Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2024, Publicación: 113ª reunión CIT (2025)

Convenio sobre el desempleo, 1919 (núm. 2) - Guyana (Ratificación : 1966)

The Committee recalls that the ILO Governing Body, at its 337th Session in October–November 2019, on the recommendation of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group, classified Convention No. 2 as an outdated instrument and agreed that it would decide the appropriate date at which the Conference should consider its abrogation or withdrawal in 2026. The Governing Body requested the Office to undertake tailored follow-up action to actively encourage Member States parties to this outdated Convention to ratify the related up-to-date Conventions covering the subject matter of each of its three substantive provisions, with a view to preventing a gap in legal protection. The Committee takes note of the Government’s indication that it will engage in discussions with social partners regarding the possibility of ratifying recent instruments pertaining to matters covered by the Convention. The Committee encourages the Government to follow-up the Governing Body’s decision at its 337th Session (October–November 2019) approving the recommendations of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group, and to consider ratifyingthe Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160), the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), and either the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) (accepting the obligations in its Part IV), the Equality of Treatment (Social Security) Convention, 1962 (No. 118) (accepting its obligations in respect of unemployment benefit), or the Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment Convention, 1988 (No. 168), the most up-to-date instruments in this subject area. The Committee reminds the Government of the possibility to avail itself of the technical assistance of the Office in this regard.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Measures to combat unemployment. Employment agencies. The Committee notes that the Guyana Labour Force Surveys reveal an increase in the country’s overall unemployment rate from 12.2 per cent in 2017 to 14.5 per cent in 2021. The surveys further highlight persistent challenges notably the high youth unemployment rate (rising from 22.9 per cent to 31.9 per cent in the period 2017–21), and a higher rate of unemployment for women (18.4 per cent in 2021), particularly young women (39.3 per cent in 2021), compared to men (12 per cent in 2021) and young men (25.8 per cent in 2021). The Government emphasizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the unemployment rate and anticipates a return to the 2017 unemployment rate of 12.2 per cent in 2022. The Government also indicates that it implemented several initiatives in 2022 aimed at enhancing employment opportunities. These include the establishment of the National Job Bank, an online portal facilitating job seekers’ search for employment. The Government reports that since its inception, over 3’817 jobseekers have been registered with the National Job Bank, and 276 employers have been utilizing the platform, resulting in over 600 individuals securing employment through this service. Other measures include the Part-time Job Programme, which is part of the Government’s goal to create 50’000 jobs by 2025. The Government also invested in several training programs, including the Guyana Online Academy (GOAL), Get Ready for Opportunities to Work (GROW), the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), designed to address skills gaps and foster future employment opportunities. The Government expects that these measures, combined with investments in expanding sectors such as oil and gas, will lead to a reduction in unemployment levels. The Government indicates that no studies were conducted to determine the employment rate of persons graduating from the National Training Programme for Youth Employment (NTPYE). The Government however provides data from the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA). The Committee notes that while the number of jobseekers registered with the CRMA increased from 2’431 to 4’673 persons between 2016 and 2022, the number of persons placed in employment by the CRMA decreased from 2’230 to 363 persons in the same period. The Government did not provide information on the coordination between the employment services provided by the CRMA and the National Job Bank. Noting the persistently high levels of youth unemployment in the country, the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed, updated, information on the measures adopted to address youth unemployment as well as information on the impact of such measures, including the employment rate of persons graduating from the National Training Programme for Youth Employment (NTPYE). Noting also the high unemployment rate of women, especially of young women, in comparison to that of men and young men in the country, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on measures adopted specifically to combat unemployment amongst women, as well as on the challenges encountered in this respect. Recalling the importance of coordinating the operations of employment services in combating unemployment, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to coordinate the services provided by the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) and by the National Job Bank. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide updated statistics relating to trends in unemployment, disaggregated by sex and age, as well as data on the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by the CRMA and through the National Job Bank.

Article 3.Unemployment insurance. In response to the Committee’s previous comment regarding the establishment of an unemployment insurance system, the Government indicates that, in view of the country’s rapid economic growth and labour shortages, it contemplates measures to fill skills gaps and shortage of labour. The Committee takes note of this information and requests the Government to keep it informed in this regard.