ILO facilitates tripartite workshop on effective and efficient labour market policies for ARLAC member states

In August 2024, ILO facilitated a tripartite workshop on Developing Effective and Efficient Labour Market Programmes and Services to Support Transitions”, conducted at the ARLAC Campus from the 5th to 9th of August 2024. Tripartite delegations who attended were drawn from the following ARLAC member countries: Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The workshop aimed to enhance member countries’ abilities to:

1. Recognize employment services’ role in aiding vulnerable groups.
2. Develop and assess integrated labour market programs.
3. Create policies for decent work and smooth transitions from education to employment, especially for youth.
4. Manage active labour market programs and benefits.
5. Address management challenges in employment services and modernize delivery systems.
6. Generate and share labour market information.

The meeting was officially opened by Her Excellency Stella M. Munyi, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Zimbabwe. The meeting discussed the current issues in the labour market in the context of the various transitions including digital transitions, demographic transitions, climate change as well as structural economic transitions.

Other important sessions were on designing and implementing comprehensive employment policy frameworks, with a focus especially on strong demand side macro and sectoral policy actions and effective implementation, coordination mechanisms and budgeting. The workshop also focussed on effective active labour market policies including skills development and entrepreneurship development, and an important session on policy options and strategies for promoting transition to formality.

Participants developed country action plans for their return home and a communique recognizing the evolving world of work. The changing world of work faces various factors that include changing trade patterns, technological advancements, climate change, globalization, demographics, and political unrest, further complicated by crises like COVID-19. These changes necessitate navigating challenging labour market transitions.

The participants also identified common challenges to developing effective and efficient labour market programmes and services to support transition including the lack of technical and institutional capacity to formulate and implement an effective and conducive policy and regulatory frameworks to support transitions.

They realised from the training programme that they ILO Member States have an opportunity to use the relevant ILO standards and key documents, as well as technical and financial assistance to formulate and implement inclusive and integrated labour market programmes and employment services to facilitate transitions and livelihoods, including for those most at risk of labour market exclusion.

A workplan was appended to the Communique, which would guide in the implementation of the following objectives:

1. Strengthening skills and capacity.
2. Seeking support from government and partners.
3. Developing reskilling programs.
4. Conducting public awareness programs.