Employment

• Secretary Employment – Home Secretary, U.T, Ex-Officio
• Regional Employment Officer - 1
• Sub-Regional Employment Officer -2(1.University Employment Information & Guidance Bureau Punjab University, Chandigarh,2. Special Employment Exchange for Physical Handicapped)
• Employment Officers - 2 (1. Vacancy Section, 2. Vocational Guidance)

Activities of the Regional Employment Exchange, UT, Chandigarh

The Regional Employment Exchange is situated near office of the Punjab Mandi Karan Board (adjoining bridge) in Sector-17, Chandigarh. It caters to the needs of the employers and applicants residing in the jurisdiction of U.T. Chandigarh. The main functions of this Exchange are :-

• To register applicants and sponsor them against notified vacancies;
• To provide vocational guidance and employment counselling to the job seekers;
• To collect information form the establishments in the organized sector under the Employment Market Information Programme of National Employment Service.

Registration

Any applicant who is a resident of U.T. Chandigarh can get his name registered with this Exchange on his local address provided he is not already registered with any other Employment Exchange. The applicants are required to produce original certificates in support of their qualifications/experience etc. at the time of registration and they are to come in person as their signatures are to be attested by the Registration Officer at the time of registration. The Registration Card is provided by the Exchange and the relevant columns are to be filled in by the applicants. The applicant is interviewed by the Registration Officer who provides registration guidance and allots him occupation for which he is eligible as per his qualifications. The Index Card which is to be filled by the applicants at the time of registration is given in Annexure-I.

Notification of Vacancies

Every employer in the public sector and those employing 25 or more persons in the private sector are required to notify their manpower requirements to the local employment exchange before filling them up under the provisions of the Employment Exchange (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act 1959 so that the applicants registered with the Employment Exchange can be sponsored. The proforma in which the vacancies are to be notified is given in Annexure-II. Employers who fail to notify their vacancies can be penalized under Section 7(1) of the said Act.

Submissions of Applicants

Applicants are sponsored against notified vacancies as per their seniority in registration keeping in view the age limit, qualifications etc. prescribed by the employer for the said post. Applicants are issued call letters under UPC at least 7 days before the date of interview and they report in the Regional Employment Exchange for pre submission interview for onward submission to the employer. Vacancies and submission work is being handled through computer and scheme of selection of each and every vacancy is displayed on the notice board for the information of the general public. Thus, there is total transparency in the working of this Exchange.

Cancellation of Registration

Applicants are required to get their card renewed after every three years in the month in which it is due for renewal. The month in which X-1 card is to be renewed is given on the X-10 card which is given to the applicants at the time of registration. A grace period of two months is also given to the applicant for getting his card renewed. The applicant can get his card renewed either in person or by post. Applicants who fail to get their cards renewed during the stipulated time, their index cards are removed from the Live Register.

The Index card of an applicant (i) who was called by the Employment Exchange for consideration against vacancies for which he was prima facie suitable and failed to report twice or (ii) who declined consecutively three times offer of submission or (iii) who gives his willingness in writing to be submitted against a vacancy but subsequently either does not report to the employer or refuses the offer of appointment, should be removed from the Live Register unless he gives a cogent reason for his action in reply to the show cause notice.

Vocational Guidance

There is a Vocational Guidance Unit in the Regional Employment Exchange. The Employment Officer (Vocational Guidance) who is Incharge of this Unit provide vocational guidance and employment counseling to the job seekers registered with this Exchange. This guidance is given at the time of registration individually and in groups also. Applicants on request can also get vocational guidance from the Vocational Guidance Officer.

University Employment Information & Guidance Bureau which is housed in the building of the Students Centre of Panjab University on the ground floor provides vocational guidance and employment counselling to Professional & Executive standard applicants. This Exchange registers professional and executive standard applicants, provide vocational guidance to the applicants visiting this Bureau and also provides information regarding admission in various Universities/Institutes to the job seekers.

Collection of Employment Market Information

The Regional Employment Exchange also collects information regarding employment from the establishments in the organized sector under the provisions of Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959 from all establishments in the public sector and those employing 25 or more persons in the private sector. This information is also collected from the employers in the private sector employing 10 to 24 persons on voluntary basis. The format on which this data is collected (ER-1) is given in Annexure-III. This report is to be sent on quarterly basis for the quarter ending March, June, September and December within 30 days of the expiry of each quarter.

Similarly occupational data is also collected on biennial basis from the public and private sector employers in alternate years in form ER-II, given in Annexure-IV. The employers who fail to send the requisite information in the prescribed proforma can be penalized under Section 7(2) of the said Act.

Information so collected in these proformas is tabulated and consolidated report is sent to the Director General of Employment and Training, Government of India, New Delhi where it is used for planning and other purposes.

Special Employment Exchange for Physically Handicapped Applicants

The Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has set up a Special Employment Exchange for the Physically Handicapped applicants in the Regional Employment exchange under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme. The main functions of this Special Employment Exchange are :-

• To register the Physically Handicapped applicants after getting them physically examined from the Medical Board constituted for this purpose in the General Hospital, Sector 16, Medical College, Sector-32 and P.G.I. Sector-12, Chandigarh.
• To submit the Physically Handicapped applicants both against reserved and unreserved vacancies;
• To guide and motivate the Physically Handicapped applicants to join various training courses available for them in Union Territory, Chandigarh;
• To motivate them to adopt self employment and send their application forms to the loaning agencies for the grant of loan;
• To check the roster registers being maintained by the employers to see whether 3% reservation in jobs is being given to the Physically Handicapped applicants.

Apprenticeship Training

Regional Employment Officer, is also designated as State Apprenticeship Advisor. He is responsible for importing apprenticeship training for I.T.I passed applicants. He also conducts examination twice in a year.