Labour Market Assessment and Private Sector Mapping Consultant at Mercy Corps

Project Location(s): Field based - Maiduguri, Biu and Damboa, Borno State
LMA Principles:

Market Driven.
Understanding that YOU-SB livelihoods activities must be relevant to realities on the ground, we will employ a market-driven approach throughout the duration of the project. YOU-SB will first identify local opportunities for youth employment and self-employment and will then work to match YOU-SB participants appropriately and accordingly (based on skills relevancy, livelihoods activities learners are engaged in currently or other potential but untapped livelihoods opportunities).

Following this market-driven process, subsequent assessments will follow on an iterative basis after the original LMA must have been conducted to ensure that YOU-SB is abreast of market dynamics which may impact youth in their pursuit of sustainable livelihoods. YOU-SB will work to ensure that its interventions are rooted in economic realities which bridge the gap between the supply (youth equipped with market-driven skills) and demand (needs of the labor market). YOU-SB will also ensure appropriate linkages with other ongoing youth livelihoods programs in Borno state.

Youth-led and Participatory.
An integral component of the assessment process is youth participation. YOU-SB will focus on building capacity, creating relationships and addressing misconceptions. Selected young people, identified by YOU-SB staff, will contribute to the tool development process as well as the assessment implementation. Via this process, young people will build invaluable market research and life skills (such as communication and professionalism), as well as gain a better understanding of local economic realities. YOU-SB will engage young people in the assessment process where possible, as youth-led programming is a key element of the program.

Up front focus on high success activities to stimulate catalytic change.

The assessment will place immediate focus on identifying potential leaders who can introduce and disseminate required skills, technologies and practices to targeted youth. Based on the findings of the Mapping Activity, the LMA will verify communities and towns that offer unique opportunities and highest returns for different skills and enterprises.

Purpose / Project Description:

• YOU-SB partners with civil society, government actors, and traditional community and religious leaders in Borno State. The programme is implemented in three Local Government Areas; Maiduguri, Biu and Damboa. Our core interconnected objectives are as follows:
• Strengthen the capacity of civil society to positively influence the public discourse on drivers of instability
• Increase trust in government through joint community-government initiatives to reduce youth participation in violence
• Strengthen and expand government efforts to support youth to fulfil their economic ambitions and reduce their vulnerability to financial inducements from violent
• Amplify existing counter narratives to prevent youth participation in extremist group
• Consultant Objectives:
• The consultancy contributes directly to overall objective of the Youth Stabilization Initiative for the State of Borno (YOU-SB) programme under Objective 3: Strengthen and expand government efforts to support youth to fulfil their economic ambitions and reduce their vulnerability to Boko Haram financial inducements.
• For this activity, the YOU-SB program will engage with the relevant state government ministries including the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Labour and Employment as well as the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development at different stages of activity planning and implementation.

Consultant Activities and Deliverables:
The Consultant will:

• Design LMA methodology and research tools
• Lead the mapping of existing economic activities and employment preparation activities and employment preparation activities – young people in Borno state, Nigeria
• Identify the most promising employment and self-employment opportunities for YOU-SB participants, primarily in the informal sector
• Identify high potential growth sectors, hiring trends, and forecasts
• Analyze the constraints to the current labour market system for youth with low literacy in project sites
• Analyze selected value chain constraints to take advantage of identified opportunities for youth with low literacy in YOU-SB project sites
• Develop livelihoods strategies and recommendations for the short, medium, and long term for youth with low literacy in project sites
• Develop best practices and systems for iterative market research
• Build capacity of Borno state government and youth leaders with regards to market research and private sector engagement
• Provide a technical report on the process, lessons learnt and practical recommendations on project design based on the assessment results

Timeframe / Schedule:
The period of this consultancy is a maximum of 30 days

This consultancy needs to start from 28 November 2016 with an estimated timeframe of 30 days, including travel, preparation and training and can be a combination of in-country and home based working days and can be also non-continuous. The following is an indicative timeframe:

Action (number of days days)

The overall result will be the delivery of the out puts as outlined above. This will be achieved through: desk research, field visits to communities in project local government areas, the administration of research tools, data handling and analysis and report production. (Maximum of 30 days)

Submission of finalized assessment methodology and scope (4 days)

Submission of finalized tools (3 days)

Training workshops for the designated data collectors and other relevant participants (2 days)

Leading the data collection exercise (10 days)

 Drafting  the  LMA Report (5 days)

Review of the draft with key stakeholders (3days)

Production of final LMA Report, including Private Sector Mapping (3 days)

The Consultant will report to:
YOU-SB Program Manager, Mercy Corps Nigeria

 The Consultant will work closely with:
YOU-SB team in Mercy Corps Nigeria and the Markets Economic Recovery and Growth (MERG) Technical Support Unit

Required Skills and Experience

• Post-graduate degree in social sciences, business, economics, public administration public policy, statistics or a field relevant to the TOR requirements. Ph.D. preferred.
• Minimum of 5 - 10 years field experience in complex conflict areas; cross sectional experience would be an added advantage.
• Past experience with assessing issues around labor market demand and supply to draw strong and valid conclusions especially in the North East Nigeria.
• Experience in interactive and participatory trainings techniques as well as deep knowledge in local economic development.
• Clear knowledge and understanding of the added value represented by the youth participation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural team or environment.
• Excellent communication and report writing skills.

Language:
 Fluency in English (written and oral) and Hausa.