Knowledge Hub

A–C

Active Labour Market Policy (ALMP) ILO: Government programmes designed to improve employment prospects — job placement, vocational training, wage subsidies, and public employment programmes. Georgia's ALMP is administered by ESDC via worknet.ge.
Atypical Employment: Employment arrangements that differ from standard (full-time, indefinite, direct) employment — includes part-time, temporary, agency work, and zero-hours contracts. Growing in Georgia's services sector.
Collective Agreement ILO C098: A written contract between an employer (or employers' organisation) and a trade union setting out terms and conditions of employment. Legally binding in Georgia under the Labour Code Ch.IX.
Collective Bargaining ILO C098: The process of negotiation between employers and workers' representatives (unions) on wages, hours, and conditions of work. ILO Convention No. 98 governs the right to organise and collective bargaining.

D–I

Decent Work ILO: The ILO concept encompassing productive work with fair income, security in the workplace, social protection, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, and equality of opportunity. Georgia's DWCP 2024–2026 is built around decent work.
Discouraged Worker: A person who wants to work and is available but has stopped actively looking for work because they believe no jobs are available. Excluded from the ILO LU1 (unemployment) measure but counted in LU3 and LU4.
DWCP — Decent Work Country Programme ILO: The ILO's operational framework for country-level work. Georgia's current DWCP runs 2024–2026 with three priorities: employment, OSH, and social dialogue. See: DWCP Georgia 2024–2026 →
Education-Employment Mismatch: When a worker's education level is higher (overeducation) or lower (undereducation) than required for their job. Georgia has a ~27% prime-age overeducation rate. See: Education Mismatch Tool →
ESDC — Employment Support Department: The Georgian state body managing active labour market policies — worknet.ge portal, vocational training, and employment subsidies. Under the Ministry of Labour (moh.gov.ge).
Informal Employment ILO: Employment without formal contracts, social security contributions, or legal protections. Georgia's overall informal employment rate is ~37%; in agriculture it reaches ~98%. See: Informal Economy →

L–N

Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): The percentage of the working-age population (15–64) that is either employed or actively seeking work. Georgia's LFPR is 54.7% (2024) — notably low by regional standards, partly driven by low female participation (~41%).
Labour Underutilisation ILO ICLS-19: A composite measure going beyond unemployment — includes time-related underemployment and the potential labour force. Georgia's ILO LU3 composite rate is ~21% vs 13.3% headline. See: Underutilisation Tool →
Living Wage: The wage required to cover a worker's basic needs — food, housing, transport, healthcare — at a locally appropriate standard of living. Distinct from the statutory minimum wage. GILS estimates Georgia's Tbilisi living wage at ~GEL 1,850/month. See: Living Wage Tool →
NEET: Not in Employment, Education, or Training. A broader measure of youth disengagement than unemployment. Georgia's NEET rate is ~21% for ages 15–24 (2024) — significantly higher for young women (~27%).

O–Z

OSH — Occupational Safety and Health ILO C155: The discipline of preventing work-related injury, illness, and death. Georgia's OSH Law (2018) and ILO Conventions 155 and 187 form the legal framework. The Labour Inspection Department enforces compliance.
Overeducation: When a worker holds educational qualifications above those required for their current job. The most common form of education-employment mismatch in Georgia — affecting 27% of prime-age workers.
Social Dialogue ILO C144: All types of negotiation, consultation and information sharing between government, employers, and workers on issues of common interest. Georgia's Tripartite Commission is the primary social dialogue mechanism.
Tripartite Commission: Georgia's national social partnership body — government (Ministry), workers (GTUC), and employers (GEA). Established under the Labour Code and ILO C144. See: Tripartite Commission →
TVET — Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Education and training providing skills for specific occupations. In Georgia only ~8% of secondary students choose TVET vs ~47% EU average — a key structural driver of education-employment mismatch.
Working Poverty: Having paid employment but still living below the poverty line. Common where wages are low, informality is high, or minimum wages are not enforced. Georgia's GEL 20 minimum wage (since 1999) creates conditions for widespread working poverty. See: Working Poverty →

Source: ILO Glossary of Labour Statistics; Georgian Labour Code; Geostat. Contact: info@accreditation.ge

GILS Analysis

GILS Glossary: Why Precise Terminology Matters for Labour Policy

Labour policy debates in Georgia are often hampered by terminological imprecision — the same terms used differently by government, employers, unions, and international organisations. The GILS Glossary provides authoritative, ILO-standard definitions for key terms, with Georgian equivalents and notes on how terms are used (and sometimes misused) in the Georgian policy context.

Three areas of particular terminological confusion in Georgia are worth highlighting. First, 'unemployment' — the ILO definition (actively seeking work, available for work) is narrower than popular usage; Geostat's LFS uses the ILO definition, but government statements often conflate unemployment with inactivity. Second, 'collective agreement' — sometimes used to mean any employer-employee arrangement, when the ILO standard requires formal written negotiation between an employer and a trade union. Third, 'decent work' — often used vaguely; the ILO definition has four specific pillars with measurable indicators.

ILO standard definitions: The GILS Glossary uses ILO NORMLEX and ILOSTAT standard definitions throughout. Where Georgian law uses different definitions (e.g. the Labour Code's definition of 'employee' is narrower than ILO's), both are given and the difference noted.

Georgian-language gap: Many ILO technical terms lack established Georgian equivalents — translators create new terms that may differ from Matsne.gov.ge official translations. The Glossary provides the standard Georgian legal term where established, and flags where no consensus exists.

International Perspectives

What Other Institutions Say

Geostat — Methodology Notes

Geostat's LFS technical documentation uses ILO ICLS-19 definitions. Their published glossary (in Georgian) is the authoritative source for statistical definitions. GILS Glossary cites Geostat methodology for statistical terms and flags where Geostat definitions differ from popular usage. (Geostat LFS Methodological Notes 2023)

ILO NORMLEX

NORMLEX is ILO's online information system on international labour standards. Its glossary of ILO terms is the authoritative international reference. GILS Glossary is aligned with NORMLEX definitions and links to NORMLEX for full convention texts. (ILO NORMLEX normlex.ilo.org)

MLHSA Legal Department

The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs uses definitions from Georgian law (Labour Code, Employment Promotion Law, etc.) which sometimes differ from ILO standards. GILS Glossary notes these divergences — they are policy-relevant: a 'worker' under Georgian law has fewer protections than under ILO standards. (MLHSA Legal Review 2023)

Georgian Bar Association — Labour Law Section

Georgian labour lawyers use definitions from the Labour Code and Civil Code. The Glossary is useful for lawyers advising international clients on Georgian labour law, since it bridges ILO standard terminology and Georgian legal definitions. The Bar Association has cited GILS Glossary in continuing legal education materials. (GBA Labour Law CLE 2023)

GILS Position Statement

Precise terminology is the foundation of good policy. When policymakers, unions, employers, and international organisations mean different things by the same words, policy coordination fails. The GILS Glossary is a practical instrument for terminological alignment — not an academic exercise. GILS intends to expand the Glossary to include Georgian-language terms for all entries, and to publish a Georgian-English Labour Law Dictionary as a standalone PHIG publication.

— GILS Editorial Policy on Terminology, September 2026

GILS Policy Recommendations

Five Priority Actions

Recommendation 01

Georgian-English Labour Law Dictionary — PHIG publication

Expand the Glossary into a full Georgian-English Labour Law Dictionary: 400+ terms; Georgian definition; English equivalent; ILO standard definition; legal basis in Georgian law; cross-references. Publish as PHIG monograph (print + PDF). ISSN/ISBN registered. Distributed to: courts, law faculties, MLHSA, trade unions, employer associations.

Georgian Dictionary of Public Health (GILS/PHIG precedent) · ILO multilingual terminology · Matsne legal glossary

Recommendation 02

Glossary API — machine-readable for Georgian legal tech

Publish Glossary as a structured JSON API: term, Georgian translation, definition, legal basis, ILO reference. Enables: integration in Georgian legal databases (LegalActs.ge); mobile legal reference apps; Geostat statistical documentation. Cost: GEL 20K (API development). Long-term value: Georgia's first open labour law terminology API.

Georgia e-Government API standards · ILO NORMLEX API · LegalActs.ge integration potential

Recommendation 03

University adoption — labour law and public policy curricula

The Glossary should be standard reference in Georgian university courses on: labour law (law faculties); public policy (governance programmes); social work; HR management. Formal adoption by: Free University, TSU Law Faculty, DTMU (through PHIG relationship). MoU between GILS and 3 universities by end 2026.

DTMU-PHIG relationship (leverage) · TSU Law Faculty (existing contacts) · GILS academic credibility

Recommendation 04

Annual glossary review — track legislative changes

Labour law terminology changes when Parliament amends legislation. Establish annual glossary review cycle: Q1 each year, review all terms against: (1) new Labour Code amendments; (2) CEACR definitions updates; (3) Geostat methodology notes. Updated version published by end of March each year.

ILO NORMLEX annual updates · Matsne.gov.ge legislative tracking · GILS editorial calendar

Recommendation 05

Multilingual expansion — Russian and Armenian

Georgia has significant Russian-speaking and Armenian-speaking communities in the labour market. Expand priority Glossary terms to Russian (for migrant workers and Russian-speaking employers) and Armenian (for Javakheti region). 100 priority terms. Cost: GEL 8K translation. Improves accessibility for non-Georgian speakers navigating labour law.

ILO multilingual resources · Georgia language minority rights · Geostat Russian-language statistics

ILO Standards — Georgia

Compliance Status

Convention / Standard	Subject	Ratified	Compliance	Key Gap
ILO NORMLEX	International labour standards terminology	Aligned	Good	GILS Glossary uses NORMLEX standard definitions throughout
ICLS-19	Statistical definitions of employment/unemployment	2018 adoption	Good	Geostat LFS uses ICLS-19; GILS Glossary aligned
Labour Code	Georgian legal definitions	Diverge from ILO	Partial	Some Labour Code definitions narrower than ILO standards — Glossary flags all divergences

Labour Glossary