The ILO’s approach to comprehensive national
employment policy frameworks –
Lessons and tools for implementing SDG8
UNDP-ILO Workshop on Employment, Trade and
Human Development in Central Asia
Almaty, 23-24 June 2016
Aurelio Parisotto, Head
Country Policy Development and Coordination Unit
Employment Policy Department
ILO Geneva
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Outline
1. The ILO approach – Promoting «comprehensive
national employment policy frameworks»
2. How it works in practice? Are we having an
impact?
3. What have we learnt that can help countries in
the region achieve SDG8?
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Proportion of people who selected jobs as one of their priorities in
the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda - by country
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Source: United Nations My World survey, 2014
1. The ILO’s approach
NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK - The ILO Convention on Employment Policy No. 122
(1964) provides the global reference for employment policy. Ratifying States (109)
accept an obligation to declare and pursue an “active policy” designed to promote full
and productive employment as a major goal, consulting the social partners and taking
into account national circumstances.
NEP
The three
guiding
principles
of an
employment
policy
Quantity – Work for everyone who is available
and looking for work
Quality – Such work is as productive as possible
Non-discrimination -There is freedom of
choice of employment and fullest possibility for
each worker to utilize her/his skills, irrespective
of race, sex, age, religion, political opinion,
nationality or social origin.
GLOBAL POLICY TEMPLATES
A number of templates were international agreed to help ILO tripartite constituents
articulate national policies and programmes for stronger employment outcomes
• The Global Employment Agenda (2002) is a “coherent and coordinated
international strategy for the promotion of freely chosen productive
employment”
• The Conclusions concerning the promotion of sustainable enterprises - (2007)
outline the conditions for a conducive environment for enterprise development
• The ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization (2008) recognizes
that the four strategic objectives underlying decent work are inseparable,
interrelated and mutually supportive
• The Global Jobs Pact (ILC 2009) accounts for a portfolio of policies to promote
investments, employment and social protection in the wake of the financial crisis
• The Conclusions concerning the second recurrent discussion on employment
(ILC 2014) invite countries to promote a comprehensive national employment
policy framework based on a menu of policy choices to be adapted to national
circumstances
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The «comprehensive approach» to employment
policy - A diversified array of complementary policy measures
National
Employment
Policy (NEP)
Wage policies,
employment
legislation,
collective
bargaining
Education and
training,
migration and
demography
Labour market policies and
institutions
Economic and social policies
ProEmployment
macroecono
mic policies
Trade, tax,
industrial,
infrastructur
e and
sectoral
policies
Enterprise
policies, SME
development and
entrepreneurship
Policies to
encourage
transition to
formality
Active labour
market
policies
Passive labour
market policies
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A carefully crafted process of policy design
and implementation –
Tripartite processes for policy coherence across
economic, social and environmental issues
Inter-institutional coordination
Labour market information systems
Monitoring and evaluation
A concerted and coherent framework linking all
employment policy interventions and all relevant
stakeholders
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2. How it works in practice - The NEP policy
cycle
The ILO facilitates the
employment process at
country level through:
A. Preparation
G. Evaluation
B. Issue
identification
F.
Implementation
C. Formulation
E. Programming
D. Adoption
 labour market situation
analysis
 advice, analysis and
research on how to
increase the employment
content of growth
 capacity building for
government and the social
partners
 supporting tripartite and
multi-stakeholder
consultation and policy
dialogue and
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Are we having an impact? The case of Morocco
FROM
labour policy as the only
response to a jobs crisis
TO
a multidimensional policy package
including trade and enterprise
development
a political debate paying
attention only to the
situation of educated jobseekers
a broader view encompassing all
vulnerable groups (women, low skilled
workers, rural workers, migrants)
unemployment as the only
target of policy
a range of indicators for measures to
tackle underemployment, informality,
inactivity
responsibility resting only
with the Ministry of Labour
a new coordinating body including
several line agencies and ministries
a centralized top-down
strategy
a sub-national approach where local
authorities have responsibilities and
funds for employment promotion.
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3. What have we learnt that can help countries in
the region achieve SDG8? - CONTENT
NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL– “good fit” more than “best practice”




Growth levels: Pro-employment macroeconomic frameworks
- reasonable price stability
- countercyclical fiscal policies
- stable exchange rates and capital account management
Composition of growth: Investment-led strategies to promote productive
transformation
- “horizontal” policies: business environment, R&D, infrastructure, skills
- industry/value chain-specific “vertical” interventions
- financial inclusion (SMEs)
Focus on the quality of jobs: it is transformative too
- wage policy and minimum wage systems
- social protection: stabilizer and productivity-enhancing
- limits of structural reforms
Labour market access: women, youth, disadvantages groups
- targeted and well-designed ALMP measures can help promote inclusive
labour markets, but we do not know much about their aggregate impact
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Lessons learnt - PROCESS
IT TAKES TIME– policy habits are hard to change
Benchmarks for progress include the following:








Solid diagnostics - Labour market information, research and analysis to
identify drivers of change and entry points for the employment policy
Clear priorities for immediate action shared by stakeholders – “depth of
consultations leading to policy design”
Strategic vision - to ensure consistency of policy changes over the short and
the longer term - “solid fit to the development plans”
Budget allocations – Policy announcements linked to quantifiable budget
targets – “credible political commitment”
Inter-ministerial coordination and policy coherence - Making employment
a cross-sectoral goal and responsibility – “needs leadership from the top”
Effective support system – capable and competent bureaucracies – “nurture
pockets of efficiency”
Monitoring- Realistic monitoring is important for accountability and policy fine
tuning – “introduce feedback loops”
Last but not least … social dialogue
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To conclude: some practical ILO tools
RESEARCH, ADVOCACY AND POLICY GUIDELINES
• Resource guide for the formulation of national employment policies
• Resource guide on Gender issues in employment and labour market policies
published in English/French/Spanish.
• New guide on "National Employment Policies: a guide for workers' organisations",
available in English/Spanish/Russian/Arabic.
• Руководство по формированию национальной политики в сфере занятости
• Technical guidelines for the formulation of decent work country programmes
• Multiple Employment working papers, books, and policy briefs on pro-employment
macroeconomic policy frameworks
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/employment-promotion/lang--en/index.htm
TRAINING
• Two weeks training course on Employment Policy (English-Frenchl) held annually
in ITC Turin – next one will be held from 26 September to 7 October 2016
• Training course on “Macroeconomic policies, jobs and inclusive growth” organised
at ITC Turin – next one from 14-18 November 2016
http://www.itcilo.org/en
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For further information:
[email protected]
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