UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour

Context

Unemployment and underemployment, particularly among young people and women, are critical challenges facing both shores of the Mediterranean. High unemployment rates contribute to serious issues such as the growth of the informal economy, migration, and instability.

According to the International Labour Organisation, the unemployment rate in the MENA region is projected to reach 9.8% in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Youth unemployment is especially concerning, with persistently high rates of NEETs (young people not in education, employment, or training) all across the UfM region, be it in the North or in the South.

In response to these pressing issues, the UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour meets biannually. This platform brings together representatives from employment ministries and agencies of UfM Member States, as well as regional institutions, international organizations, social partners (employer organizations and trade unions), and labour experts. The aim is to promote the implementation of commitments outlined in the UfM Ministerial Declarations on Employment and Labour.

The Platform's objective

The main objective of the UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour is to follow up on the implementation of the UfM Ministerial Declarations on Employment and Labour. Regular meetings of the Regional Platform on Employment and Labour and the Social Dialogue Forum are organised to follow up on its roadmap and to discuss further all aspects related to employment, employability and decent work.

Key priorities

The key priorities of this platform are job creation, job matching, inclusive entrepreneurship. Employment, being at the core of the platform, is addressed with a focus on women and youth, social economy, social dialogue and informal economy. Additionally, other prime concerns are Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), skill development and decent work, all of it to ensure the future of work and just transition to a more sustainable labour market.

Policy framework

Meetings are organised at regular intervals at Ministerial level to discuss the most pressing employment and socio-economic challenges in the region as well as to decide on the way forward (acting upon Ministerial Declaration). A roadmap is then drawn up to implement the commitments made in the Ministerial Declaration.

The policy priorities of the latest Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour focused on the employment and employability challenges of the most vulnerable, especially among youth and women.

The request for a framework for national monitoring was made by the Ministers of the UfM Member States during the 4th UfM Ministerial meeting on Employment and Labour, in 2019. Two years later, Ministers reiterated their commitment to the monitoring exercise in the Marrakech Ministerial Declaration of May 2022, in the context of the 5th Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labour.

To date, 12 UfM Member States are volunteering in the UfM Community of Practice on Monitoring in Employment and Labour: Algeria, Belgium (as from July 2024), France, Greece, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, and Türkiye. A cross-country report on this monitoring exercise will be presented at the next UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour.

As a participatory process, all steps have been discussed and agreed upon by volunteering and non-volunteering countries, including the approach, the process, the monitoring framework, the indicators and the reporting tools and format.