National Consultant to Review Employers Association of South Sudan (EASS) Strategy to mainstream LM and align it to ILS and the draft LM and PrEA reg 58 views0 applications

Background & Rationale

Labour migration dynamics in South Sudan are characterized by both emigration and immigration trends. According to various sources, South Sudan has experienced significant movements of people across its borders. Reports from 2015 indicate that South Sudan is a destination for irregular migrants, primarily from neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, and Somalia. Factors contributing to this include porous borders, weak border management, and perceived economic opportunities compared to dire economic realities in other countries in the region. The total stock of migrant workers in South Sudan during 2011 to 2012 was estimated to range between 500,000 to 1.2 million individuals. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in its 2020 report, estimates that there are around 882,252 migrants in South Sudan, mainly from Sudan, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia and Kenya, though the number is likely to be much higher as most of the migration to South Sudan is irregular, it is difficult to have comprehensive data.

Conversely, South Sudanese nationals have sought employment opportunities abroad, particularly in neighbouring countries and the Gulf States. Additionally, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Migration Statistics Report highlighted an increase in the proportion of males engaged in migrant smuggling from 2015 to 2018, with youth aged 15 to 35 being more involved in such activities.[1] These patterns underscore the complexity of labour migration in South Sudan, influenced by economic, social, and security factors, necessitating comprehensive policies to manage migration effectively.

As per the ILO Labour market assessment, country report South Sudan, migration into and within South Sudan is largely irregular[2]. Migrants from neighbouring countries are usually lured into servitude through promises of decent work by South Sudanese and foreign business owners, as well as by organized trafficking networks[3]. In addition, with the growing unemployment among the native South Sudanese, there is an emerging perception that the foreigners have taken up jobs meant for local communities. This is complicated further by lack of a clear guideline on how to register, regulate and take advantage of the skills and experience of the migrant workers. Migrant workers are also discriminated against, since foreign employers must “give priority of employment, at least 80% at different levels of management, to nationals[4] as per Article 46 of the Labour Act, 2017. Besides, there is no established mechanism to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration of South Sudanese migrant workers to various countries of destination to be able to have numerical count and attribute the remittances to the exchange of labour. These together with other challenges calls for a streamlined and meaningful government and social partners engagement in labour migration.

To better respond to some of the challenges with labour migration, South Sudan developed a national labour migration policy with the active participation of the Employers organization and other relevant partners which was validated in early 2025. The policyaims to improve or establish a system of policies and institutions to manage labour migration in the country. The policy is organized around four major objectives, namely (1) Governance of labour migration to promote decent work; (2) Improved protection of migrant workers and their families; (3) Skills development for the promotion of employment opportunities for migrant workers in national and global labour market; and (4) Maximisation of the developmental impacts of labour migration.

Moreover, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan with the active participation of EASS and other relevant partners has also developed and validated the South Sudanese Regulatory Guidelines and Legislative Proposal (Regulation) for Private Employment Agencies in February 2024, which is currently with the ministry of Justice awaiting the signature of the minister of Justice for it to come into Law. This regulation grounded in the South Sudan Labour Act (2017) and aligned with international labour standard will help to regulate the recruitment, licensing and inspection of PrEAs and promote fair recruitment practices as well as the protection of migrants’ workers of ethical recruitment practices within the sector. The emergence of a regulated PrEA ecosystem presents a strategic opportunity for EASS to diversify its membership, strengthen service delivery, and play a leadership role in supporting private labour market actors. However, it also requires institutional adaptation, including targeted policy alignment and capacity development to effectively engage and represent this new constituency.

Given the immense role played by the Employers’ association in bringing employers and the business community together on issues related to labour migration governance, including policy development and implementation, there is a need to strengthen their capacity by revising their strategy to align it to international labour standards, including but not limited to, the ILO Private Employment Agencies Convention 1997 (No. 181); Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97); Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143) and the ILO General principles and operational guidelines on fair recruitment and definition of recruitment fees and related costs, as well as the draft LM policy of South Sudan and PrEA regulation and mainstream labour migration throughout the strategy.

The Employers’ Association of South Sudan (EASS) was created in 2012 and is recognized by the Government of South Sudan as the voice of businesses in the country. Just a year after its establishment, political rivalry grew into a civil war in 2013 and 2016 among the rival parties in South Sudan. This severely affected EASS in terms of operations and communication breakdown with its members. Moreover, an inactive Board and Secretariat hindered EASS to operationalize its first Strategic Plan. The peace deal of September 2018 provided EASS a renewed opportunity to position itself as a strong and credible business voice in the Republic of South Sudan.[5] Employers Association of South Sudan is also a member of several Regional Employers organization, namely, Business Africa, Confederation of IGAD Employers (CIE), and East Africa Employers organization. Currently EASS assume the Presidency of the CIE. These regional organizations promote free trade and regional integration. They encourage member states to facilitate trade with little or no barriers and allow citizens to move across borders in search of employment and carry out trading activities.

The Employers Association of South Sudan (EASS) plays a pivotal role as a social partner and representative voice of the country’s business community. EASS has been instrumental in advocating for employer interests in national labour policy dialogues, supporting private sector development, and contributing to the creation of a more enabling environment for decent work and inclusive economic growth. With the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO), EASS developed its first comprehensive Strategic Plan (2021–2025), which prioritized institutional capacity-building, membership expansion, advocacy, and effective representation.

With the aim of strengthening the efforts of the EASS in improving labour migration governance, the ILO through the Better Regional Migration Management Project, financed by the UK Government Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in partnership with EASS is seeking the service of a national consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the Employers Association of South Sudan (EASS) Strategic Plan(2021–2025), to mainstream labour migration and align it to ILS and the draft LM policy and PrEA regulation of South Sudan. The consultant needs to pay specific attention to see how best EASS can broaden their membership by attracting Private Employment Agencies to join the EASS.

2. Objective

The overall objective of this assignment is to support the Employers Association of South Sudan (EASS) in reviewing and updating its institutional Strategic Plan to align with evolving labour market dynamics and recent policy developments, particularly the regulation of Private Employment Agencies (PrEAs) and Labour Migration Policy of South Sudan.

Specific Objectives:

• To conduct a comprehensive review of the EASS Strategic Plan (2021–2025) and mainstream labour migration in line with current national, regional and global labour migration frameworks.
• To integrate Private Employment Agencies (PrEAs) into EASS’s strategic priorities by identifying their needs, roles, and potential contributions to labour migration governance.
• To develop and updated a results-based Strategic Plan for the period 2026–2030, with a strong emphasis on fair recruitment, in line with the ILO General principles and operational guidelines on fair recruitment and definition of recruitment fees and related costs, decent work, inclusive representation, and institutional sustainability.

3. Scope of work

The consultant will undertake the following tasks but not limited to:

1. Conduct a comprehensive desk review of relevant institutional, national, regional, and global documents, including the EASS Strategic Plan (2021–2025), the Regulatory Guidelines and Legislative Proposal for Private Employment Agencies, The National Labour Migration Policy, the South Sudan Labour Act (2017), and other applicable labour, migration, and private sector policy instruments.
2. Identify gaps and areas for improvement in relation to labour migration and PrEA priorities.
3. Engage with key stakeholders, including government bodies, trade union, private employment agencies, migrant community and community organizations, to gather insights and feedback.
4. Assess gaps, opportunities, and institutional needs in the existing EASS Strategic Plan, with a focus on strengthening the inclusion, service delivery, and organizational representation of PrEAs, while ensuring alignment with national migration governance priorities and regional labour frameworks.
5. Integrate the Private Employment Agencies (PrEAs) agenda into the future strategic direction of EASS, ensuring full alignment with the newly validated regulatory framework for PrEAs and LM Policy. This includes updating and drafting the EASS Strategic Plan for the period 2026–2030 with an enhanced focus on ethical recruitment, labour migration governance, and the effective representation of PrEAs as a key stakeholder group.
6. Draft the updated EASS Strategic Plan (2026–2030), incorporating clear strategic priorities for the inclusion of PrEAs, a stronger emphasis on decent work and fair recruitment, and a results-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework with an accompanying sustainability strategy to support implementation.
7. Facilitate a stakeholder consultation and validation workshop to present the updated draft strategic plan that has integration with PrEAs. The consultant is expected to lead participatory discussions with EASS leadership, PrEAs, government institutions, and social partners to gather feedback and build consensus around the revised strategy.
8. Finalize and submit the updated EASS Strategic Plan (2026–2030), incorporating feedback from the ILO, EASS, and other key stakeholders. The final package will include the updated EASS Strategic Plan (2026–2030), a concise summary report highlighting methodology and recommendations, and any supporting documentation used during the consultation process.

4. Deliverable

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverable:

1. An inception report outlining the methodology and work plan, including timeline.
2. Draft EASS Strategic Plan (2026–2030), that integrated of PrEA priorities and alignment with labour migration frameworks. Prepare PowerPoint presentation for the validation w/shop.
3. Stakeholder awareness raised on the revised EASS’s strategy.
4. Final Strategic plan based on the comment received during validation.
5. Validation meeting report.

5. Reporting line

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO BRMM Project and the technical guidance of the ACTEMP Specialist in DWT Cairo, and the Employers Association of South Sudan (EASS).

6. Timeframe and payment schedule

This assignment should be 20 working days over two months period . The work will commence on 15 July 2025 upon signing contract and will be completed on by 15 September 2025.

Delivrables

Timelines

% of Payments

• Submission of inception report including his/her understanding of the assignment, detailed methodology and detailed workplan.

30 July 2025

20%

• Submit the draft EASS Strategic Plan (2026–2030), integrating PrEA priorities and labour migration frameworks, along with a PowerPoint presentation for the validation workshop.

15 August 2025

30%

• Submit the final draft of the Strategic Plan, incorporating validation feedback, along with the validation workshop report.

1 Sept 2025

50%

Total

100%

u7. Confedentiality

All data is to be kept confidential. All information relating to this assignment, including any copyright or ownership of documents generated during the process, is owned by the ILO and its project partners.

u8. Disclaimer

The Project reserves the right to independently verify submitted documents, listed clients and similar work. The Project is not obligated to give reasons for non-selection of an individual or company. The Project reserves the right to discontinue this process without notice or reference to any entity.

• 1. Qualifications and Experience requirements

Qualified individual who wish to apply for this consultancy should meet the following qualification:

• Advanced degree in Public Policy, Labour Studies, Economics, Migration, or related fields.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in strategic planning, organizational development, or labour governance.
• Proven experience in developing strategic frameworks in fragile or post-conflict settings.
• Strong knowledge of labour migration, PrEAs, and international labour standards.
• Excellent facilitation, analytical writing, and stakeholder engagement skills;
• Familiarity with South Sudan’s labour and private sector context is highly desirable.
• 1. Evaluation Criteria

The submitted offer will be assessed against the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

Maximum marks

A university degree in Public Policy, Labour Studies, Economics, Migration, or related fields; 25

Minimum of 7 years of experience in strategic planning, organizational development, or labour governance. 20

Proven experience in developing strategic frameworks in fragile contexts, with at least two samples of previous related work provided. 25

Proven ability to conduct stakeholder dialogues, with excellent facilitation and analytical writing skills, and strong knowledge of labour migration, PrEAs, and international labour standards. 20

Experience working within South Sudan’s labour and private sector context, particularly on issues related to migrant workers, and/or with the ILO or other UN agencies. 10

Maximum Points 100

Minimum Acceptable Score for the Proposal to be considered for financial evaluation. 70

Weight:

• Technical Evaluation – Qualifications, understanding of the assignment and Experience – 70%
• Financial evaluation – 30%

[1] https://igad.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IGAD-english-digital-2022-1.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[2] wcms_859188.pdf (ilo.org)

[3] US Department of State. 2018. “South Sudan.” In 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report.

[4] Article 46 of the Labour Act, 2017

[5]https://www.ilo.org/actemp/news/WCMS_854960/lang–en/index.htm