Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2024, publiée 113ème session CIT (2025)

Convention (n° 122) sur la politique de l'emploi, 1964 - Géorgie (Ratification: 1993)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy in coordination with poverty reduction. The Committee previously requested the Government to provide information on the implementation of the National Strategy for Labour and Employment (NSLEP) 2019–23. It also requested information on the impact of the response and recovery measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the State Employment Agency was one of the agencies administering compensation to those affected by the pandemic and takes note of the statistics provided on the number of individuals receiving compensation and the total amounts allocated during the 2020–21 period. Regarding employment and training measures implemented during the reporting period, between 2020 and 2022, 5,565 jobseekers received individual vocational advice through vocational counselling and career planning services, including 2,022 young people, 535 internally displaced persons, and 225 persons with disabilities. With regard to employment services more specifically, the Committee notes that the State Employment Support Agency is represented throughout the country at the municipal level and refers to its comments on the application of the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), in this context. A total of 355,987 jobseekers are registered in the labour market management information system (‘Worknet’), with 304,624 registered as active jobseekers (including 196,364 women, 83,171 young people, and 12,505 persons with disabilities). The Government indicates that to maintain up-to-date information on occupations and qualifications in demand in the labour market, the State Employment Support Agency annually monitors vacancies and processes the data obtained as a result of monitoring. Research and monitoring of vacancies are carried out by two methods: Worknet analysis and employer surveys. The Committee takes note that, while the Government’s report includes information on various employment and training measures taken, it lacks explicit statistics on overall employment, unemployment, and poverty rates, disaggregated by age and sex. The Committee notes from the ILO’s work in Georgia that, over the past decade, Georgia has experienced marked economic growth, with Gross National Income (GNI) per capita increasing from $3,210 in 2010 to $5,600 in 2022, driven by improved labour market opportunities. The poverty rate, measured by the national poverty line, has more than halved over the same period, indicating significant progress in reducing poverty levels across the country (World Bank, 2024). 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 37 per cent (43 per cent for men and 30 per cent for women). The country also faces persistent structural challenges, including an ageing population, weak productivity growth, limited high-quality employment creation, and poor learning outcomes. Noting that the National Strategy for Labour and Employment (NSLEP) covered the period 2019 to 2023, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the development and implementation, in consultation with the social partners, of the new national employment strategy. It also requests the Government to provide information on the impact of employment measures addressing labour market vulnerabilities and targeting specific groups, such as young people and workers in the informal economy. It also requests that the Government provide updated statistics on employment, unemployment and poverty rates, disaggregated by age and sex.

Regional development. The Committee previously noted the 2020 observations of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), which referred to low productivity in the agricultural sector (8 per cent of GDP is attributed to 38 per cent of the employed population) and emphasized the need for training and retraining programmes for agricultural workers. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, to promote regional development, the services and programmes of the State Employment Promotion Agency are offered throughout the country regarding vocational training for jobseekers. This is one of the crucial tools enabling jobseekers to quickly meet the changing requirements of the labour market, improve their skills, and successfully find jobs in their respective occupations. One of the goals of the programme is to train jobseekers in the relevant qualifications for occupations that are in demand in the labour market. The Committee notes the statistics indicating that 5,039 individuals obtained training in the period from 2020 to 2022. From 2019 to 2022, seven employees of the Rural Development Agency underwent training and became certified trainers under the ILO programme Start and Develop your Business - Training of Trainers. These trainers now provide assistance to potential and new entrepreneurs in the regions.

The Committee further notes the collaboration between the Government and the ILO on employment policy and related issues through the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), signed on 13 August 2024. This programme sets a medium-term strategy that aligns with the priorities of the Government, the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), and the Georgian Employers’ Association (GEA). For the 2024–25 period, the DWCP focuses on enhancing social dialogue, facilitating just transitions to adapt to economic change, and increasing labour force participation of groups most at risk of exclusion through active labour market and social protection policies. The programme aims to improve social dialogue at various levels, promote collective bargaining, establish a national minimum wage system, and develop a labour dispute settlement mechanism. Additionally, it seeks to enhance the attractiveness, accessibility, and labour-market relevance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), develop a national strategy of formalisation, and promote a safe and healthy working environment for all. This cooperation supports the country’s national development strategy, “Vision 2030.” The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information, including disaggregated statistical data, on the impact of measures taken to promote balanced regional development, particularly in the context services and programmes offered by the State Employment Promotion Agency in terms of creating lasting, sustainable employment. It also requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged, including training and retraining programmes, to increase productivity in the agricultural sector.

Specific categories of workers. In its previous comment, the Committee noted the observations of the GTUC indicating that from 2006 to 2019, men’s economic activity exceeded that of women by an average of 19 per cent. The GTUC indicated that women drop out of the workforce, as a result of low wages. The GTUC also pointed out that the unemployment rate is particularly high among the youth, reaching 30.3 per cent among the 20–29 age group in 2019. The Committee noted that the share of youth not in employment, education or training stood (NEET) reached 28.5 per cent in 2020. It noted that the NSLEP 2019–23 provided for measures to reduce the proportion of NEET youth to 22.8 per cent by 2023. The Committee takes note that, according to ILOSTAT, the proportion of NEET youth was measured at 21.6 per cent in 2023. It further notes the information provided about employment programmes and services offered during the 2020–22 period to young people and other vulnerable groups by the State Employment Promotion Agency. For example, across Georgia, 71,319 individuals applied to an Employment Agency in connection with a public works programme. As a result, 29,323 socially vulnerable persons were employed in public works, of which 15,602 were women. Additionally, a wage subsidy programme targeting vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities, internally displaced youth, and individuals with special educational needs, was implemented during the reporting period, with specifics on the number of participants and subsidy amounts included in the report. Concerning the Committee’s previous comment on the development of public-partner partnerships in the context of education and vocational training, the Committee refers to its comments on the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), in which it noted the Government’s indication that increasing private sector involvement in the VET system is of utmost importance. In this regard, the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Education and Science jointly established the Skills Agency in 2021 to ensure the involvement of sectoral organizations in the vocational education system. In this respect, the Committee also notes that under its second priority, the newly adopted DWCP will aim at increasing the labour force participation of groups most at risk of exclusion through active labour market and social protection policies, enhancing the attractiveness, accessibility and labour-market relevance of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training), developing a national strategy of formalisation and promoting a safe and healthy working environment for all. Referring to its comments under the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), the Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken to combat the persistence of occupational segregation on the basis of sex (both vertical and horizontal) and to increase the labour force participation rate of women. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the measures envisaged or adopted to reduce the unemployment rate of young people. The Government is further requested to provide information on the nature and impact of measures taken on the employment of specific groups of workers, including persons with disabilities, rural workers and older workers.

Article 3. Consultations with the social partners. The Committee notes that no information was provided on the application of Article 3 of the Convention. It notes that on 13 August 2024, tripartite constituents and the ILO signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Georgia’s first Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP). The DWCP’s strategic priorities for the 2024–25 period focus on enhancing social dialogue and facilitating just transitions to adapt to economic change. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the content and outcome of the consultations held with the social partners regarding the formulation and implementation of an active employment policy, as well as to provide information on consultations with representatives of the persons affected by the measures to be taken, such as women, young persons, those working in rural areas and in the informal economy.