Senior Statistical Expert (External Collaborator).

1. Background

Iraq’s labour market is at a critical crossroads, shaped by economic, demographic, and social factors. The country’s economy remains heavily reliant on the oil sector, which accounts for over 90% of government revenues and a significant share of GDP. However, the capital-intensive nature of the oil industry means it generates few direct employment opportunities, leading to persistent job creation challenges, particularly in the private sector. While the public sector has historically been a key employer, fiscal constraints and ongoing reforms have limited its capacity to absorb the growing workforce.

As a result, Iraq faces high unemployment and underemployment rates, especially among youth and women. The informal economy plays a crucial role in absorbing surplus labour, with many workers in agriculture, construction, and small-scale trade engaged in informal work, often without social protection, decent wages, or safe and healthy working conditions.

Other key labour market challenges include youth unemployment and inactivity, skills mismatch, gender disparities in employment, low female labour force participation, and labour migration trends. Addressing these structural issues is essential for building a more inclusive and resilient labour market in Iraq.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2025 will provide crucial data to inform policy decisions aimed at improving employment outcomes, fostering inclusive economic growth, and addressing structural challenges in the labour market. By capturing key labour market indicators, the survey will enable targeted policy interventions that align with Iraq’s development priorities and international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and International Labour Standards (ILS).

The previous round of the LFS was conducted in 2021, marking the first national Labour Force Survey in a decade. The International Labour Organization (ILO) partnered with the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) and the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office (KRSO) to implement the survey, which collected comprehensive data on the size and characteristics of the labour force, employment, unemployment, and other labour market indicators. It also measured key aspects of labour underutilization, including time-related underemployment and the potential labour force, while assessing other forms of work, in line with the latest international statistical standards adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians.

In 2024-2025, Iraq conducted its first Population and Housing Census in nearly four decades, along with the third round of the Iraq Household Socioeconomic Survey (IHSES III). The completion of these large-scale data collection efforts has created a unique opportunity to update national statistical efforts, particularly in areas critical for evidence-based decision-making on employment and social protection reforms.

Building on these advancements, the LFS 2025 will be implemented alongside efforts to establish a Labour Market Information System (LMIS) and other key statistical activities, including the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). The LFS 2025 will play a vital role in updating labour market data and hence enhancing labour market governance, economic planning, and policy formulation in Iraq.

1. Rationale

In view of the above, a high caliber statistical consultancy is required to be made available to the survey technical team on sampling design, weighting, analyzing the data, writing the final report and providing overall technical statistical guidance.

1. Specific Duties and Responsibilities

The contracted senior statistical consultant is expected to deploy and provide higher statistical and technical expertise that will be responsible for the following:

1. Assist the CSO and KRSO in:
   1. Drawing the sample design for the LFS and writing its methodology.
   2. Calculating the sampling weights and errors.
2. Assist in the development and testing of the questionnaire.
3. Provide training for staff in preparation for field work (including training on latest ICLS guidelines).
4. Compute indicators and final tabulation in coordination with the technical team.
5. Develop data analysis and final report.
6. Prepare presentation to present findings.
7. Provide technical statistical guidance when needed throughout the project.
8. Payment Schedule:

First payment: 10% upon completion of the deliverable task number 1a;

Second payment: 25% upon completion of the deliverable tasks number 2 and 3;

Third payment: 25% upon completion of the deliverable tasks 1b and 4.

Fourth payment: 40% upon completion of the deliverable tasks 5, 6, and 7.

1. Timeline and estimated budget

The consultancy will span a total of 30 working days, distributed over the period from April 2025 to October 2025. The budget will be based on the proposed daily fees for a selected consultant.

1. Supervision and logistical arrangements

Throughout the assignment, the consultant will work under the direct supervision of the ILO Country Coordinator in Iraq, and under the overall technical supervision of the ILO ROAS Labor Statistician and the Chief Technical Chief Technical Advisor on Social Security. The consultant will closely coordinate with both CSO and KRSO.

The consultancy is expected to be performed remotely. Nevertheless, the consultant may be invited to attend some in-person meetings or activities in Iraq.

1. Required Qualifications

• Education***:*** University degree in statistics, maths, labour economics, econometrics, and/or any other related field. A PhD in Statistics is an advantage
• Experience***:*** At least 10 years of professional experience at the international level in the design and implementation of household surveys, particularly Labour Force Surveys, sampling techniques, statistics data cleansing and tabulation and data analysis. Previous experience in working with UN agencies/ILO and/or National Statistical Office is an advantage.
• Qualifications: The deployed expert should be a qualified survey statistician with a strong background in the analysis of employment, unemployment and labour market trends in developed and developing countries. They should have a proven record in providing technical advice to countries on surveys, statistical concepts and definitions, particulary labour force surveys;
• AdditionalRequired Competencies: The deployed expert should have substantive knowledge on the resolutions adopted and adapted by the International Conferences of Labour Statisticians (especially 19th, 20th, and 21st ICLS).
• Languages***:*** Fluency in Arabic and English.

1. Application process

The ILO invites qualified consultants who have relevant experience in delivering similar services to submit their applications comprised of technical and financial parts, as described below, toiraq-procurement@ilo.org with the subject line “LFS 2025 – Senior Statistical Expert” no later than 19 April 2025. Incomplete applications or applications not matching the requirements specified in these Terms of Reference will not be considered. The announcement is open for both National (Iraqi) and international candidates

Technical Proposal

Technical proposal should comprise of:

• CV describing education, qualifications, experience in similar assignments as outlined in the required qualifications for the assignment. The CV should also include the candidate’s contact details, language proficiency, and at least three professional references.
• Short methodological note (1 page) summarising a candidate’s approach to supporting CSO and KRSO in drawing the sample design for the LFS and calculating the sampling weights and errors.
• Tentative schedule/timeline (1 page) a candidate proposes to compete the assignment.

The External Collaborator may also add any other document(s) and information to demonstrate its technical and professional capacities and competencies to fulfil the requirements as specified in the Terms of Reference.

Technical Proposals must be submitted in English in PDF format.

Financial Proposal

• A financial proposal for conducting this assignment, based on a total of 30 working days.
• Proposed daily fees should exclude transportation and daily allowances.
• Travel is required, transportation costs and daily subsistence allowances will be covered by the agreement as per UN regulations and standards. Once dates are known, ILO will be estimating the amount and will be sharing it.

The financial proposal/daily rate can be submitted in US Dollar or Iraqi dinar[1].

Selection and evaluation process and criteria

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by an Evaluation Panel, to determine compliance with the requirements specified in these Terms of Reference.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the Proposals, with evaluation of each Technical Proposal constituting 60 points being completed prior to any Financial Offer which constitute 20 points being opened and compared.

Each Technical Proposal (60 points) is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to these Terms of Reference according to the criteria described below. The minimum passing score is 50 points:

1. Maximum 30 points for the relevance of consultant’s education, qualifications and experience, including experience at the international level and in similar consultancies;
2. Maximum 20 points for the technically sound and feasible approach proposed in the methodological note on drawing the sample design for the LFS and calculating the sampling weights and errors
3. Maximum 10 points for feasibility of the proposed timeline.

Please note that fluency in English and Arabic is mandatory for the assignment. Candidates lacking fluency in any of these languages will not be considered.

If multiple candidates achieve high scores, ILO might invite top three highest scored consultants for interviews to determine the final selection.

During the second stage of the evaluation, the Financial Proposals (20 points) of all qualified national consultants who have attained at least the minimum score during the technical evaluation (50 points) will be compared. The maximum number of points – 20 points – will be assigned to the lowest Financial Proposal submitted by applicants. All other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion.

The process of evaluating the proposals will be based on the percentage combination of Technical and Financial elements.

ILO Website: Senior Statistical Expert (External Collaborator) | International Labour Organization