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Expression of Interest (EoI)National consultant to manage and coordinate the national Tripartite-ILO Rapid Assessment (RA) on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business in TongaIntroduction According to the ILO nowcasting[1] model, global working hours declined in the first quarter of 2020 by equivalent to approximately 130 million full-time jobs. Global working hours in the second quarter are expected to be 10.5 per cent, equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs, which represents a significant deterioration. Taking together employers and own-account workers, around 436 million enterprises in the hardest-hit sectors worldwide are currently facing high risks of serious disruption. Own-account workers and small enterprises together account for more than 70 per cent of global employment in retail trade and nearly 60 per cent in the accommodation and food services sector, a reflection of the severe vulnerability of these sectors in the present economic crisis. Among the most vulnerable in the labour market, almost 1.6 billion informal economy workers are significantly impacted by lockdown measures and/or working in the hardest-hit sectors. According to the ILO Monitor:COVID19 and World of Work 4th edition[2], youth are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and the substantial and rapid increase in youth unemployment seen since February is affecting young women more than young men. The pandemic is inflicting a triple shock on young people. Not only is it destroying their employment, but it is also disrupting education and training, and placing major obstacles in the way of those seeking to enter the labour market or to move between jobs. In the Pacific, the slowdown in international trade and none existence of its heavily reliant tourism and related sectors has started to see business closing and workers (formal and informal) made redundant. As countries release stimulus packages to support business and jobs, it is critical to understand the specific impact of COVID19 on employment and business in order to inform government and donor investments and formulation and implementation of evidenced based COVID19 recovery policy measures to mitigate the impacts and reduce deepening inequalities. Rapid Assessment (RA) on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business The ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries is supporting national tripartite committees to undertake a national RA on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business, in Tonga. Similar RA’s are currently in progress in Fiji and Samoa. It is envisaged that the results of the survey will (a) support evidenced based COVID19 recovery policy recommendations of the tripartite and complement the employment chapter of the UN Social & Economic Impact Assessment. It is also important to recognise that the assessment is an “in-crisis assessment” and therefore the idea is to update it regularly as much as practical to ensure up-to-date information is provided to the tripartite. A draft ToR for the Tripartite-ILO RA has been developed including the survey questionnaire for contextualisation to national context. Based on the Fiji and Samoa experience, a Guidance Note has been developed to assist the tripartite and national consultant. The Guidance Note provides the objectives, principles and step by step guide for the RA. Scope of work and outputs The national consultant will be required to work closely with the national tripartite committee, through the leadership of the chair of the tripartite committee. In addition, the national consultant will work under the guidance of the regional consultant/advisor and ILO Country Programme/Project Officer. The outputs of the consultant will be to:
Qualifications and competencies The national consultant must at least have:
Total investment The total ILO investment for this consultancy will be U$3,000.00. The consultant will be paid U$150.00 per day for a total of 20 days from 16 July to 12 August 2020 Deadline and Responsible ILO Officials Please submit a two page expression of interest, based on the qualifications and competencies highlighted above, by COB on 15th July 2020 to: Ms Surkafa Katafono Programme Officer (Tonga) surkafa@ilo.org [1] https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/coronavirus/impacts-and-responses/WCMS_743146/lang--en/index.htm [2] https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_745879/lang--en/index.htm LATEST NEWS!MEDIA RELEASE – 02 July 2020 COVID-19 will likely create long lasting economic damage and change the way enterprises do business in Tonga. Recognizing the important role that businesses play in creating jobs, economic growth, development and prosperity, the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) collaborated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in conducting a needs assessment survey to identify key challenges faced by businesses in Tonga resulting from COVID-19. This survey was completed by 216 businesses across Tongatapu, Vava’u, Ha’apai & ‘Eua who operated in over 17 different sectors, including hotel and tourism (28%), food and beverage/restaurants (21%), and retail and sales (12%). Enterprises surveyed employed between one and 250 workers in their business, with most enterprises employing between 1 – 10 workers (74%). Some of the key findings and issues raised by enterprises in the survey:
Tonga Chamber expects the negative impacts on enterprises from COVID-19 will worsen further when/after COVID arrives in Tonga. Chamber recognizes it must work more effectively and well with government and its other key partners, in order to assist enterprises throughout Tonga overcome COVID-19 negative impacts now and in the future. END MEDIA RELEASE - 19 MARCH 2020 Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (TCCI), the recognized National Private Sector Organization in Tonga would like to reassure the business community that we are working with the Government on measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 so that businesses & organizations can deliver level of services as close to normal as possible, and to ensure that our communities continue to access essential services. We are also taking guidance from the Ministry of Health on their rrecommended key preventative measures to protect the health of our staff and customers, and we urge all businesses to do the same. Some members of the Executive Committee of TCCI met with the Minister of Trade and Economic Development (MTED), the Honourable Minister Samiu Vaipulu yesterday and discussed possible measures government could consider to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and the community. Some of the issues discussed included the following:
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