, the Committee reiterates its request the Government to provide detailed updated information on the content and the nature of the consultation held with the social partners and more broadly with representatives of persons affected, in particular from rural areas and in the informal economy, as regards the formulation, implementation and evaluation of active employment policies.