National consultancy services to Conduct Labour market assessment for skills development and economic reintegration of returnee migrant workers Uganda

Uganda is well known as a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrant workers within the region. Although data is not comprehensive, it is estimated that Uganda is a destination to migrant workers mainly from the neighboring countries. Most of these migrant workers are irregular despite having free movement protocol within the EAC community.

At the same time Uganda is also an origin country for migrant workers to the neighboring countries and beyond. Available official data indicates that there were 734,951 Ugandans abroad in 2019[1] Data from the Ministry of Labour officially reports that, 269,452 Ugandan migrant workers have been placed for work between the period of 2016-2023 alone. In 2015, the major destination countries were Kenya (333,789 emigrants), South Sudan (145,607 emigrants) and the United Kingdom (72,256 emigrants)[2]. In recent years, outward labour migration towards the middle east has risen rapidly due to growing demand for low, medium, and high skilled labour in the region. The bulk of the figures given by the ministry of labour are for workers placement in the middle east. This data does not represent the comprehensive picture as some of this migration goes undocumented.

The profile of Ugandan migrant workers abroad is not known, though it is assumed that majority of workers to the middles east are in low to medium skills category while those migrating to neighboring countries are mostly low skilled working in the informal sectors.

For those finding work in the middle east, many who migrate through regular channels are recruited through private recruitment agencies for work in the domestic, construction, security, and truck driving occupations[3]. Most work performed by migrant work is of contractual and temporary, and sometimes seasonal. As such migrant workers are bound to return after successful completion of their migration cycle. Some of these returnees come back with capital, skills, knowledge, and innovation that may be useful back home for income generation, wage employment and investment.

However, many migrants return without successfully completing their migration cycle for various reasons including contract termination, illness, family issues, failure to successfully secure a job or integrate well in the economies of destination countries. For both groups of returnees and having been away from home for a considerable amount of time, many returnees may not have the necessary networks and information about the labour market opportunities and challenges back home and therefore are not able to navigate through for a successful reintegration and reestablish their lives including their economic and livelihoods.

Why skills development is needed for migrant workers.

Migrant workers including returning migrants can be a source of a pool of skilled workers to fill in the existing labour/skills shortages in an economy of a destination or origin country upon return. Studies have shown migrants workers contribution to the local economies and reduce skills mismatches. However, in practice this is often not the case as migrant workers skills, qualifications and experiences often goes unnoticed due to lack of a mechanisms to identify recognize the skills, experiences, and qualifications they bring with them. In addition, migrant workers are often excluded in opportunities that facilitate skills development either through training retraining or upskilling. Besides, information about labour market opportunities, where or how to access skills development and recognition services if often limited not accessible. As a result, skills underutilization, economic integration or reintegration difficulty set in exacerbating migrant workers vulnerability. Lack of opportunities for training is also a push factor for people to migrate[4].

Reintegration support programmes in Uganda

Return and reintegration programmes for migrant workers is a viable programmatic and policy action options for sustainable reintegration that include, according to the UN Network on Migration-working group on return and reintegration, “sustainable reintegration can be understood as a process which enables individuals to secure and sustain the political, economic, social, and psychosocial conditions needed to maintain life, livelihood and dignity in the country and community they return or are returned to, in full respect of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights”. This should include targeted measures that enable returning migrants to have access to justice, social protection, financial services, healthcare, education, family life, an adequate standard of living, decent work, and protection against discrimination, stigma, arbitrary detention, and all forms of violence, and thatallowsreturnees to consider that they are in an environment of personal safety, economic empowerment, inclusion, and social cohesion upon return.

There is little information on systematic return and reintegration programmes for return labour migrants in Uganda. Recent ILO mapping on reintegration in Uganda reveals that reintegration assistance to returnee migrant workers is mostly provided by non-Governmental actors including workers’ and employers’ organizations with support from ILO, civil society organizations (CSOs) and other UN agencies (e.g., IOM), through different projects.

However, the support is limited. Moreover, most of the support provided targets migrant workers in distress and victims of trafficking[5]. Those who have had positive labour migration experiences are in most cases not targeted by projects/interventions, yet they may also need support to smoothly reintegrate. Socio economic reintegration programmes are particularly limited. For example, some migrant workers return with their savings but may not know where and how to invest their money or how to formalize their businesses. Others may return with a stock of skills, knowledge and experience that may be useful in the local market but lacks a mechanism through which these skills are put into use.

Likewise, sustainable economic reintegration programmes should be demand led well informed by the labour market needs and opportunities at home. As such, it is critical to assess labour market needs to inform sustainable and effective economic reintegration programming and interventions. For this, the ILO is seeking the services of a national consultant.

Objectives

To conduct community-based market needs assessment for sustainable economic reintegration programmes in the greater Kampala metropolitan area

Specifically, the consultant will conduct assessment on:

1. Demand side
   1. Community profile
   2. Consumer demand survey
   3. Market opportunity (sectors experiencing growth/with potential for growth and jobs)
   4. Skills in demand by employers and by the market opportunities identified above for wage and self-employment.
2. Supply side
   1. Stock of skills that returning migrants have or lack.
   2. Training /skills development programmes available in the community (formal, non-formal and informal)
   3. Training institutions and or organizations availability and access
   4. Skills and qualification recognition mechanism available (if any)
3. Labour market intermediation and business development support ecosystem and opportunities
   1. Business development services available (including advisory support, access to finance, coaching, access to markets and service providers)
   2. Guidance services and other support institutions such as Public or private employment agencies, NGOs that provide economic empowerment and reintegration support to returnees on livelihood and economic activities.
   3. Job search assistance or placement/referencing/ matching services available

Methodological consideration:

This assignment is expected to provide demand led recommendations based on the market needs, skills development gaps/needs both of which will inform the design of economic reintegration programme for return migrant workers and economic empowerment for potential migrant workers in the target locations. A community-based assessments is a methodology that is suitable for assessing skills needs/demands and gaps in a localized geographical area. It includes assessing the demand side needs by profiling the community. It is suitable for assessments in the context where there is limited formal wage employment therefore can assist in identifying opportunities for livelihood and self-employment opportunities. For this assignment, a rapid assessment may be considered given the time and resources available and the fact that the target locations may not be exclusively rural context. Slight methodological modifications are also envisaged to meet the objectives of this assignment. It then means that both secondary and primary sources will be used to collect data from target locations and people.

TREE methodology

For inspiration, particularly in designing data collection and consultative approach and tools, refer to the ILO’s TREE methodology[6] which proposes a number of assessment tools and promotes a participatory approach that builds capacity of the local community to identify economic opportunities of their own locality, by involving community actors in the design and implementation of the assessment. For sustainability reasons, we strongly recommend following this approach.

The assessment should include literature review and analysis of existing labour market information, existing administrative data, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and rapid surveys (ideally conducted by community members).

For 2.a, a sample of returnees should be surveyed through a profiling to ascertain their skills or gaps thereof in relation to identified economic opportunities. For inspiration, the consultant should refer to guidelines on reintegration programmes[7] .

Findings should be presented, discussed, and validated at a stakeholder.

Target locations and group.

The primary target location for this assessment is the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area where high numbers of returnees are residing and one location with higher emigration tendencies. The target group are potential migrant workers and documented returned migrant workers.

Deliverables.

The main deliverable of this assignment is a market assessment report covering all the aspects included in this ToR. In between, the consultant will deliver:

1. An inception reports. Which provides clarity of understanding the assignment objectives and articulates the methodology, tools, stakeholders to be consulted and sources of information or data and draft outline of the report indicating major sections of the report. The Inception report should not exceed 10 Pages.
2. First Draft of report to be submitted for review by ILO.
3. Second Draft of the report and presentation of preliminary results to be submitted for review by stakeholders in a validation workshop and the ILO.
4. A final assessment report covering all the aspects contained in the ToR. The report should not exceed 30 Pages including reference sections but excluding any annexes. The report should be concise and clear providing clear recommendations for economic reintegration programming including on skills development.

Desired Qualification and experience.

The prospective consultant should have advanced degree in social sciences or economics with proven experiences in successfully carrying out labour market assessments**.** The consultant should also demonstrate their competency in quality objective reports writting.

Qualification:

• The desired consultant should have advanced degree in social sciences preferably in economics, business administration, education/TVET, human resources development and or related fields.

Experiences

• The desired consultant should have proven track records in working on similar assignments that entails labour market assessment including but not limited to assessing skills shortages/needs/gaps in the labour market; enterprise survey; sectoral analysis to ascertain growth and employment opportunities or forecast.
• The consultant should have demonstrated knowledge of the Labour market dynamics of Uganda in general and of greater Kampala in particular as well as dynamics of the labour migration in Uganda through past assignments or publications.

Structure of technical and financial proposal

The technical proposal should cover the understanding of the ToR highlighting background context of the subject matter in question. The proposal should articulate methodology to be used to get the information desired and meet the objective of the assignment. The proposal should include data and information sources, relevant stakeholders to be consulted and how. Sampling and justifications. It should also articulate analytical approach to consolidate the information and a draft structure of the report providing outline of key sections. The technical proposal shouldn’t exceed 10 pages in length excluding annexes if applicable. A recent CV, consultant profile should be attached to the proposal highlighting the most recent similar assignment done and reference. Samples of this work may be attached if feasible or links to the same.

All relevant costs except for Travel and Stay (if applicable) should be incorporated into daily consultancy fee. If, the consultant is residing outside greater Kampala metropole, the consultant should clearly indicate as such, and costs related to Travel and stay in Kampala will be reimbursed based on officially stamped invoices submitted and verified by the ILO according to the ILO financial rules and regulations.

Time frames for the assignment and payment Schedule.

The assignment is expected to be completed within three months after signing the contract. The contract man days will be 30 days spread across those three months. During which the deliverables will be submitted as per proposed schedule below?

Deliverable

Timeframe

percentage instalment

An inception reports. Which provides clarity of understanding of the assignment objectives and articulates the methodology, tools, stakeholders to be consulted and sources of information or data and draft outline of the report indicating major sections of the report. The Inception report should not exceed 10 pages

1st week weeks after signing the contract

15% upon submission of Final inception report incorporating comments from ILO

1st Draft report of the assessment

7th th week after signing the contract

40% upon submission of First draft of the assessment draft that incorporated of comments from ILO

2nd Draft of the assessment report and presentation of preliminary results to be submitted for review by stakeholders in a validation workshop and the ILO.

10th week after signing of the contract

35% upon submission of the 2nd Draft report to the satisfaction of the ILO and incorporating comments from stakeholders

A final assessment report covering all the aspects contained in the ToR. The report should not exceed 30 Pages including reference sections but excluding any annexes. The report should be concise and clear providing clear recommendations for economic reintegration programming including on skills development.

12th Week after signing the contract

10 percent of total contract amount upon submission of Final report to the satisfaction of the ILO

Evaluation criteria

The submitted proposal from the prospective consultants will be evaluated as per criteria set below.

Evaluation Criteria/profile of a consultant

Maximum score

1. Qualification of the individual consultant

The individual consultant needs to have a minimum of advanced university degree in relevant field as described in the ToR above 5

Understanding of labour market dynamics of Uganda and greater Kampala metropole and dynamics of labour migration preferably of the target origin country and select locality or region. 10

Proven experience in carrying similar assignments before for (at least 5 years) verified by specific description in his/her profile and sampled work annexed. Focus will be on relevance, reporting skills and quality of past work and nature of clients and topics covered. 25

Maximum Points for A 40

1. Proposed approach to deliver the objectives of the ToR’s

Applicant demonstrates (via submitted technical proposal) their clarity on understanding the objectives and scope of the assignment through detailed descriptions of the assignment its objectives and relevance to the intended use 30

Applicants demonstrate (through the submitted technical proposal) a methodological approach fit to meet the intended objectives as the ToR. Data collection methods and tools, consultative processes and approach, sources of data, sampling, and analytical framework. 30

Maximum point for B 60

Total (A+B) 100

Maximum threshold for technical proposal to be considered for financial evaluation 70

[1] UNDESA

[2] UNDESA

[3] Reference from Ministry or other sources

[4] https://www.ilo.org/publications/skills-employment-policy-brief-skills-migration-and-employment

[5] https://www.ilo.org/publications/return-and-reintegration-uganda-lessons-fairway-programme .

[6] The Link to TREEPEDIA digital tools is currently not working at the time of advertisement of this ToR, once the consultant is selected we will share sample survey tools offline

[7] https://www.ilo.org/publications/return-and-reintegration-uganda-lessons-fairway-programme