Parliament’s Economic Policy Committee has heard the Labour Inspection Service’s report for 2025: 7,111 inspections, 3,709 facilities inspected for the first time, and a reported 46% fall in fatal workplace accidents. Five years after the Service received a full mandate over labour rights, this brief assesses how far Georgia’s labour inspection has come, and what remains to be done.
Key Points
- In 2025 the Labour Inspection Service carried out 7,111 inspections, including first-time inspections of 3,709 facilities (Parliament of Georgia, 2026).
- The head of the Service reported a 46% fall in fatal workplace accidents in 2025 and a significant decline in labour violations.
- Separate oversight covered labour migration (224 inspections, 62 administrative offence reports) and anti-discrimination provisions (233 inspections).
- Georgia had no labour inspectorate between 2006 and 2015; the Service obtained a full mandate over labour rights only from 1 January 2021 (Human Rights Watch, 2023; Council of Europe, 2023).
- Civil society has documented weaknesses: too few re-inspections, inflexible deadlines for correcting violations, no sector-specific inspection plans, and barriers for complainants (Civil Society Foundation, 2023).
1. Context
Georgia’s labour inspectorate was abolished in 2006 and restored in 2015 with powers limited to occupational safety (Human Rights Watch, 2023). An organic law on occupational safety in February 2019 allowed unannounced safety inspections in all sectors. On 29 September 2020 Parliament adopted amendments to the Labour Code and a new Law on the Labour Inspection Service, giving the Service a full mandate over labour rights from 1 January 2021 (Council of Europe, 2021; 2023). The Service may act on complaints, on its own initiative and on reports of safety violations.
2. The 2025 Report
For comparison, the Council of Europe reported that the Service carried out about 4,050 inspections over the whole period 2018–2021 (Council of Europe, 2023). The 2025 figure of 7,111 inspections in a single year represents a substantial expansion of activity. Parliament’s Economic Policy Committee assessed the report positively (Parliament of Georgia, 2026).
| Area | Activity |
|---|---|
| All inspections | 7,111 (3,709 facilities inspected for the first time) |
| Labour migration oversight | 224 inspections (188 first-time); 62 administrative offence reports |
| Anti-discrimination oversight | 233 inspections; unplanned inspections at 132 facilities |
| Fatal workplace accidents | Reported fall of 46% compared with 2024 |
| Use of fines | Reported fall of 38% |
| For comparison: inspections 2018–2021 (total) | ≈4,050 |
Sources: Parliament of Georgia (2026); Council of Europe (2023).
3. Analysis
Real progress in capacity
Measured by activity, Georgian labour inspection has grown rapidly from a very low base. A reported 46% fall in fatal accidents, if sustained, would be a significant public health achievement. GILS will examine accident statistics in detail in a separate analysis.
Quality and transparency remain concerns
Volume is not the same as effectiveness. A 2023 civil society assessment found too few re-inspections to confirm that violations had been corrected, deadlines for correction that were inflexible or inappropriate, a lack of sector-specific inspection plans, and procedures that created barriers for workers wishing to report violations (Civil Society Foundation, 2023). Transparency has also been contested: in 2023 the inspectorate began redacting employers’ names from inspection reports, before reversing the decision after legal action by the Georgia Fair Labour Platform (Human Rights Watch, 2023).
Counter-argument: falling violations prove the system works
The Service reports that labour violations have declined significantly. That may be true, but reported violations also depend on how inspections are targeted, how violations are recorded, and whether workers feel able to complain. Without independent evaluation and published data on re-inspections and outcomes, a fall in recorded violations cannot be interpreted with confidence.
The informality gap
Around 37% of employment in Georgia is informal and concentrated in micro-enterprises and agriculture (Pignatti, 2026). Inspection of registered workplaces does not easily reach these workers. Labour inspection will need risk-based targeting and cooperation with the Revenue Service if it is to address informal employment.
4. Conclusion
Five years after receiving a full mandate, Georgia’s Labour Inspection Service is far more active than its predecessor. The next stage is to demonstrate effectiveness: that violations are actually corrected, that workers can report safely, and that inspection reaches the sectors where risks and informality are highest.
GILS Recommendations
- Publish annual inspection data in full, including re-inspection rates, sanctions imposed and time taken to correct violations, by sector.
- Publish inspection reports proactively, including employer names, in a searchable public database.
- Introduce sector-specific inspection plans for high-risk sectors such as construction, mining and agriculture.
- Protect complainants through confidential reporting channels and protection against retaliation.
- Commission an independent evaluation of the Service’s effectiveness, with ILO technical support.
GILS Position
Georgia has rebuilt labour inspection from nothing in a decade. That is a genuine achievement. Its credibility now depends on transparency and on evidence that inspections change conditions at work, not only on the number of visits made.
References
- Parliament of Georgia (2026). Economic Policy Committee heard report of the Head of the Labour Inspection Service. parliament.ge
- Human Rights Watch (2023). A Victory for Labor Rights and Transparency in Georgia. hrw.org
- Human Rights Watch (2023). Georgia’s labour oversight body has backtracked on transparency. hrw.org
- Council of Europe (2021). European Social Charter — Georgia, Report 2020. rm.coe.int
- Council of Europe (2023). European Social Charter — Georgia, Report 2022. rm.coe.int
- Civil Society Foundation (2023). Effectiveness of Georgia’s Labor Inspection Process — Factsheet. csf.ge
- Pignatti, C. (2026). Recent Trends on Informal Employment in Georgia. ILO Working Paper 159. doi.org/10.54394/MOJI5185
Suggested citation: GILS Research Team (2026). Labour Inspection in Georgia: Five Years of a Full Mandate. GILS Brief. Editor: G. Pkhakadze. Georgian Institute of Labour Studies, Tbilisi. labour.edu.ge
GILS analyses are prepared with AI-assisted drafting. All figures and claims are verified against the cited primary sources and reviewed under the responsibility of the Editor.