Papua New Guinea moves to establishing a National Employment Policy
The Papua New Guinea Government has prioritized the development of a new National Employment Policy to implement ILO Convention 122.
The Papua New Guinea Government has prioritised the development of a new National Employment Policy to implement ILO Convention 122. This process commenced in 2012 with the development of a Situational Analysis of Employment Policies in PNG, commissioned by the ILO and undertaken by a research team from Massey University based in Auckland. The situational analysis was discussed in detail in November 2012 at an Employment Policy Seminar jointly hosted by the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations and the ILO in Port Moresby. A wide range of stakeholders from Ministries, unions and employers participated in the event.
The seminar provided an opportunity to discuss critical challenges, issues and opportunities in the context of PNG’s rapidly growing economy and how this can deliver decent work outcomes within a National Employment Policy framework. The presence of a large informal economy, gender based disparities, critical gaps in labour market information and the need for strong cross agency co-ordination were among the key challenges identified during the seminar.
It is anticipated in next year, work will commence to establish a high level taskforce to oversee the development of a new National Employment Policy that will engage a wide range of stakeholders. The Department of Labour and Industrial Relations will be playing a leading role in this work.
The seminar provided an opportunity to discuss critical challenges, issues and opportunities in the context of PNG’s rapidly growing economy and how this can deliver decent work outcomes within a National Employment Policy framework. The presence of a large informal economy, gender based disparities, critical gaps in labour market information and the need for strong cross agency co-ordination were among the key challenges identified during the seminar.
It is anticipated in next year, work will commence to establish a high level taskforce to oversee the development of a new National Employment Policy that will engage a wide range of stakeholders. The Department of Labour and Industrial Relations will be playing a leading role in this work.