Consultant for the study “Towards a more strategic and cohesive approach to jobs” – Côte d’Ivoire Consultancy

After a decade of political and economic crises during the 2000s, Côte d’Ivoire has regained political stability and has started to tap its considerable social and economic potential again, eying to become an emerging economy. As part of the Government’s development strategy, the creation of more good quality jobs is key to further accelerate poverty reduction in Côte d’Ivoire, with the support of the World Bank Group’s (WBG) lending and analytical portfolio.
In that context, the Côte d’Ivoire Country Management Team has asked the Social Protection and Jobs team to work towards a more strategic and cohesive approach to jobs across the Côte d’Ivoire WBG portfolio. The objective is to inform the upcoming SCD Update (to be completed by the end of June 2021) and the new CPF, as well as to identify recommendations on how to apply a strong jobs lens to future lending operations.

II. Objective:

The task aims to develop a more strategic and cohesive approach to jobs across the Côte d’Ivoire WBG portfolio. In particular, the task aims to inform the upcoming SCD Update and the new CPF, as well as to identify recommendations on how to apply a strong jobs lens to future lending operations.

III. Expected results:

The following results are expected from the task:
1) Inform the Strategic Country Diagnostic (SCD) Update with a strong focus on the multisectoral jobs challenges that Côte d’Ivoire faces; and
2) Inform the upcoming revision of the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Côte d’Ivoire with a strategic and cohesive approach to overcome the main jobs challenges.

IV. Approach / Methodology:

The team will follow a three-step-process to achieve these results:
1) Map Côte d’Ivoire’s jobs challenges to the Jobs Conceptual Framework (JCF): The mapping will be conducted by using the JCF developed by the Jobs Group. The JCF is organized around the jobs outcomes of creating more jobs, improving the quality of jobs, and strengthening access to good quality jobs for various population groups, including the women, youth, and rural populations; as well as interventions pertaining to macro-economic conditions, the business environment, and the labor supply and demand side (see Annex 1; an applied example for Bangladesh can be found in Annex). Mapping Côte d’Ivoire’s jobs challenges to the JCF will give an overview on the relative importance of each of the constraints Côte d’Ivoire faces to create more good quality jobs for all population groups. The mapping will be informed by the current SCD, the Côte d’Ivoire Jobs

Diagnostic, the CPSD, and other analytical work that touch upon the jobs challenges Côte d’Ivoire phases. This will be complemented by consultations with TTLs.
2) Conduct a mapping of the active and pipeline WBG portfolio: In a second step, a portfolio mapping will be conducted by using the JCF. The portfolio mapping will take into account the World Bank lending and the IFC investment portfolio (an applied example for Bangladesh can be found in Annex 3). The focus will be on the pipeline portfolio; with a lighter mapping of the active portfolio. The mapping will be conducted by reviewing the information on the active and pipeline portfolio provided in the OperationsPortal, as well as by conducting consultations with TTLs. A heatmap will provide information on where the biggest investments are currently being made or planned.
3) Identify recommendations towards a more strategic and cohesive approach to jobs in the Côte d’Ivoire portfolio: Based on the mapping conducted under 1) and 2), recommendations will be identified to further leverage the WBG portfolio to achieve better jobs outcomes for all population groups, including the most vulnerable. Recommendations will be identified by performing a gaps assessment: such an assessment will compare the mapping of the country’s jobs challenges with the portfolio mapping to assess to what degree the overall WBG portfolio is designed to address the country’s jobs challenges. The recommendations will inform the SCD Update and the CPF, as well as lay the ground for a stronger jobs lens in WBG operations.
4) Identification of core jobs indicators for the CPF and jobs operations: Based on the World Bank’s Jobs M&E Toolkit and other relevant guidelines, a set of jobs indicators will be defined to be included in the CPF results framework as well as for project teams to select from for their Jobs operations. For each indicator, a standard definition will be provided and data sources identified.

V. Deliverables:

The following deliverables are expected from the consultant:
▪ Adaption of the JCF to the Côte d’Ivoire context;
▪ Mapping of the jobs challenges in Côte d’Ivoire, applying the JCF;
▪ Presentation of the mapping of the jobs challenges to the TTLs working on Côte d’Ivoire;
▪ Mapping of the active and pipeline WBG portfolio, applying the JCF;
▪ Recommendations note on how to increase the impact of the WBG portfolio on Jobs outcomes in Côte d’Ivoire;
▪ A list of jobs indicators, including their definition and data source, for the CPF and project results frameworks; and
▪ Presentation of the portfolio mapping and recommendations note to the TTL and management.

VI. Organization of the work:

The task will be completed by May 2021 and will inform the SCD Update and the CPF. The DM for the SCD is planned for the end of the fiscal year. A consultant will be hired to support the team conduct the mappings under 1) and 2), as well as to work on recommendations for the CMU to support better jobs results in Côte d’Ivoire. For task 1), the consultant will use existing reports. The results of the jobs
challenge mapping will be presented to all TTLs and finalized after discussion. For task 2), the consultant will use information available in the OperationsPortal and conduct consultations with TTLs to confirm and complement the data. The portfolio mapping as well as the recommendations from task 3) will also be presented to the TTLs and finalized after discussion.
The consultant will be supervised by Raphaela Karlen, Social Protection and Jobs Specialist, and Solene Rougeaux, Senior Social Protection Specialist.
The consultant will be offered a 40-day contract, from February 1 to April 30, 2021.

VII. Selection criteria:

The following selection criteria will be applied in recruiting a consultant:
▪ A master ’s degree in economics, social sciences, or a related discipline;
▪ Minimum of 5 years of work experience on Jobs operations and analytics;
▪ Solid knowledge of World Bank Group operations (familiarity with project documents and their structure, navigating the OperationsPortal; etc.) and key WBG analytics (Jobs Diagnostic, Systemic Country Diagnostic, Country Private Sector Diagnostic, etc.);
▪ Familiarity with the WBG monitoring and evaluation systems;
▪ Very strong analytical skills and capacity to synthesize;
▪ Experience with cross-sectoral consultations;
▪ Strong communication skills (oral and written); and
▪ English (passive knowledge of French is an asset).

Any questions?

Please contact: Solene Rougeaux (srougeaux@worldbank.org) and  Raphaela Karlen (rkarlen@worldbank.org).