Consultant – Social and Human Sciences (SHS) (Lao People’s Democratic Republ, Lao People’s Democratic Republic) contract

Parent Sector : Field Office

Duty Station: Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the)

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Bangkok Time) : 14 April 2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

With nearly 60% of its population under the age of 35, Lao PDR stands at a critical juncture to harness its demographic dividend—turning its youthful population into a powerful engine for economic transformation. However, high rates of underemployment, a mismatch between skills and labour market needs, a 38.7% youth NEET (Not in employment, education or training) rate, and a 95.8% youth informal employment rate hinder this potential. Strategic investments in quality education, targeted skills development, decent job creation, and youth-friendly policies are essential to unlocking the benefits of this demographic shift and ensuring inclusive, sustainable growth ahead of Lao PDR’s planned graduation from Least Developed Country status in 2026.

Against this backdrop, the UNFPA, UNESCO and ILO (hereinafter, the Partner Agencies) are currently developing a joint programme aimed at fostering more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable youth in Lao PDR. The programme focuses on three selected sectors that are mutually intertwined – namely eco-tourism, hospitality, and the creative industries to support job-rich growth while strengthening the policy and advocacy framework to promote overall health and well-being, flexible learning and training pathways, and inclusive employment at both national and subnational levels. Savannakhet and Luang Prabang have been identified as targeted provinces due to the prevalence of high poverty and at the same time high potential to create decent jobs for youth in the proposed sectors.

The following sector snapshots highlight the rationale behind their selection and underscore the need for a deeper understanding to support the design of an effective programme.
Tourism, particularly ecotourism, holds significant potential for growth and job creation in Lao PDR, supported by the country’s rich biodiversity and alignment with government priorities. Nature-based tourism, currently underdeveloped, could increase its share of GDP and employment to global averages with the right investments and policies. Lao PDR’s efforts to gain UNESCO recognition for key cultural and natural sites further highlight this potential, particularly in fostering green jobs for youth and youth-led cultural and creative industries. The digital economy strategy adopted in 2024 offers additional pathways for workforce development. Closely linked, the hospitality sector is labour-intensive, female-dominated, and poised for steady revenue growth, with a projected market value of over $72 million by 2029. Meanwhile, the cultural and creative industries remain largely untapped but could significantly boost tourism revenues and youth employment if formalized and supported. With international tourist arrivals already contributing 12% to GDP and increasing connectivity via the Lao-China Railway, these sectors together offer a strong foundation for inclusive and sustainable economic development. 
 

The broad objective of the assignment is to inform the programme design with a strong evidence base, ensuring it is effective, targeted, and capable of delivering quick wins while laying the foundation for systemic change and sustainable impact on youth empowerment. 
The specific objective of the assignment is to conduct a rapid assessment of the identified sectors by examining the status quo as well as growth trends, opportunities, and challenges; analysing skills mismatches that hinder youth access to decent employment; exploring potential market-driven solutions; and evaluating the policy environment’s capacity to support youth-friendly and job-rich growth within these sectors and the broader economy.
 

The scope of the rapid assessment of each of the sectors includes:
●    Current status and trend
      o    market size (in USD)
      o    employment and youth engagement (in numbers) and presence of foreign workers (if any) by categories 
      o    gender dimensions (in % and by age brackets if available)
      o    specific growth patterns (e.g. regional focus, sector (sub-sector) focus, tourist origin, spending behavior etc.)
      o    private sector (national and international) investment and participation
      o    specific market trigger/s (e.g. improved connectivity, digital inclusion, new policy etc.)
●    Existing training/certification programmes in the three focus sectors, and related gaps and challenges requiring attention from the Ministry of Education and Training institutions  
●    Key challenges and prospects (skills-set requirement of the 3 sectors and identifying gaps in demand and supply side)
●    Policy environment of the selected three sectors 
●    Mapping of major public and private sector actors
●    Draft value chain map of each sector with job estimation
●    Mapping of development projects/programmes
●    Mapping of relevant lessons in other countries, particularly within ASEAN 

3.1.    Desk research
The consultant will identify and review available secondary documents and web-based resources including relevant sector studies, country policies, strategies, action plans and laws relevant to the sectors and youth empowerment. 
The key output at this stage would be an Inception Report (not more than 10 pages excluding annex) highlighting the desk research findings, draft value chain maps of the sectors as well as the information gaps to fill during the primary research stage. The report must include, in the annex among others, the primary respondents to interview in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet and/or discuss in FGDs/consultation workshops. The consultant would prioritize and propose maximum 30 Key Informants (KIs) for one-on-one interview from the identified primary respondents (at least 15 from private sector) in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet, 6 FGDs (2 in Vientiane, 2 Luang Prabang and 2 in Savannakhet) with specific target groups identified      and include the overall primary research plan including assessment tools (questionnaire/question guides). A bibliography of the secondary literature reviewed must be annexed.
Output/Deliverables
a.    Inception Report
 

3.2.    Primary research
Following the approval of the inception report and primary research plan by the Partner Agencies, the consultant would begin the primary research. The primary research will take place in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet. The key activities at this stage are:
●    30 one-on-one interviews with the KIs as prioritized in the inception report. The KIs interviews should, among others, help fill the information gaps identified during the desk research.  
●    6 FGDs with specific groups identified during the inception phase. The consultant should aim at getting information that require convergence. The consultant may also take advantage of the FGDs to triangulate information obtained during desk research and one-on-one interviews.     
Output/Deliverables
b.    updated value chain maps with job estimations
c.    30 transcripts of KIs interviews, 6 FGDs notes     
 

3.3.    Analysis, reporting and presentation 
The consultant will analyze the findings from both secondary and primary research to develop a comprehensive overview of the sectors, aligned with the scopes outlined in the Assignment Overview section. Based on this analysis, the consultant will provide a set of actionable recommendations to address existing challenges and leverage emerging opportunities within the sectors. Additionally, a hypothetical projection will be developed to illustrate how resolving these challenges and capitalizing on opportunities could lead to higher growth, using extrapolated trends in market size, employment, and private sector investment as a comparison. A draft report summarizing the current status and dynamics of the sectors will be prepared and shared for review, and the final version will incorporate feedback from the Partner Agencies. The final deliverables will include the report and an accompanying slide deck highlighting key findings and recommendations to present before an audience group identified by the partner agencies     
Output/Deliverables
d.         rapid sector assessment report
e.         slide deck highlighting key findings and recommendations
 

The consultant will be closely working together with focal points of the Partner Agencies at each stage of the assignment – desk research, primary research and reporting. While s/he will be primarily responsible for the overall assignment and the deliverables, the partner agencies will assist, to the extent possible, in identifying secondary information, setting up interviews and organizing FGDs and finalizing the report and slide deck.      To maintain quality assurance, the consultant will conduct weekly 30-minute online meetings with the focal points to share progress updates and address any emerging issues throughout the assignment period.

5.    Timeline and level of efforts (LoE)

The assignment is scheduled to take 28 working days across April and May 2025. Below is the breakdown of activities and their respective timelines:

1. Desk Research & Inception Report (6 working days)

    – 2 working days per sector

    –  Conducted during April, spread across the initial weeks

2. Primary Research (13 working days)

    – 10 working days for conducting 30 key informant (KI) interviews

    –  3 working days for facilitating 6 focus group discussions (FGDs)

    –  This phase will take place from late April to early May

3. Analysis & Reporting (6 working days)

    –  5 working days for data analysis and drafting the report

    – 1 working day for finalizing the report and presentation

    –  Scheduled for mid-to-late May

6.    Payment/Deliverable details and schedule 

The consultant will be paid in two equal instalments – the first instalment will be paid on successful completion and delivery of Output/Deliverable and b. The second and final instalment will be paid upon successful submission of Output/Deliverable Reference 3.2 c, 3.3 d and 3.3 e.

7.    Qualifications

–    Masters Degree in any of the following – Business, Economics, Social Sciences, Education, Development Studies etc.
–    At least 7 years of work experience in relevant fields
–    Prior experiences in conducting similar assessments
–    Proven capacity to access and analyze large scale secondary data
–    Sound knowledge on the socio-economic context of Lao PDR including areas such as youth, skills, private sector etc
–    Prior experience of working with UN agencies is an advantage
–    Good communication skills in English and ability to produce well-articulated report in English
–    Must be well conversant in Lao language   

I.    Technical Proposal consisting of:
•    An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience make you suitable for the assignment. 
•    Approach and methodology for carrying out the assignment (maximum 1-2 pages, A4 pages)
•    A workplan with proposed timeframe to achieve the tasks
•    A list of associated experts (if applicable) who will contribute to specific aspects of the assignment, and comments on the Terms of Reference, if any (in brief), 
II.    Financial proposals:
•    The proposed daily or monthly rates or the amount/budget to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars only. Please show any travel costs separately. 
Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English.
 

Assessment
•    Only applications providing the information requested in the application procedure will be considered.
•    Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview. Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English.
 

Note:
•    Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidate(s) about the outcome or status of the selection process.
•    Please submit your application through SuccessFactors. Only if you are unable to attach requirements in system, please inform us at hr.bgk@unesco.org.
UNESCO places great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation the best value for money.

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