Department(s)

The Employment Policy, Job Creation and Livelihoods Department (EMPLOYMENT) is responsible for promoting full and productive employment by developing integrated employment, development and skills policies that maximize the employment impact of economic growth, investment, and development and which are inclusive, gender sensitive, productive and sustainable.

At the global level, the Department advocates and promotes policy frameworks and partnerships that aim at generating more quality employment opportunities. At the country level, the objective is to support the ILO constituents to develop, implement and monitor coordinated and context specific policies and programmes that promote quality job creation through economic diversification and investment strategies, skills development for present and future needs in the labour markets and labour market activation and intermediation that integrate the most vulnerable groups. These include policies and programmes facilitating transition to formality for the large segments of population working and earning their livelihoods in the informal economy and employment and income opportunities in the rural economy.

The position is located within the DEVINVEST (Development and Investment) branch of the ILO’s Employment Policy Department. The intern will be particularly contributing to the STRENGTHEN2 project (Employment impact assessment to maximize job creation in Africa).

Launched in August 2020, the project is a strategic partnership with the overall goal of leveraging employment impact assessments to promote the creation of more and better jobs in sub-Saharan African countries. STRENGTHEN2 is scheduled to end in July 2024 and builds on earlier ILO work. The project team collaborates closely with other ILO teams that are leveraging employment impact assessments for the creation of more and better jobs and engages closely with development banks, national governments and other stakeholders.

More information here: www.ilo.org/strengthen2

Learning areas

The STRENGTHEN2 project works towards the above overall goal by working through two main avenues: a) directly, by better informing decisions of governments and development partners about future investments– utilizing insights from employment impact assessments; and b) somewhat indirectly by better informing policy choices that may complement such investments.

In this internship, the junior colleague will have the opportunity to learn from engagement with various components of the project, and depending on own interests, can benefit from most of the following:

He/she may gain a deep understanding of the employment impacts of various types of investment projects (mostly in infrastructure sectors), how employment impact assessments are undertaken, and which kinds of methodologies and models are used by
• illuminating relevant background themes in conducting literature reviews and background research, e.g. for the establishment of country profiles;
• contributing to the analysis of specific investment projects through the review of project documentation, the support of data processing for quantitative and qualitative analysis of the projects in question; and
• helping to draft and review sections of the assessment reports.

He/she will also learn about undertaking research work, capacity development activities and other events, and how to generate policy advice by
• assisting in research work, developing relevant research questions, identifying countries and methodologies for deeper analysis, helping draft papers based on empirical research with statistical and econometric methodologies;
• assisting in the organization of trainings for governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations and other project stakeholders, including the development of the event programme, support to the process of social partner participation, liaison with participants, developing presentation and other event material, and presentation of research paper to participants; and
• supporting the development of recommendations for policies and of project implementation guidance in order to maximize the employment impact of investment projects.

Finally, he/she may also gain first insights or hone already existing skills in terms of project management and resource mobilization by

• supporting the project planning, progress monitoring, reporting; and
• assisting in the organization of events, including supporting the logistics, taking minutes, drafting reports; and
• developing communication materials such as summary briefs, brochures, etc; and
• contributing to the development of project proposals for resource mobilization;

Education

Studies in Economics, International Development, Statistics or related field.
The candidate should be enrolled in their final year of a graduate degree programme or should have completed such a programme no longer than 1 year ago (mandatory)

Experience

Experience in development projects, experience in the area of employment creation, experience in research projects
Experience in data processing and plot making a plus

Languages

Working (both oral and written) knowledge of English.
Working knowledge of French a plus.

Competencies

Adaptable to an international, multicultural and multilingual environment, good communication skills and be able to work in a team.

Additional requirements