Research Consultancy: Facilitating Access to Labor Markets for Syrians under Temporary Protection in Turkey

Background

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid and facilitate access to rights. We work in conflict-affected areas, along displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and durable solutions.

DRC was founded in Denmark in 1956, and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced. All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty and transparency.

DRC has been operating in Turkey since 2013, running a combination of emergency, livelihoods, and protection programs to ensure better local integration of Syrian refugee populations as one part of a genuinely durable solution to displacement.

DRC Turkey is currently looking for highly qualified consultants, specialized in labor market regulations and policy analysis.

The context for the work

Supporting Syrian refugees in restoring, protecting and enhancing their economic wellbeing and supporting their journey towards self-reliance through decent work and livelihoods interventions is a cornerstone of DRC programs in Turkey. Livelihoods programming in Turkey combines a range of different types of interventions, from business support to employment support, that ultimately aim at providing vulnerable refugee individuals and households with opportunities for sustainable and resilient livelihoods.

Restricted labor laws and other regulations in Turkey makes it very challenging for refugees to access the job market. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic downturn, high levels of unemployment are expected throughout the country, for host populations and refugees alike, and will likely make competition over employment opportunities even more dire.

It is essential for DRC to understand the specific areas of policies related to labor market access that need improvement and would enable meaningful change for DRC’s people of concern and increased impact of its livelihoods interventions. Another important enabler for DRC’s livelihoods interventions is to gain a better understanding of the labor market itself to identify areas in which there is potential for new, innovative approaches in terms of business and employment support.

Altogether, this calls for a need to understand in more depth what the determinants of and barriers to refugee employment in Turkey are. While a lot of work has already been done on that topic in the past few years, there is a need for a review of existing findings to identify remaining gaps and an update on how the labor market has been and will continue to be affected by the pandemic and its consequences. More specifically, DRC Economic Recovery team seek to understand in more detail the following questions:

· What are the main factors that play into preventing employers to hire refugees, and how can employers be supported in hiring refugees?

· What work sectors are refugees predominantly working in and/or have easier access?

· What is the state of the labor law for refugees regarding non-traditional livelihoods, such as online employment for domestic and international employers?

· What are the main policy recommendations for improving the access to labor market for Syrians under Temporary Protection, including for women and men?

· What are the policy recommendations for promoting entrepreneurship by Syrians under Temporary Protection, including access to finance?

· What are some operational recommendations on how to better design and effectively use market data to inform livelihood programming decisions in the coming years?

The consultants will provide evidence-based recommendations on facilitating access to the labor market for refugees living in Turkey. The consultants will formulate a research paper with policy recommendations as well as operational recommendations. A key challenge will be to review the existing literature on the topic and to identify gaps in knowledge in order to define with DRC teams one or several specific research questions for the paper as well as an appropriate research design to collect new, relevant data as needed and in a timely manner

Consultant(s) Profile

Key requirements

The consultants or consultancy company should be able to demonstrate the following qualifications.

General qualifications

· Extensive experience and engagement with research and policy analysis on labor market regulations in Turkey, ideally for Syrians under Temporary Protection

· Advanced skills in research design and methods, including data collection and market assessment techniques

· Experience developing operational recommendations and identifying best practices for livelihood programs for displaced or marginalized populations

· Excellent writing skills in English

· One of the consultants at a minimum should have a Master’s degree or above in development or humanitarian studies, political science, economics, or other relevant fields

Specific qualifications

· A strong understanding and experience with on the ground humanitarian economic recovery programming

· Technical knowledge and understanding of the labor market in Turkey, including legal aspects as they relate to Syrian refugee populations

· Proven experience in the areas of displacement and integration, solutions programming, and working with humanitarian organizations

· Knowledge of English (written and spoken) mandatory. Knowledge of Turkish an asset.

Please check Section IV. Selection and Award Criteria of the RFP Invitation Letter to see the documents to be submitted and evaluation of the bids.