Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Mauritania (Ratification: 1971)

The Committee notes the observations of the General Confederation of Workers of Mauritania (CGTM), received on 29 August 2023, and notes that the Government has not replied to these observations. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect.

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation of a national employment policy. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on measures to promote employment. It also notes the specific measures implemented to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to provide information on progress made in implementing the “National employment strategy (SNE)” aimed at promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment. In its report, the Government indicates that it has been engaged in an operation for the collection of administrative data since 2019, as part of monitoring the impact of the SNE, in order to measure the number of jobs created, with a defined reference period from 1 August 2019 to 30 July 2020, followed by operations implemented in 2020–21 and 2021–22. According to the results of the data collection, the Mauritanian economy created 65,356 permanent jobs, including more than 16,503 in the civil service, during the 1 August 2019–30 July 2022 period. The Government adds that non-permanent jobs and those resulting from the self-employment policy have also increased through the Government’s social programmes. These figures reflect the Government’s commitment to transparency as regards its pledge to create 100,000 new decent jobs during its five-year term. The Government indicates that analysis of the jobs created during the reference period yields a number of conclusions, including the fact that there is little diversification in the Mauritanian economy, which explains why the majority of jobs created are in the informal sector. In this regard, the Committee notes that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), in its concluding observations of 19 March 2024, noted with concern that the vast majority of workers remain employed in the informal sector of the economy and are therefore not adequately protected under labour legislation or the social protection system. The CESCR also noted that unemployment rates among young people and women remain high and expressed concern at the challenges faced by members of the Haratine and Afro-Mauritanian communities in accessing the labour market (E/C.12/MRT/CO/2, paras 22 and 24). In its observations, the CGTM indicates that, despite the adoption of a national employment strategy since 2019, no national employment policy has been established. The CGTM emphasizes that such a policy is necessary to define active labour market policies based on the country’s natural resources, and also to develop industrialization programmes capable of creating sustainable mass employment. The Committee recalls that the Convention requires governments to declare and pursue, as a major goal, an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment.

The Committee urges the Government to provide in its next report detailed, up-to-date information on actual progress made in formulating and implementing a coherent national employment policy, in close consultation with the social partners, in accordance with the requirements of the Convention. The Committee underlines the importance of basing this policy on a thorough analysis of the country’s natural resources and key sectors, as well as on ambitious industrialization programmes in order to generate decent and sustainable mass employment, particularly in the formal sector. The Committee recalls that this policy must aim to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment, while guaranteeing social protection and workers’ rights. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to provide statistical data disaggregated by sex, age, sector of activity and ethnic origin, particularly with regard to Haratines and Afro-Mauritanians, in order to accurately evaluate their integration into the labour market and to measure progress in combating structural discrimination. The Committee also invites the Government to provide information on specific measures taken to reduce high unemployment among young persons and women, and to ensure the effective implementation of the current “National employment strategy (SNE)”. Lastly, the Committee encourages the Government to request and avail itself fully of ILO technical assistance to support the development of an effective, inclusive and sustainable national employment policy.

Article 2. Policy coordination. Education and vocational training. The Committee previously asked the Government to provide information on the coordination of education and vocational training policies with employment policy, and on the impact of measures taken to promote access to lasting employment. The Government indicates that, since 2021, the employment and vocational training departments have been merged within a single ministry to ensure better coordination. Before this merger, the MEHENTI programme had been created to establish an active partnership between those involved in employment, vocational training and business, in order to ensure that training and employment are aligned, especially by facilitating the integration of young people into the labour market. As part of the ongoing review of the legal framework for technical and vocational training, the Government plans to establish a High Council for Employment and Technical and Vocational Training, responsible for facilitating consultation and coordination between stakeholders and monitoring the implementation of employment and training guidelines. There are also plans to issue a decree to involve professionals from various trades in the certification of training courses. To improve the provision of vocational and technical training, particularly for young people and women, the Government has introduced several levels of qualification since 2019 to meet the needs of the labour market. These qualifications include the certificate of competence, certificate of professional aptitude, technician’s certificate and higher technician’s certificate. Between 2019 and 2023, these measures enabled 20,731 students to enrol in training institutions, with women accounting for between 38 and 41 per cent of the total. In addition, a wide range of qualification-oriented training courses, with no academic requirements, is being proposed in line with economic needs, including those of the informal economy. In the long term, the measures taken have resulted in improved skills and living conditions for beneficiaries. In the short term, the measures have increased the incomes and economic autonomy of the most vulnerable, with a job placement rate for vocational training graduates ranging from 43 to 63 per cent in 2020. The “Youth training and employment support project (PAFEJ)” has helped to create conditions conducive to inclusive economic growth, aiming to reduce youth unemployment through the development of a national employment strategy and the structuring of job market placements. The Committee requests the Government to provide in its next report a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of coordination between education, vocational training and employment policies, with a focus on gearing these policies to the specific needs of the Mauritanian labour market. The Committee also requests the Government to provide details of the tangible results of initiatives such as the MEHENTI programme and the PAFEJ project, in particular their impact on the sustainable placement of young persons and women in decent, formal and productive jobs. In addition, the Committee underlines the importance of quickly establishing the High Council for Employment and Technical and Vocational Training in order to ensure effective monitoring and inclusive consultation between public, private and social actors, in particular representatives of training centres and enterprises. The Committee requests the Government to provide up-to-date information on the certification of training by professionals and on capacity-building for training institutions, with regard to the ambitious goal of providing 115,000 training places by 2030.

Lastly, emphasizing the need for a transparent and rigorous monitoring and evaluation system, with data disaggregated by sex, age, sector and region, to assess the real contribution of training initiatives to improving living conditions, reducing unemployment and promoting the economic empowerment of vulnerable population groups, the Committee requests the Government to report on all progress made in this area.

Collection and use of employment data. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to provide information on progress achieved in the establishment of the “Employment market and training information system (SIMEF)”. The Committee notes that the Government has provided in its report statistical data from an administrative count of jobs created between August 2019 and July 2022. The Government explains that recourse to this administrative count was necessary to measure the opportunities created during the three-year term of office of the President of the Republic, given the absence of national and regional employment information systems. Noting that no statistical data have been communicated concerning employment and unemployment levels in the country, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on progress achieved with regard to establishing the “Employment market and training information system (SIMEF)” and its impact on the collection and use of employment data. The Committee reminds the Government that it may request ILO technical assistance in this respect.

Labour market institutions. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the Government’s description of the four strategic objectives of the SNE, namely: making employment the focus of the national and sectoral employment policies; strengthening public employment and job placement services; guiding the development of human capital through a demand-based approach; and developing the employment governance framework. The Committee asked the Government to provide information on the results and impact of the measures taken to achieve the strategic objectives of the SNE, which are essential for the reinforcement and governance of labour market institutions. The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not contain any precise information in this regard. The Government reaffirms the four objectives of the SNE and underlines the importance of integrating sectoral policies in the national employment policy. The Committee notes that, according to the CGTM, labour inspectorates previously had the role of public recruitment offices but have ceased to exist since the adoption of labour market liberalization policies. The CGTM also emphasizes that private employment agencies are not permitted, resulting in direct recruitment and favouring cronyism, nepotism and clan bias, as well as discrimination and the exclusion of thousands of young persons seeking to enter the job market. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the results and impact of the measures adopted in the context of the four strategic objectives of the SNE for the reinforcement and governance of labour market institutions necessary for achieving full employment. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the number of operational officers appointed and public or private employment offices created, and the number of persons placed in employment by these offices.

Employment promotion and the development of micro and small enterprises. The Committee notes the Government’s reference to the “My project, my future” programme, which aims to create 15,000 direct jobs during the five-year period by financing and supporting the creation of 5,000 micro and small enterprises across the country in key sectors of the national economy. To date, over 3,000 enterprises have been financed by this programme. The Government indicates that the “Youth employability support project”, backed by the World Bank, aims to promote the employability of vulnerable young persons. Dedicated to young persons, this project plans to train 60,000 in life skills, offer technical and vocational training for 11,350, and provide support (training, advice, subsidies and follow-up) for 17,000 young people to help them set up their own microenterprises. Women account for at least 50 per cent of the project beneficiaries. In 2023, once again dedicated to young persons, the project planned to: train 14,500 in life skills in five wilayas (regions); provide vocational training for 3,529 in the same regions; and offer training in entrepreneurship and management to 3,541 young people. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing, in its future reports, detailed and regularly updated information on the implementation and impact of programmes such as “My project, my future” and the “Youth employability support project”, with particular emphasis on the effectiveness of measures to promote sustainable job creation through financing and support for micro and small enterprises. The Committee requests the Government to include with this information qualitative and quantitative data, disaggregated by sex, region and sector of activity, to enable an evaluation of the sustainability and viability of the enterprises supported and the durability of the jobs created.

The Committee requests the Government to indicate all measures aimed at closer monitoring of beneficiaries, with increased post-funding support, particularly for young persons and women, in order to ensure the consolidation of their entrepreneurial activities in the face of economic challenges. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on any strengthening of partnerships with local professional and institutional stakeholders to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem, increase access to finance, and facilitate the integration of young people into the country’s strategic economic sectors. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the lessons learned from previous editions of the programme in order to continuously adapt initiatives to labour market developments and the specific needs of vulnerable population groups. Lastly, the Committee requests the Government to continue providing up-to-date information on all new measures and programmes implemented, including their impact, in order to develop entrepreneurship and promote the creation of new micro and small enterprises, particularly by young people and women.

Article 3. Consultation of the social partners. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to provide information on the participation of the social partners in the implementation of the SNE. The Government indicates that it has adopted a participatory approach involving all stakeholders at different levels of action. The implementation of the SNE takes into account the interests of the rural sector and of the informal economy, which accounts for approximately 70 per cent of the economy. The Government plans to design and implement a mechanism to promote the positive migration of enterprises from the informal economy to structured sectors. In its observations, the CGTM indicates that employment promotion measures can only be properly monitored and evaluated through the effective involvement of the social partners throughout the process. The CGTM adds that tripartite consultations, as provided for by the Tripartite Consultation (international labour standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144), ratified by Mauritania in 2019, have not yet been held in practice. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide information on the participation of the social partners in the implementation of the SNE and to indicate how the interests of the rural sector and of the informal economy are taken into account in such implementation.