Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Norway (Ratification: 1966)

Other comments on C122

Observation

Direct Request

Display in: French - SpanishView all

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends. The Committee welcomes the Government’s comprehensive report, including the statistical data provided. The Government indicates that, from 2013 to 2015, the overall employment rate for the active population aged 15–74 fell from 68.7 to 68 per cent, representing a decrease in the employment rate of four percentage points since 2008. In this regard, the Committee notes that the overall employment rate for this age group from 2008 to 2015 remained consistently higher for men than for women, reaching 70.5 per cent for men and 65.5 per cent for women in 2015. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, as a result of the downturn in the Norwegian oil industry, unemployment has increased in parts of the country. It also notes that the overall unemployment rate among the active population (15–74 years) – as indicated in the Labour Force Survey data compiled by Statistics Norway – has steadily increased from 2.5 per cent in 2008 to 4.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, with unemployment rates among men consistently higher than those for women. The Government adds that unemployment among persons aged 15–74 years registered with the Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) increased correspondingly, from 1.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2008 to 3.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the employment situation in the country, including updated labour market data on the level and trends of employment, unemployment, and underemployment.

Active labour market measures. The Government highlights that a central challenge for the national labour and welfare policy is to reduce the number of unemployed persons of working age that are receiving sickness benefits. To address this challenge, active labour market measures introduced by the Government in 2016 envisage the creation of approximately 75,000 jobs: 16,500 positions for unemployed persons and 58,000 positions for jobseekers with disabilities. The Government refers to research showing that, in general, labour market measures carried out in regular workplaces yield better results than training measures in sheltered working environments. As a result, the Government has focused on programmes where the jobseeker is placed directly in a regular workplace through a wage subsidies arrangement. In 2016, the Government increased its budget for labour market measures to facilitate use of wage subsidies. In addition, a new two-year training measure is being implemented to assist persons with low qualifications who require assistance to enable them to secure lasting employment. The Government also reports that it plans to establish a new measure, Preparatory Work Training (AFT), for persons in need of labour market assistance who are not able to undertake training measures in a regular workplace at the start of the rehabilitation and re-integration process. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated information on the impact of active labour market measures in job creation, including for persons with disabilities.

Reform of the Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). The Committee notes the Government’s replies to its request for information with regard to the impact of the NAV reform, which consisted primarily of merging the Public Employment Services (PES), the National Social Insurance Administration (NSIA) and the municipal social cash benefit offices, and merging and modernizing NAV offices across the country to improve labour market inclusion, particularly for disadvantaged groups. The Government reports that the evaluation of the reform, completed in 2014, concluded that users of merged NAV offices had a lower probability of obtaining employment or entering into education as compared to users of NAV offices that had not yet been merged. These findings were attributed to inadequate implementation rather than to the design of the reform itself; therefore, the White Paper presented by the Government to the Parliament in May 2016 sets out a new overall strategic direction for the reform, focusing on local empowerment, by strengthening the local NAV offices and giving local NAV staff greater latitude. The Government indicates that the overall aim of this strategy is to get more people into employment, provide better services to employers, the unemployed and persons outside the labour market. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the NAV reform, as well as on measures taken to improve and support its functioning.

Particular categories of workers vulnerable to decent work deficits. The Committee notes the disaggregated statistical data provided by the Government on the employment situation of young persons, older workers, persons with disabilities and immigrants. The Committee notes that, while the employment rate of young persons aged 15–25 years decreased from 58 to 51.1 per cent between 2008 and 2015, the employment rate of older persons aged 60-64 increased by 4 percentage points for men and 7.6 percentage points for women, reaching 69 per cent for men and 61 per cent for women in this age group. The Government explains that the main reason for this increase is the introduction of a new retirement pension scheme in 2011 which makes it more beneficial to work for a longer period of time before retiring. With respect to migrant workers, the Government reports that, the employment rate has decreased for both national and migrant workers (aged 15–74) from 2014 to 2015, reaching 60.3 per cent for national workers and 67.2 per cent for migrant workers in this age group, respectively. The Government points out, however, that employment and unemployment rates for migrants vary according to group. For example, as of 2015, migrants from the European Union (EU)/European Free Trade Area (EFTA), North America, Australia and New Zealand (aged 15–74) had a higher employment rate (69.2 per cent) than the national population (67.2 per cent), while migrants from Europe (except EU/EFTA), Asia, Turkey, Africa, South and Central America and Oceania, had a significantly lower overall employment rate (52 per cent). The Government indicates that this difference is due to the fact that migrants from the latter group are generally younger than the national population. With regard to persons with disabilities, the Committee notes the statistical data provided by the Government, showing that in 2015, the overall employment rate of persons with disabilities aged 15–64 years was 43.4 per cent, compared to 74.3 per cent for the entire population. In this context, the Committee notes the Government’s continued cooperation with the social partners – including through local NAV offices – at the central and local levels, through the tripartite Inclusive Working Life Agreement 2014–18 (the IW Agreement), which focuses on three main objectives: reducing absences due to sickness; increasing the labour market participation of persons with health impairments and disabilities; and prolonging the working life of older workers. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information, including statistical data, on the impact of the employment measures implemented under the IW Agreement and other measures targeting specific categories of workers vulnerable to decent work deficits, including women, young persons, older workers, persons with disabilities and migrant workers, as well as rural workers and those in the informal economy. It further requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged to foster gender parity in employment in all age groups and across all populations, particularly among members of disadvantaged groups.