Recommendations from a two -day workshop will be proposed to the employment department to contribute towards the implementation of a national framework to help improve decent work and economic growth in Seychelles.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8 national indicators framework workshop being held at the International Conference Centre was opened yesterday and is being hosted by the Ministry of Employment, Immigration and Civil Status (MEICS) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Dr Coffi Agossou, a senior ILO labour statistics specialist is the facilitator of the workshop, the objective of which is to assess the availability and reliability of data related to the SDGs labour market indicators under ILO standards.

Dr Agossou has been providing his technical expertise as part of the review of the labour market to the employment department and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) since 2014.

The workshop was officially opened yesterday by the technical advisor of the employment department, Susan Morel who said the recommendations will address the data gaps between the requirement of SDG Goal 8 and statistics being collected by the national statistical information systems.

"The SDG Goal 8 hence presents an opportunity for us as a member state to assess progress made on the labour market and to assist policy makers in introducing the necessary measures to address development challenges, through the use of evidence-based data," Miss Morel said.

She said it will also guide the Employment Department to better align its data collection tools of its labour force surveys and employment statistics with international standards.

"Through the effectiveness of labour market policies, the success of Goal 8 will help to contribute towards the achievement of objectives in other SDG goals such as poverty reduction, gender equality among others," she said.

Dr Agossou said that during the two-day workshop, the stakeholders will be sensitised on SDG 8 national framework indicators and how to report and strengthen the technical capacity of the staff of the NBS, MEICS and other stakeholders who will be involved in this year's quarterly labour force survey (QLFS) data collection and SDG 8 report writing.

Representatives from the Ministry of Health, Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC), Ministry of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning (MFTEP), Central Bank of Seychelles and trade unions are attending the workshop.

On Tuesday 21^st October 2014, Ms Veronique Bresson, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development met with Ms. Nombana Razafinisoa, a programme officer with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Ms. Razafinisoa was on an official mission in the country as part of Seychelles’ decent work country programme (DWCP) and was here to plan activities within the implementation of the DWCP for the 2014-2015 part of the programme. She also used the occasion to discuss with the Minister of Labour and Human Resource Development, as well as with social partners, on the implementation of the DWCP and other ILO technical cooperation activities in Seychelles.

The Decent Work Country Programme itself is a mechanism through which the ILO supports the efforts of tripartite constituents to find effective and long-lasting solutions to commonly identified challenges in socio economic development.

The development plans of Seychelles have always been a challenge for employment and supply of labour imposed by demographic conditions of our country. Nonetheless, quality employment and unemployment marginalisation is however well within our reach. The Government is set to attain this important milestone in the remaining years of our nation’s development.

It is for this reason that the Government has welcomed the Decent Work Country Programme initiative as it will facilitates the preparation of a coherent and focused programme that promotes decent work throughout the economy. It also consolidates labour and employment achievements to which the ILO has been an indispensable contributor.

During the meeting, Ms. Bresson gave Ms. Razafinisoa of the nation’s progress and achievements under the programme, giving the example of the new National Employment Policy launched in April 2014. Ms. Razafinisoa said she was impressed with Seychelles’ progress in the programme so far. The programme itself began in 2011 and will run until 2015. Ms. Razafinisoa said that the idea is that the following year will be focused on seeing how Seychelles can better accomplish the goals of the DWCP.

Ms. Bresson said that the Minister was thankful to the ILO for helping get Seychelles this far.

Among the issues discussed in the meeting was the matter of statistics gathering, which, she confessed, is still a challenge in Seychelles, but that, again, under the programme, the ILO approved a mission only last month to help prepare action plans to provide technical assistance in the Labour Market Information System. The ILO is also assisting the Ministry in conducting the Productivity Study, Youth Employment Study, a review of the Occupational Safety and Health Decree and Policy, and review of the HIV/AIDS workplace policy.

“The public expects action,” Ms. Bresson said. “And the Ministry is eager to deliver on the challenge. Employment continues to evolve and we need to keep up with what is happening in the world.”

This meeting was followed by another on Thursday 23^rd October wherein Ms. Razafinisoa reiterated the objective of her mission as an opportunity for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) office to discuss and plan with the tripartite constituents the projects that the country requires over this biennium (2014-2015) for the effective implementation of Seychelles’ DWCP.

It was noted that Seychelles remains at the forefront in the implementation of the DWCP in comparison to its counterparts in the Indian Ocean and is among the top three countries in Africa. In view that the programme is sustained by both the political will and commitment of the applicable partners. The team in Seychelles is also proactive and maintains a strong collaboration with the ILO Country Office based in Antananarivo, Madagascar. In this regard, the Antananarivo office considered the possibility of organising a workshop in order to facilitate an exchange of best practices among the countries under its purview.