Working Age

The unemployment rate climbed to 7.6 per cent by the end of 2016 from 7.4 from the beginning of the year, the youth unemployment hovered at 17.3 per cent and working-age groups in Mauritius require adequate safety nets in order to maintain income security. According to the Employment Rights Act of 2008, the Government of the Republic of Mauritius introduced the Workfare Programme in 2009, which provides financial assistance to working-age citizens facing unemployment.

The overall unemployment rate in Algeria has declined considerably over the last decade falling from 30 per cent in 2000 to 10 per cent in 2010, and continued to decline to less than 10 per cent in 2015.  Youth unemployment is still high and has steadily increased since 2009, up to 21.5 per cent in 2012 but declined to 20 per cent in 2014. In order to address unemployment, the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria adopted constitutional amendments in 1996 that guarantee the rights of working-age residents to adequate income security.

In 2015 persons of working-age made up approximately 68.9 per cent of the population of the Republic of Chile. Chile’s workforce participation among adult females and males was approximately 47 per cent and 74 per cent respectively in 2010 with an unemployment rate of 8.1 per cent in the same year. In order to safeguard income security for this large group, the Government of Chile launched an Unemployment Insurance (UI) scheme in 2002, which was designed to reduce the risks related to unemployment and support re-employment strategies.

In the Republic of India approximately 80 per cent of the poor and 77 per cent of the workforce live in rural areas and experience an average of 104 days of unemployment per year. In order to address rural poverty and unemployment the Government of India introduced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005. MGNREGA aims to enhance the level of income security for rural households by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment every year to poor rural households.

In 2016 the Republic of Indonesia’s working-age group made up 67 per cent of the population. In 2002 the Government of Indonesia took fundamental steps toward improved income security for this important group through amendments to the 1945 Constitution. As such, the 1945 Constitution now recognizes the right to social security and the responsibility of the State in ensuring sufficient income security for all persons of working-age.

In 2016, persons of working-age made up 72.9 per cent of the total population of the Republic of Korea. In order to maintain income security for this large group, the Government of the Republic of Korea has been implementing active labour market programmes as part of its Employment Insurance System (EIS) since 1995. The EIS upholds the 1993 Employment Insurance Law and promotes employment, vocational competency and provides financial support and re-employment assistance for unemployed persons. The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labour is responsible for managing the EIS.