Terms of Reference for Labour Market & Employment Opportunity Assessment for Unemployed Youth in Displacement Affected Communities) SAGAL 2 Program – Somali Cash Consortium

1. 1. Introduction & Rationale
      Somalia faces some of the world’s harshest climate shocks, putting decades of hard-won economic gains at risk.
      This initiative targets the most affected communities in four districts (Xudur, Qhardo, Sheikh, Caadado) by
      helping early-stage businesses and young entrepreneurs —especially women from host communities and IDPs
      sites—launch,strengthen, and scale sustainable, inclusive employment opportunitiesthat generate decent jobs.
      The Social Protection, Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (SAGAL 2) program, led by the Ministry of
      Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) and implemented by the Somali Cash Consortium (SCC) with EU funding, aims
      to bolster the resilience of displacement-affected communities. It is planned MoLSA project will contribute to
      enhance access to employment opportunities and livelihood pathways in Sheikh/Burao (Somaliland), Qardho
      (Puntland), Caadado (Galmudug) and Hudur (Southwest State) for 800 vulnerable unemployed youth (18-21
      yrs).
      Programme participants targeted under the MoLSA lead intervention will receive US$20 per person per month
      for a period of 12 months (6-8 months training + 3-4 months follow up).
      Under the lead of MoLSA the Action offers two distinct, but complementary modalities designed to increase
      employability opportunities for vulnerable youth in the target locations:
   2. Modality A – TVET / Skills Training + Coaching + support for Small-Business Start-Up: This modality
      targets unemployed youth from host communities who already have medium level literacy, and an
      intermediate skill set. Labour market opportunities have to be tailored to enhance self-or waged green
      jobs requiring more advanced vocational skills (basic financial management, business administration,
      carpentry, welding, plumbing, hospitality, decoration, mechanics, beautification, cooking, computer &
      IT skills, electrician, graphic design, mobile repairing, agribusiness, livestock products etc). By combining
      classroom instruction with practical, hands-on learning, the programme equips participants with the
      technical proficiency and workplace competencies employer’s demand. Upon completion, graduates can
      move directly into paid positions through organised internships and job-matching services or options to
      launch their own micro-enterprises using start-up grants and toolkits tailored to their chosen trade,
      thereby fostering both waged employment and sustainable self-employment pathways.
   3. Modality B – Green Graduation + Coaching + support for Small-Business Start-Up : Thissecond modality
      is purpose-built for internally displaced youth and other highly vulnerable groups whose limited literacy,
      numeracy, and work experience keep them locked out of mainstream labour markets. It centres on lowskill, environmentally sustainable trades—such as climate-smart urban gardening, recycling services,
      eco-friendly food vending, or other small neighbourhood enterprises—that add tangible value within
      local markets while minimising ecological impact. Participants receive a carefully sequenced package of
      support: foundational vocational and business training delivered in plain language, continuous one-toone coaching, and access to modest start-up kits or in-kind grants. This sustained guidance, combined
      Terms of Reference
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      with follow-up mentoring over several months, will help graduates move from extreme poverty to
      resilient self-employment, building livelihoods that are both climate-conscious and economically viable.
      Because the profiles of participants, the skill depth required, and the nature of viable enterprises differ
      between the two modalities, the consultant must analyse labour-demand trends, and market potential entry
      points for each group separately in relation to the above mentioned or any additional trending skills in the
      respective areas. The assessment will:
      • Map growth sectors, private actors and hiring practices relevant to higher-skill urban/peri-urban jobs
      for Modality A.
      • Identify green micro-business niches and low-capital trades that match the capacities of IDP and loweducated youth under Modality B, paying attention to look at opportunities and barriers in access to
      employment and self-employment for women, IDPs, minority groups
      • Identify those core life, financial, digital literacy skillsfor both modelsthat could be potentially integrated
      into the curricula.
      • Test the feasibility of linking both pathways to existing TVET / skills training institutions, community
      mentors, financial-service providers, and MoLSA/SODMA priorities, while safeguarding gender equity
      and environmental sustainability.
      MoLSA intends to seek alignment of employment opportunities identified through the labour and market
      assessment within on EU ongoing (IOM’s experience in Hudur), WV (SomRep) in Burao, WHH + FAO (climate
      smart agriculture, value chains, markets etc) or planned Global Gateway investments in the districts and states
      selected for the Action. The EU-Africa: Global Gateway Investment Package aims to support Africa for a strong,
      inclusive, green and digital recovery and transformation in key areas asthe renewable energy, circular economy,
      digitalisation, agri-food).
      This ToR sets out the requirementsfor a specialised consulting firm (hereafter “the Consultant”) to conduct that
      assessment.
   4. Purpose & Specific Objectives
      Overall purpose: Analyse the socioeconomic landscape of Sheikh, Qardho, Caadado, and Hudur; pinpoint
      inclusive, climate-smart employment and enterprise niches; tracking demand of goods or identifying
      oversaturated goods and services and deliver actionable recommendations that link SAGAL 2 trainees to these
      opportunities and unlock sustainable livelihoods.
      Specific objectives:
      a) Mapping out market systems and current and emerging labour demand—including high-growth ‘green’
      and digital niches—across priority sectors in alignment within the EU-Africa: Global Gateway Investment
      Package in the four districts selected.
      b) Quantify skills gaps and training needs, disaggregated by gender, disability status and displacement,
      assessing the feasibility of linking livelihood pathways to TVET institutions, mentors, financial services
      and Local Development Plans.
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      c) Analyse the ecosystem for Skill training provision, entrepreneurship support and access to finance in the
      four-district selected and recommend tracer studies options, paying attention to look at opportunities
      and barriers in access to employment and self-employment for women, IDPs, minority groups
      d) Produce location-specific opportunity matrices and placement strategies for both the Skill training and
      Green Graduation modalities including manufacturing and required potential inputs for business
      opportunities.
      e) Explore the list of Gateway financed or EU bankable projects in and around the four SAGAL districts and
      States
   5. Scope of Work
      Geographic focus: Sheikh (Somaliland), Qardho (Puntland), Caadado (Galmudug) and Hudur (Southwest
      State).
      Target groups: Unemployed youth aged 18–21 issued from Host Communities and IDPs.
      Key tasks:
      a) Desk review of macro-economic and climate-risk data, including Somaliland Vision 2030 and National
      Employment Policy and Decent Work Country Program1 and the Somalia NDC 3.0)2
      .
      b) Stakeholder mapping: employers, business associations, TVETs/ Skilltraining centres, finance providers,
      government.
      c) Field research: employer survey, youth/IDP survey, KIIs, FGDs, rapid value-chain appraisals using ILO
      Rapid Market Appraisal and Participatory Market Systems Development (PMSD) techniques.
      d) Opportunity analysis: identify high-demand job profiles—e.g., interior decoration, welding,
      electricity/energy, food & catering—and low-capital start-ups suitable for Green Graduation and TVET.
      TVET/vocationalskillstraining
      Modality A
      Green Graduation
      Modality B
      Target population Unemployed youth with medium
      level vocationalskills and literacy
      Unemployed youth with low
      level skills, numeracy and
      literacy. Expected to be adapted
      to IDPs employability needs.
      e) Gender & protection lens: barriers, safeguarding measures, and affirmative-action options.
      f) Job-linkage strategy: internships, apprenticeships public-works linkages, micro-finance pathways.
      g) Validation workshops: four State-level plus a national debrief.
      1 The DWCP 2023-2025 outlines the policy direction, strategies, and anticipated results through prioritised work areas
      during this period that will contribute to the country’s attainment of Decent Work.In recent years, with significant
      international community support, Somalia has made good progress in its institutional and economic reconstruction efforts.
      2 NDC 3.0: Somalia’s updated climate action plan aimed at enhancing the country’s efforts in tackling climate change and
      minimizing its impacts, as part of its obligations under the Paris Agreement.
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   6. Methodology
      The assessment will employ a mixed-methods design that fuses quantitative rigour with qualitative insight.
      Primary evidence will be gathered through structured surveys of programme-eligible youth/IDPs, generating
      statistically sound estimates of labour demand, wage ranges and skills gaps. These data will be enriched by
      key-informant interviews (KIIs) with business leaders, TVET providers, financial institutions and local
      authorities, plus gender-segregated focus-group discussions (FGDs) with youth, female entrepreneurs and IDP
      representatives—surfacing informal market rules, social norms and conflict drivers that surveys alone cannot
      capture.
      Complementary to the fieldwork, the team will conduct a rapid desk review of macro-economic outlooks, trade
      statistics, climate-risk assessments and prior livelihood studies. Leveraging ILO Rapid Market Appraisal (RMA)
      techniques, the consultants will benchmark emerging sectors against criteria such as growth potential, ‘green’
      intensity, inclusivity and resilience to climatic shocks. Where national datasets lack granularity, they will be
      down-scaled through proxy indicators and visualised via GIS mapping of key value-chain nodes—input
      suppliers, aggregation hubs, off-takers—creating a spatial picture of opportunity hotspots and logistical
      bottlenecks in Sheikh, Qardho, Caadado and Hudur.
      Throughout the process a Participatory Market Systems Development (PMSD) lens will be applied. Findings
      will be co-created and iteratively validated with stakeholders through short sense-making sessions after each
      field round and formal validation workshops in every State. This participatory approach not only improves data
      accuracy but also nurtures early buy-in among employers who may host apprenticeships or hire graduates. All
      data will be captured digitally using KoboToolbox / CommCare, enabling real-time quality control, gender
      disaggregation and GPS tagging. Rigorous triangulation across quantitative and qualitative sources will mitigate
      bias and enhance credibility.
      Finally, evidence will be consolidated into a concise, action-oriented report. The document will present
      opportunity matrices for Modality and Modality B, detailing job profiles, skill requirements, labor-absorption
      potential and environmental safeguards. Practical recommendations—spanning curriculum adaptations,
      enterprise-support packages, financing options and M&E indicators—will be prioritised by feasibility and
      impact. Cleaned datasets, survey tools and GIS layers will be annexed to facilitate replication and ongoing
      monitoring.
   7. Deliverables & Timeline (10 weeks)
      Find below summary of deliverables:
      a) Inception Report (Week 2, 30 % payment): refined questions, instruments, sampling and QA plan.
      b) Location-Specific Opportunity Briefs in the four districts selected (Week 5).
      c) Draft Assessment Report & Cleaned Datasets for the four districts selected (Week 8, 40 % payment).
      d) Consultant will ensure validation at district and national level & Executive Slide Deck (Week 9).
      e) Final Report, Interactive Opportunity Matrix (Week 10, 30 % payment).
      All deliverables to be provided in English (Word & PDF) with annexed data and GIS layers.
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   8. Consultant Profile
      a) Registered firm with ≥5 years’ labour-market & value-chain analysis experience in fragile contexts.
      b) Multidisciplinary team: labor economist (TL), market-systems specialist, TVET curriculum expert,
      environment/green-economy specialist, gender/protection adviser, Somali-speaking enumerators,
      data-quality lead.
      c) Proven track record with EU, ILO, World Bank or INGO assignments.
      d) Robust QA and data-protection protocols.
      e) Proven track record of operating in challenging humanitarian and development contexts.
      f) Documented experience producing comparable deliverables in similar settings—ideally for international
      NGOs or donor-funded programmes.
      g) Solid understanding of the Somalisocio-economic and cultural context is a strong advantage.7. Management
      & Reporting.
      h) Robust data-quality assurance and data-protection protocols.
      i) Excellent communication and coordination skills
      j) Fluency in written and spoken English and Somali
      k) Experience in working in Somalia and knowledge of the context of Somalia is considered an asset
      l) Demonstrated experience and skills in facilitating stakeholder/working group consultations
      m) Experience in working with Government and NGOs/INGOs/Donors
      n) Experience working in the private sector is an asset.
      The Consultant or Firm will report to the Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs with technical oversight from the
      SCC Consortium Management Unit. Bi-weekly check-ins and a dedicated focal point per State will be maintained.

Application procedures
The consultant that fits the requirements should submit an expression of interest in English that is a maximum
of 15 pages long and should include the following:
• A technical proposal with a detailed response to the TOR, with a specific focus on the specific objectives,
deliverables, and key selection criteria for respondents.
• A financial proposal detailing the itemized breakdown of the consultancy work, i.e. the number of
units/days/weeks and rates, and other modes of payment.
• Methodology and Implementation Plan.
• Company profile and CVs of the core experts that sufficiently demonstrates his/her background in Policy and
Advocacy research.
• A list of recent studies, publications of pertinent articles and research papers published in reputable and
highly cited journals.
• Samples of similar work undertaken by the company or the lead consultant (s).
• List of at least 3 client references for similar work undertaken by the company or the lead consultant.
• Initial work plan based on realistic timelines.
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APPLICATION PROCESS
The deadline for the application is: Tuesday 5th of August 2025 5pm Mogadishu Time (EAT). Applications
should be sent by email to: som.vacancies@concern.net. The title of the email should be “Consultant- Labour
Market & Employment Opportunity Assessment for Unemployed Youth in Displacement Affected Communities

• SAGAL 2 Program – Somali Cash Consortium”