Addressing the Employment Challenges among Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon
Background
Most Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live under dire living conditions with high poverty rates, inadequate infrastructure and housing, limited access to various basic services, in addition to being subject to discriminatory laws and regulations.
The limited access to job opportunities is exacerbating the cycle of poverty and the harsh conditions of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Employment of Palestinian refugees is challenging even before the multiple crisis that has been hitting Lebanon over the past year. On one hand, the economy of Lebanon has been struggling over the years and thus failed in creating jobs especially for the young and those transiting from education; while on the other, legal restrictions and misconceptions about the employment of Palestinians remain an impediment that hinders accessibility to the job market and to several professions. The past year has been catastrophic with the financial crisis shocking the labor market scene and severely impacting all working groups: Lebanese, refugees, and migrant workers.
The obstacles faced by the Palestinians in terms of employment is reflected negatively on their education levels as well. Very few Palestinians have completed university education (6%). Drop-out rates are relatively high among the Palestinians for many interrelated reasons, one of which is the perception of no-value in education in the face of a closed road towards employment.
According to the most recent available data (2011), employment rate among Palestinians is relatively similar to that of Lebanese, however the issue is more in the type of employment they are engaged in. Majority of them are working in the informal sector, in unsecured jobs with an average wage below the minimum wage. Unemployment among the Palestinians hits women, youth and those with higher education. The unemployment rate for females (14%) is almost double that for males (7%); Youths (15–24 years) and those with higher education are the groups suffering most in landing a job. Moreover, one out of two unemployed Palestinians is below the age of 24[1].
Taawon – Lebanon puts employment of youth as a priority and a major program for support. We have been experimenting with different interventions aiming at promoting youth employment including micro grants, support to start-ups as well as training and job placement for fresh graduates to facilitate the school to work transition. Not to mention that most of the programs and interventions Taawon supports within the camps manage to contribute towards creating jobs and sustaining livelihoods for many Palestinians – mainly women and youth.
Objective
The purpose of the consultancy is to provide hands on recommendations and suggestions for interventions towards supporting livelihoods and promoting the employment of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The outputs of this desk study should serve to provide orientation and guidance for the development of programs and interventions that can help improve employment of Palestinians in the country and establish sustainable mechanism towards job creation for Palestinian refugees – youth in particular.
[1] ILO and CEP “Labour force survey among Palestinian refugees living in camps and gatherings in Lebanon”, 2011
How to apply
Scope of Work
The consultancy involves two tracks: 1) complete a desk research on factors affecting employment of Palestinian refugee and the labor market in Lebanon followed by 2) experts’ meeting to discuss the results and build on them for recommendation; more precisely, the consultant will undertake the following:
- Provide a general overview of the situation of Palestinian refugees in terms of employment, while taking into consideration different aspects affecting their employment status and quality including skills and education levels, geography, gender, age, field of expertise, etc. The overview should cover employment status and conditions, employment profiling, unemployment rates, etc.
- Overview of the labor market in Lebanon – including labor market information and services. The challenges the Lebanese labor market is faced with and the relation between the labor market dynamics in the country with the employment of Palestinian refugees.
- Overview of the legal framework vis-a-vis the employment of Palestinian refugees in the country. The different regulations related to employment of Palestinians, the practices and the conditions. Assess any windows of opportunities or gaps in the legal framework that can be tapped on for possible intervention or possible opportunities of employment for Palestinian refugees (e.g.- nursing that is closed by law but opened due to high demand in the market).
- Mapping of projects / initiatives (success stories) that have been undertaken by different organizations and contributed to creating sustainable livelihoods, or job opportunities for similar groups whether in Lebanon or outside. Note the elements that contributed to the success of those projects and the impact that has been achieved.
- Provide a case study on the issue of entrepreneurship among Palestinians. Analyze any previous efforts to support entrepreneurship in the camps or among Palestinians and the outputs of those interventions. Provide answers to whether entrepreneurship could be an aspect to work on, if yes under which conditions and what approach and intervention types, and what level of success does it promise.
- Considering the collected data, propose guidelines and recommendations for possible interventions that can lead to improved and sustainable employment of Palestinian refugees to be presented for discussion in the meeting. Identify priorities and general guidelines for interventions and propose concrete recommendations to promote employment of Palestinian refugees; including practical suggestions to be considered for implementation; specify strengths, risks and any assumptions related to the proposed interventions.
- Take into consideration any discrepancies and priorities for interventions according to different regions or camps, different population groups (women and youth), different educational levels and skill set (high, medium, or low skilled) and different economic or employment sectors.
- Contribute to the organization of and facilitate an experts and stakeholders meeting to discuss, validate and build on the study findings and proposed recommendations. The meeting will involve Embassies, representative from the private sector, Ministry of Labour, representatives of professional syndicates, UN agencies including International Labour Organization, local and international organizations, in addition to concerned actors working on employment and with refugees as applicable.
- Prepare presentation of study results for the meeting and the final meeting report including final outputs and conclusions.
Deliverables and expected outcomes
By the end of the assignment, the Consultant is expected to deliver the following:
- Desk review report (Between 15-25 pages in English language)
- Presentation of study findings
- Experts meeting report including final recommendations and conclusions
Time Frame
The allocated time frame for the assignment is 15 working days to be completed within a period of six to eight weeks starting 1 June 2021.
Preparation of report / presentation for meeting
10 days
Field work / interviews
3 days
Experts’ meeting report
2 days
Competencies and qualifications
The selected consultant should fulfill the following:
- Holder of an advanced degree in economics, social sciences, or relevant fields
- Experience in conducting similar assessments and research and demonstrated capacity to analyze qualitative findings.
- Knowledge and expertise in job creation programs, employment and livelihoods.
- knowledgeable of the Palestinian context in Lebanon including the employment of Palestinian refugees.
- Capacity to liaise and network with a range of stakeholders
- Excellent communication skills and experience in leading experts’ meetings.
- Excellent command of both Arabic and English
Submission of Proposals
Interested candidates or institutions are invited to share their proposals: the technical and financial before 20 May. Proposals should be submitted in a sealed envelope with the title “Addressing the Employment Challenges”.
Technical proposal to contain an overview of the proposed research method and time plan.
Proposals to be submitted to Taawon (Welfare Association) offices – Ramlet el Bayda, Al Akhtal el Sagheer Street, Green Project Bldg. 5th floor - Telephone: 01.850219 / 01.850218 – Ms. Hanin Shaaban
The amount mentioned above is not beinding was only noted given its required filed by Daleel Madani system
منتهية الصلاحية
