Cabinet approves new Human Resource and Employment Policy

Thursday, 19 January 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Uditha Jayasinghe

Cabinet yesterday approved the reformulated National Human Resource and Employment Policy (NHREP) that aims to increase productivity and encourage private sector participation in the workforce.

NHREP is expected to implement the policy in collaboration with the relevant 28 line ministries and the private sector to provide full, decent and productive employment to all Sri Lankans, the Cabinet paper submitted by Labour Minister W.D.J Seneviratne said.

In reformulating the policy, which was initially launched by the previous Government, special attention was paid to several aspects such as conducive effects of the macroeconomic policies of the new Government to human resource development at a national level and enhancing the productivity of the emerging workforce through education, higher education and professional education. NHREP will also focus on directing potential job seekers, giving career guidance, labour market information and other public employment services. It will also deal with entrepreneurship and employment in SMEs and related sectors.

In order to ensure effective implementation of the policy, a results-based management plan and a detailed action plan were prepared in 2014 with the participation of all stakeholders concerned and the said detailed action plan is being revised in line with the amended policy to reflect the functions vested in each stakeholder under the new ministerial structure, and also to be applicable for the period from 2017-2021.

The implementation of the policy will be coordinated by the National Steering Committee and a progress monitoring unit has already been established at the Department of Manpower and Employment under the Labour Ministry. The technical and financial assistance for the said unit were provided by the International Labour Organisation and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).