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

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Republic of Moldova (Ratification: 1996)

Articles 1 through 3 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. Consultation of the social partners. The Government indicates that some of the policy reforms foreseen in the National Employment Strategy (NES) for 2017–2021 have been achieved. The Government refers to the new legal framework on employment introduced in 2018 by Law No. 105/2018 on Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment, which, among other aspects, established a labour market analysis and forecasting system, reorganized the National Employment Agency (ANOFM), implemented a new portfolio of active labour market programmes, and introduced a monitoring and evaluation system for active labour market programmes. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the measurable targets set by the NES remain largely unrealized due to the unexpected massive drop in the total population, the change in the methodology of the 2018 Labour Force Survey, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government states that the ANOFM’s Employment Action Plan for 2022 was developed in line with the main policy documents developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MMPS), namely the National Employment Programme for 2022–2026. The Government further indicates that the objectives of the ANOFM Employment Measures Plan for 2022 include increasing employment opportunities for unemployed and jobseekers, increasing the degree of protection of Moldovan citizens who emigrate for working purposes, and ensuring the monitoring of employment measures. The Government further adds that during 2022, ANOFM, together with Territorial Subdivisions for Employment (STOFM), worked with 66,700 thousand jobseekers, of which 35,000 were newly registered unemployed and of the total registered unemployed, 52.5 per cent were men and 47.5 per cent were women. The Committee also notes the information provided by the Government on the development of partnerships in the implementation of employment measures. The Government indicates that to develop the social dialogue, different measures were undertaken, which include: (i) numerous meetings of the tripartite councils with STOFM; (ii) two tripartite council meetings at the national level ANOFM in 2022; and (iii) at the territorial level, STOFM concluded 86 collaboration agreements on the integration of various categories of persons (young people, persons with disabilities, women, persons released from detention, Roma, etc.) into the labour market. The Committee notes the detailed statistical information provided by the Government on employment, unemployment and underemployment trends. The Government indicates that the share of registered unemployed with primary, secondary and high school education has increased to 23,900 persons (from 66.1 per cent in 2021 to 68.5 per cent in 2022). In addition, the Committee notes that the World Bank (WB) observes that the Republic of Moldova, that despite sustained economic growth over two decades, poverty remains pervasive, particularly in rural regions, with limited access to services and viable economic opportunities (WB, Moldova Overview). The WB also observes that traditional means of poverty alleviation, such as remittances and social assistance, are slowing, while low labour force participation and employment rates impede a shift to employment-focused poverty reduction (ibid.). The Committee further notes the report “United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework – The Republic of Moldova, 2023–2027”, which, under the strategic priority “enhanced shared prosperity in a sustainable economy”, includes as outcome 3 the following: “by 2027, all people of Moldova, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from inclusive, competitive and sustainable economic and development and equal access to decent work productive employment” (page 72). The Committee further observes that according to the ILO Moldova is facing several employment challenges, and in particular a low employment rate, with significant gender disparities. The employment rate continues to be low, at 41 per cent in 2022 (ILOSTAT, 2023), with significant disparities between men (45 per cent) and women (36 per cent). The unemployment rate also remains particularly low, standing at less than 1 per cent in 2022 (ILOSTAT, 2023). In parallel, the share of employment in the informal economy is one of the highest in the Central and Eastern European regions, reaching 56 per cent in 2022 (ILOSTAT, 2023), which affects job security and related entitlement to social security and other employment-related benefits. Youths face difficulties in finding quality jobs and transitioning from school to work. The Committee further refers to its comments on the application of the Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117). Additionally, economic pressures from the energy crisis, droughts, and the recent influx of refugees have strained the labour market. In view of the above, the Committee considers that there is a need for comprehensive employment policies and reforms to support vulnerable groups and improve job quality, through effective social dialogue mechanisms. Hence, the Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the development, implementation, monitoring and review of the new national employment policy after the expiry of the NES 2017–21, including information onthe National Employment Programme for 2022–2026 and the implementation of the “United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework – The Republic of Moldova, 2023–2027”, and on the manner in which consultation with the social partners and their participation in this process is ensured. The Committee also invites the Government to continue to provide statistical information on employment, unemployment and underemployment trends, disaggregated by age, sex and region.

Young persons, women and migrants. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on measures taken to promote the employment of young persons during the reporting period, which included pre-employment services, vocational training, certifications of knowledge, and services provided to unemployed young persons. The Government further indicates that the share of registered young people aged 16–24 (2,565 persons) was 7.3 per cent of the total number of registered unemployed and registered young people aged 25–29 accounted for 2,554 persons out of the total number of registered unemployed (7.3 per cent). The Committee notes the measures taken to promote the employment of women during the reporting period, which included services provided to unemployed women, women released from detention or social rehabilitation institutions, women with disabilities and pre-employment services and vocational training. The Committee notes the statistical data provided by the Government with respect to the employment of women. The Committee further notes that in its previous comments, it referred to the concerns expressed by different United Nations human rights bodies referring to persistent gender role stereotypes and care responsibilities assigned to women, the very low representation of women in decision-making positions, and that the masculinization and feminization of professions remains a challenge (document E/C.12/MDA/CO/3, 19 October 2017, para. 24; and document CEDAW/C/MDA/6, 24 January 2019, para. 183). The Committee notes that the Government has not provided information on the “GirlsGoIT” project referred to in the previous comments, which aims to provide young girls, including from rural areas, better employment opportunities in the STEM sector. The Committee observes that, according to 2023 data from the ILOSTAT database, the labour force participation rate has improved but continues to be lower for women than for men (41.2 per cent and 49.4 per cent, respectively). The Committee notes also that the WB Gender Data Portal indicates that in the Republic of Moldova: (i) vulnerable employment for females has worsened since 1991; (ii) for 2022 vulnerable employment among women was 59.2 per cent and among men was 58.5 per cent; and that (iii) workers in vulnerable employment are the least likely to have formal work arrangements, social protection, and safety nets to guard against economic shocks, and they are more likely to fall into poverty. The Committee further notes that while the gender pay gap in the Republic of Moldova has narrowed over the last decade, women continue to earn less than men for work of equal value – about 15 per cent less in terms of monthly wages (ILO, The gender pay gap in Moldova. Recent trends and policy implications, ILO Geneva, 2024). In addition, the Committee notes the statistical data provided by the Government concerning migrant workers from the Republic of Moldova returning from employment abroad. The Committee notes in this regard that during the reporting period, STOFM registered 530 returnees as unemployed, and 139 returnees as employed and that a high share of returning migrants is observed in rural areas and have no qualifications or professions. Concerning the measures adopted in favour of this group, the Government indicates that information services were provided to 487 people, intermediary services were provided to 271 people, and that 14 returnees received unemployment benefits. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information with respect to measures taken or envisaged to meet the employment needs of young persons, women and persons with a migration background, such as the GirlsGoIT project, as well as updated statistical information, disaggregated by age and sex, on the impact of such measures.

Persons with disabilities. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide updated detailed information on the measures taken to promote the employment of persons with disabilities in the labour market. The Committee notes the statistical data provided by the Government regarding this group of persons. The Government indicates that during 2022, 2,216 persons with disabilities seeking employment were registered, of which 1,018 were women (45.9 per cent), that most persons with disabilities registered as unemployed were over 50 years old (61.8 per cent), followed by those aged 35–49 (27.6 per cent), and that in the age categories 16–24 and 30–34 unemployment was 4.1 per cent each. The Committee also notes the information provided by the Government on the measures taken in favour of this group, which include free vocational training courses and vocational qualification courses and that, as a result, unemployed persons were placed in employment. The Committee notes in this respect that the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), in the report “Situational Analysis of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Moldova” of 2021, observed that several obstacles remain that impede the employment of persons with disabilities, including: (i) a lack of mechanisms to implement the legal provisions in place; (ii) limited awareness among persons with disabilities regarding their right to work and facilities that must be provided by law; (iii) limited access of persons with disabilities to rehabilitation, career counselling and vocational training services; and (iv) the lack of employment support services (p. 14). The Committee requests the Government to provide further updated detailed information on the policy as well as legal measures adopted or envisaged to promote the integration and employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market, including, as applicable, disaggregated statistical data on the impact of such measures.