National Employment Strategy 2017-2030 guides action to promote growth
Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and
Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
Dili, July 28th, 2017
National Employment Strategy 2017-2030 guides action to promote growth
The National Employment Strategy [NES] 2017-2030, entitled Productive Employment shall be a central means of Nation Building and Wealth Creation, emphasizes productive employment as “the basis for improving household livelihoods and the prosperity of the country as a whole, where equal participation of men and women will be the only way of achieving inclusive economic growth and social development.”
The strategy, approved by the Council of Ministers on the 13th of June, was officially presented on the 17th of July by the by the Secretary of State for Employment Policy and Vocational Training [SEPFOPE] with the support of the Office of the Minister of State, Coordinator for Economic Affairs and the International Labour Organisation.
The NES makes a frank analysis of the current employment environment and sets out the ‘Triple Employment Challenge’ faced by Timor-Leste: to create (1) more and better employment opportunities for the existing labour force, (2) new employment for the young people entering the labour force and (3) employment opportunities for women, whose productive capacity is under utilized.
To respond to this triple challenge the document sets out 16 strategies under 3 pillars, namely, increase labour market demand, improve labour market supply and strengthen labour market institutions.
To increase labour market demand the strategies proposed are boosting private sector generated employment, increasing employment from labour migration schemes, maximizing the employment impact of Government spending, and developing local potentials. To improve labour market supply the NES encourages continued implementation of the Timor-Leste Technical and Vocational Education and Training Plan, stronger links between the Ministry of Education and SEPFOPE, continued strengthening of training centres and higher education, improving the social protection system and inclusiveness of vulnerable groups, and promoting gender equality. Finally to strengthen labour market institutions are strategies which include strengthening labour market policies, coordination structures, labour market information systems and links between job seekers and employment opportunities, as well as the review of the labour law and wage setting mechanism.
The NES also defines a set of indicators to monitor the achievement of targets and objectives set, includes a coordination structure, summarizes the planned 5 years milestones, sets out a methodology of implementation, and outlines the structure of a NES Secretariat.
Spokesperson, Minister of State Agio Pereira, noted “the Sixth Constitutional Government throughout its mandate has vigorously pursed actions to increase the demand for labour by supporting private sector growth and by strengthening the quality of our labour supply through education, training and improved well being. There is no doubt that diversifying our economy, creating sustainable employment and encouraging private investment are crucial factors for our successful national development. The Government welcomes the NES as an important tool for the incoming VII Constitutional Government and urges its use as a guide for actions to boost employment.”ENDS
