Advocacy-Oriented Policy Review and Analysis on Labour Mobility Pathways for Refugees in Asia–Pacific – Australia 4 views

Project Context and Scope

The Asia–Pacific region hosts major migration corridors between South/Southeast Asian countries of origin and high-income destination countries. Refugees and other displaced populations in the region face systemic barriers to accessing regular labour mobility pathways, including limited work rights, documentation constraints, exit permit requirements, and exclusion from skills training and recruitment channels.

Within this context, IOM is implementing a new Train to Hire project, a pioneering initiative designed to enhance access to labour migration pathways for refugees and displaced populations in the Asia-Pacific region. The core concept is to establish an employer-driven “train-to-hire” model that aligns vocational and complementary skills training with existing and potential labour migration pathways. This model aims to bridge the gap between refugee skillsets and labour market needs by identifying suitable training providers, training modalities, adapting curricula in consultation with employers, and piloting the approach with a small cohort. The initiative also explores governance arrangements and enabling conditions necessary for sustainable implementation, with the mid-term goal of scaling the model to other countries.

The project seeks to advocate for inclusive, accessible, and sustainable labour mobility pathways that better integrate refugees and displaced people into migration systems while also addressing labour shortages and development priorities in destination countries. To support this, a concise, advocacy-oriented policy review is required covering six countries:

• Destination: New Zealand, Japan, South Korea
• Source: Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia

This consultancy will leverage existing IOM internal and external labour migration analyses, regional datasets, and policy papers, as well as complement any gaps with additional information sourced from key informant interviews, to produce a strategic, targeted, advocacy-oriented policy analysis that identifies:

• Government positions, sensitivities, and political economy dynamics related to refugee and migrant mobility;
• Gaps and opportunities within key policy, legislative, administrative, and infrastructure relevant to labour mobility for both migrants and refugees;
• Opportunities for integrating refugees into existing labour migration, skills pipelines, and training-to-hire schemes;
• Potential high-impact advocacy entry points relevant to each country context, aligned with government priorities and constraints.

This analysis will directly inform the project’s advocacy planning and strategy and contribute to a multi-stakeholder workshop.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

• IOM Australia, within the project: Train-to-Hire Framework in the Asia-Pacific Region
• IOM Headquarters Labour Migration Unit and the IOM Regional Office in Asia-Pacific will support the consultancy planning and resources.

Responsibilities

Category B Consultants: Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

1. First deliverable – Inception report (10-12 pages). Refined methodology and analytical approach, preliminary list of country-specific areas of analysis and questions to pose, prospective interview plan and list of stakeholders, confirmation of scope and limits of detail – First instalment payment – Deliverable by email by 15 February 2026

2. Second deliverable – Outline an abstract of report and/or comparative matrix (approx. 10 pages) exploring identifiable supply side barriers and demand side barriers. Provides overview and list of areas of analysis and preliminary findings in narrative or cross-country table format, e.g. work rights, skills recognition systems, movement and exit controls, costs etc. – Deliverable by email by 28 February 2026

3. Third deliverable – First draft of report – Second instalment payment – Deliverable by email by 31 March 2026

   Report should include

   1. a brief regional overview approx. 5-7 pages (Major regional trends shaping labour mobility, key advocacy entry points at regional or multilateral levels, synthesis of how refugees could be framed within broader migration agendas, summary of cross-cutting barriers and opportunities)
   2. six country briefs approx. 5 pages each (Surface to mid-level analysis. Each country analysis should include: Snapshot of existing labour migration policies and systems; government positioning; key policies, legislation, and gaps relevant to refugees; opportunities for advocacy and integration into existing systems; infrastructure readiness; risk and sensitivity analysis; preliminary entry points and framing to expand work in this area) (Note: This is deliberately not a full profile; only relevant elements are needed.)
   3. advocacy recommendation approach approx. 5 pages (Tailored messages for each country; suggested framing strategies (economic, demographic, skills-based, humanitarian); key ministries and entry points for engagement; opportunities for pilot arrangements or corridor-level work; recommendations for the regional stakeholder workshop and other relevant outputs or strategies that may be useful; priority areas for medium-term advocacy)

4. Final deliverable – Final Report – Third and Final instalment payment (no less than 25% of overall contract value) – Deliverable by email by 30 April 2026

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

• Satisfaction of programme partners and donor with quality of the report
• Report findings are of such quality that they are useful to inform wider advocacy strategy, regional workshop planning, and design of scaled up, multi-country regional initiative for phase 2 of the project
• Timely submission of all deliverables as per the agreed workplan;
• Consultant’s responsiveness to feedback and ability to adapt deliverables accordingly.

Qualifications

Applicants may propose one consultant or a team. A two-person team may be advantageous (e.g., one labour migration specialist + one refugee/displacement expert; one focused on source country analysis and the other on destination countries; one expert on policy analysis and a second on advocacy messaging).

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in migration studies, public policy, labour economics, law, or related fields
• 7–10 years’ relevant experience in labour migration policy, ideally in Asia–Pacific
• Demonstrated understanding of refugee protection frameworks
• Experience conducting political, economic and policy analysis on migration-related topics
• Experience supporting advocacy or government engagement
• Strong ability to synthesise complex information into concise advocacy-oriented outputs
• Excellent writing and communication skills

Desirable

• Knowledge of and experience working on complementary / refugee labour migration pathways
• Experience working within any of the four destination-country migration systems (AUS, NZ, JP, KR)
• Experience with labour mobility and skills recognition systems in source countries
• Prior experience producing materials for multi-stakeholder advocacy

Languages

• Fluency in English is required

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Travel required

Required Competencies

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Notes

1. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
2. Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable.
3. IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work.
4. IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.
5. IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.
6. IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM online recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

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