Consultant for Scoping study of migration patterns and service needs for Lao migrant workers employed in the fishing and seafood processing sectors

1.        Introduction

 Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia (SEA) is a multi-country, multi-year initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN). Ship to Shore Rights SEA is implemented by the ILO in collaboration with IOM and UNDP, with the overall objective of promoting regular and safe labour migration and decent work for all migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in Southeast Asia.

The programme addresses the characteristics of working in the fishing and seafood processing sectors as well as the barriers and risks present in the migration system, which can lead to unsafe migration, decent work deficits, abuse, and trafficking for forced labour. The programme has three specific objectives:

1.      Strengthen the legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks related to labour migration and labour standards, focusing on the fishing and seafood processing sectors in SEA.

2.      Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all migrant workers from recruitment to post-admissions and end of the contract.

3.      Empower migrant workers, their families, organizations, and communities to promote and exercise their rights.

The Ship to Shore Rights SEA programme is operational in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Philippines and Viet Nam and will promote multi-country cooperation in the region.

2.        Rationale

Differences in socio-economic development and demographics continue to drive migration of large numbers of Lao migrants to Thailand in search of employment opportunities, where there is an unmet demand for workers to fill low-wage jobs. The Lao Government does not have a policy on labour migration but there is a perceived reluctance to send Lao migrant workers abroad given the labour shortages that exist in several industries. The complicated, lengthy and expensive procedures for regular labour migration have meant that most of this migration occurs through irregular channels. As result, there is very limited official data available on Lao migrant workers outside of the periodic registration amnesties conducted in Thailand. It is estimated that there are as many as 1.35 million Lao nationals living abroad, among whom 56 per cent are women.[1]

Under the Ship to Shore Rights SEA programme framework, additional research is needed to obtain an empirical understanding of the migration patterns of Lao migrant workers employed in the fishing and seafood processing sector. Although a great deal of research is available on Cambodian and Myanmar migrants working in these industries in Thailand, few studies have included Lao migrant workers within their scope as they are typically considered to represent a small portion of the sectoral workforce. Moreover, Lao migrants are generally thought to experience a lower prevalence of abuse in Thailand due to the cultural and linguistic similarities between the two countries and have received relatively less attention as a result.[2]

Nevertheless, research studies have suggested that a considerable share of Lao workers are employed in fisheries-related work and they continue to experience significant decent work deficits.[3]  In particular, it is believed that seafood processing is a meaningful sector of work for Lao women who have limited domestic labour market opportunities due to restrictive social norms and the highly gendered division of labour within the country. Scoping research will help to fill the knowledge gap on employment of Lao migrant workers in these jobs to inform interventions on safe migration and decent work.

3.        Objectives

The scoping study will achieve three main objectives:

1.      Obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the profile, areas of origin, experiences and service needs of migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors.

2.      Provide recommendations for interventions by the Ship to Shore Rights SEA programme to help ensure safe and regular migration and conditions of decent work, in particular the establishment or expansion of service delivery by Migrant Worker Resource Centers.

3.      Build the evidence base for labour migration governance in Lao PDR through publication and dissemination of a knowledge product.

4.        Research Methodology

Data will be collected using qualitative research methods, including the following:

·         Desk review of programme documents, relevant literature and official data related to international labour migration.

·         Key informant interviews with tripartite plus stakeholders for migration into the fishing and seafood processing sectors.

·         Focus group discussions with returned migrant workers who worked in fisheries-related industries abroad.

5.        Outputs

The main outputs of the research will include the following:

1. A brief inception report on the proposed approach, including a finalized report outline, work plan and set of data collection tools.
2. A 1st draft of the research report written in clear and concise English.
3. A presentation of the research methodology, key findings and recommendations at a validation workshop with tripartite plus stakeholders.
4. A revised final version of the report that fully responds to the comments made by ILO and stakeholders (no more than 30 pages, including an executive summary).

The main output produced from the research will be a scoping study to further shape the Ship to Shore Rights SEA programme interventions in Lao PDR. It will be publically disseminated at a forthcoming policy consultation workshop with key stakeholder organizations in both Lao and English language versions.

6.        Work plan

The assignment outputs will be completed in a total of 30 working days. An indicative work plan is provided below and a more detailed schedule will be developed by the evaluator as part of the inception report. The report should be finalized by the consultant no later than 31 August 2021.  

Activities	May	Jun	Jul	Aug
Commissioning and desk review
Submission of inception report
Data collection
Submission of draft report
Validation workshop
Submission of final report

7.        Service provider and selection criteria

A national consultant will undertake the scoping study and will be responsible for delivering the assignment outputs. The consultant selected will possess at least 3 years of relevant experience conducting research on labour migration, forced labour or human trafficking issues. Specific expertise with the fishing and seafood processing sectors in South East Asia is considered to be an asset. Previous work experience with the International Labour Organization is also considered an asset.

Interested parties should submit a two-page expression of interest providing a brief overview of the context, research methodology, research questions, research sample, work plan and a financial offer. An up-to-date CV is also required.

8.        Terms of contract

A Service contract shall be made between the ILO and the service provider who shall be responsible for completion of all activities within the terms of reference. Should there be any problems with the delivery of the contracted outputs, the provider is expected to take the necessary corrective actions without affecting the final deadline for submission of the research report and at no additional cost to the ILO.

Payments will be made as follows:

·         First payment of 40% of the total budget upon signing of the contract to cover the initial costs of the research;

·         Second payment of 20% of the total budget upon submission of the finalized set of data collection tools to the satisfaction of the ILO; and

·         Final payment of 40% of the total budget upon submission of the final report to the satisfaction of the ILO.

9.        Ethical guidelines

The service provider should adhere to international best practices for conducting research on vulnerable populations, including the following standards:

1.      Ensuring that those involved with collecting data are independent and act with integrity and honesty when interacting with all target groups and stakeholders.

2.      Ensuring that all participants in the survey understand the purpose, objectives, and the intended use of survey findings.

3.      Being sensitive to social and cultural norms and gender roles during interactions with participants and their families.

4.      Respecting the rights and welfare of participants by ensuring informed consent and rights to anonymity and confidentiality before the interview, that consent is freely volunteered, and that they can withdraw at any time without any negative consequence.

5.      Limiting storage of any personal data to a maximum of six months and keeping it secured to avoid unauthorized access by any third party.

Interested candidates can submit their proposal to this email: phaniphong@ilo.org before July 11, 2021.