Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

1. Labour market trends and active employment policy. The Committee notes the detailed information contained in the Government’s report for the period ending 31 May 2005, and the full documentation attached. It notes the slight increase in the employment rate (rising from 59.6 per cent in 2003 to 60.3 per cent in 2004), which remains low relative to the European average of 63.3 per cent, and the objective of 70 per cent by 2010 established by Belgium in the framework of the European Employment Strategy (EES). The Committee notes that the National Plan of Action for Employment (PAN) of September 2004 identified raising employment rates as one of its priorities and that the Government is committed to promoting the creation of 200,000 jobs by 2007 through measures to make employment more beneficial for workers and less burdensome for employers. Furthermore, the planned rise in economic growth up to 2 per cent should result in stabilization, or even a very slight increase in the employment rate of between 0.1 and 0.2 points, and a greater increase in the years to come. The Committee also notes the measures adopted by the Flemish and Walloon communities to increase employment. It hopes that the next report will contain information on the results achieved by these programmes at both the federal and regional levels as part of an active policy intended to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment (Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention).

2. Global and sectoral development policies. The Committee has noted the significant disparities on the Belgian labour market between and even within regions, with the employment rate in Flanders being 64 per cent in 2004, compared with 55.5 per cent in Wallonia and 55.4 per cent in Brussels. It notes that measures have been adopted to strengthen cooperation between regional employment services, and that the Higher Employment Council noted with satisfaction in 2005 that the various regional and community authorities had renewed and updated the cooperation agreement concerning the interregional mobility of jobseekers, which should contribute to developing the interregional exchange of job vacancies and strengthening cooperation in training activities. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain information on the results achieved by the measures adopted to achieve balanced regional development.

3. Employment market policies. The Committee notes that the standardized OECD unemployment rate stabilized at 7.9 per cent in 2003-04, although it rose slightly for women (increasing from 8.9 per cent in 2003 to 9.5 per cent in 2004). Youth unemployment, which is particularly high in Brussels (35.1 per cent in 2003) and in Wallonia (31.8 per cent in 2003), especially among low-skilled young persons, remains considerably higher than the general unemployment rate (20 per cent of the population between the ages of 15 and 24 years in 2004), and in this connection the “first job agreement” has been simplified to promote the hiring of young persons under 26 years of age. In reply to its direct request of 2004, the Government’s report enumerates the various measures adopted to raise the employment level of older workers, as their low employment rate, despite a rise of 4.9 points between 2001 and 2004, remains a matter of concern (30 per cent of the population aged 55-64 years in 2004, compared with 41 per cent at the European level). The Committee notes that, with a view to increasing the participation of older workers in the labour market, the minimum age for coverage by the unemployment system, which gives entitlement to unemployment benefit without the obligation to seek employment, was raised to 55 years in 2002 and 58 years in July 2004. The Committee also notes that, according to the economic study of Belgium undertaken by the OECD in 2005, it is not only indispensable to raise the employment rate of young persons and older workers, but also that of ethnic minorities, whose employment rate is half that of native Belgians, while their unemployment rate is three times as high. It notes that, in the context of the National Employment Conference of 2003, the various partners formulated plans of action intended to increase the participation of under-represented groups on the labour market, such as persons of foreign origin and persons with disabilities, through the establishment of awareness-raising campaigns and the intensification of controls to enforce compliance with the non-discrimination legislation. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures adopted to promote the employment of vulnerable categories of workers, such as women, young persons, older workers, ethnic minorities and workers with disabilities, and on the results achieved in terms of lasting integration into the labour market (Article 1, paragraph 2).

4. Education and training policies. In reply to its 2004 direct request, the Government’s report indicates that, with a view to reducing long-term unemployment (unemployed for over one year), which rose once again in 2004 (49.6 per cent compared with 46.3 per cent in 2003), a new cooperation agreement has been signed between the federal State, the regions and communities establishing a new procedure to follow up the unemployed, which entered into force on 1 July 2004 and makes accompanying measures compulsory for the unemployed. The regions and communities will ensure that a new start is offered progressively to all young jobseekers before they have been unemployed for six months, and to all unemployed persons over 25 years of age before they complete 12 months of unemployment. In parallel, an examination has commenced of the cases of beneficiaries of unemployment allowances to ascertain that they are complying with the obligation to be seeking employment. The examination of the cases of all beneficiaries under 50 years of age should be completed during the course of 2007 and an assessment will be made of the findings. The Government’s report emphasizes the need to implement a policy of lifelong learning and refers in this respect to the latest interoccupational agreement of the social partners which envisages devoting 1.9 per cent of their wage mass to training with the objective of one worker out of two participating in training each year by 2010. It also refers to the action taken by the regions and communities to increase the supply of training and to develop a system for the certification of acquired skills, so that their value on the labour market can be recognized more effectively. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the measures adopted in the context of education and training policies, and on their impact in terms of integration into the labour market.

5. General economic policies. The Committee notes the measures envisaged to promote the social economy, with the objective of the creation of 12,000 additional jobs for the social integration of workers from target groups over a period of four years. It also notes the conclusion by the Federal State and the regions in 2005 of a new cooperation agreement on the plural economy with a view to pursuing efforts in this respect and promoting the development of the social economy and the social responsibility of enterprises. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed of the results achieved by these measures and to continue providing information on the manner in which the measures adopted for the promotion of employment lie within the framework of a “coordinated economic and social policy” (Article 2(a)).

6. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Government’s report indicates that many of the challenges in the field of employment go beyond the fields of competence of the various authorities and require a common approach in which the social partners are also associated. In this respect, it adds that a substantive debate is currently being held with the social partners on the issue of the final stages of working life. The Committee notes that discussions with the social partners are also envisaged with a view to developing an overall strategy on active ageing and that a new interoccupational agreement is expected for the period 2005-06. It requests the Government to continue providing information on the manner in which the representatives of the persons affected are consulted in relation to employment policies (Article 3).