Consultancy for Comparative Analysis of Labour Migration Policies

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN's leading agency on migration. It collaborates with key stakeholders – migrants and Member States – to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration. IOM provides services and advice to governments, migrants, and other stakeholders to enhance the benefits and opportunities of migration while addressing its challenges. In Viet Nam, since its establishment in 1987, IOM has been responding to evolving migration dynamics through a comprehensive approach to migration management, focusing on migration governance and policies, migrant protection and assistance, labour migration, as well as preparedness and resilience.

1. Background and Rationale:

The Government of Viet Nam is strengthening its efforts to enhance the governance of contract-based overseas employment, improve worker protection, and align with international standards and good practices. Learning from peer countries in Asia is a key part of this effort towards greater regional policy coherence.

Under the framework of collaboration between the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) - Ministry of Home Affairs - a comparative analysis of labour migration policies in selected countries of origin is planned. This exercise aims to identify good practices and lessons learned from peer countries to inform the continuous improvements, development of new, and implementation of existing labour migration interventions in Viet Nam, especially concerning contract-based overseas workers.

2. Objectives of the Assignment:

To support IOM and DOLAB in conducting a comparative analysis of the labour migration governance in selected countries of origin, the consultant will:

• Examine and analyze the legal and policy frameworks on international labour migration in selected countries: Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam.
• Identify effective laws, policies, regulations, as well as practices, gaps, and challenges (if known) of Viet Nam and selected countries.
• Provide actionable recommendations to stakeholders in Viet Nam responsible for labour migration management at both central and local levels, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to strengthen labour migration policies and their implementation. The recommendations should align with the strategic directions of the Government of Viet Nam for international labour migration.

3. Scope of Work and Key Deliverables:

a) Scope of countries for comparative analysis: Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam

b) Thematic areas for comparison:
Labour migration legal frameworks, policies, regulations as well as practices, gaps, and challenges (if known), including

• Roles of government institutions and existing coordination mechanisms in labour migration governance.
• Labour migration data management.
• Oversight of public and private recruitment agencies through monitoring and inspection mechanisms.
• Recruitment fees and related costs.
• Language, vocational and skills training for prospective migrant workers.
• Orientation programs for migrant workers before departure (Pre-Departure Orientation and Pre-Employment Orientation programs).
• Reintegration and return support mechanisms.
• Mechanisms for receiving and handling complaints, emergency assistance, mechanisms for access to justice.
• Gender is a cross-cutting factor considered throughout the analysis.

c) Deliverables:

• Inception report with methodology and proposed report structure, up to 10 pages, by 26 Sep 2025.
• First draft comparative review report (up to 30 pages, excluding annexes) and annexes (up to 5 pages) by 30 Oct 2025.
• Presentations at two technical workshops (remote participation possible if not based in Hanoi), scheduled for Oct 2025 and Jan 2026.
• Final comparative review report, incorporating feedback (up to 30 pages, excluding annexes) and annexes (up to 5 pages) by 28 Feb 2026.

d) Budget and Timeframe:

• Budget: IOM expects the Consultant to submit an all-inclusive fee for the services with a detailed breakdown of costs for up to 30 working days in the duration of 6 months. The accepted budget proposal would need to comply with IOM’s financial regulations, including but not limited to the UN-EU local cost norms (version 2022).
• Time schedule: The assignment is expected to commence on 1 September 2025 and be fully completed by 28 February 2026. The actual timeline of the deliverables will be agreed with the selected Consultant.

4. Estimated Work Plan:

The following table outlines the proposed allocation of the 30 working days:

• Signing contract with IOM - by 1 Sep 2025
• First meeting with IOM. Preliminary review of existing materials. Submission of 1st draft of the inception report (EN) with proposed review methodology and report structure - 04 days - by 12 Sep 2025
• Finalize inception report (EN) with review methodology and report structure incorporating feedback - by 26 Sep 2025
• Conduct in-depth review of labour migration policies of all 5 countries. Present preliminary findings to IOM and DOLAB in a technical meeting (hybrid in Hanoi) - 10 days + 1 day for meeting with IOM - by 26 Oct 2025
• Submission of the 1st draft report (EN) incorporating IOM’s and DOLAB’s feedback during the meeting - 06 days - by 3 Nov 2025
• Review feedback; present proposed revisions at a technical meeting with IOM and DOLAB (hybrid in Hanoi); submit 2nd draft report - 05 days + 1 day for meeting - by 30 Dec 2025
• Submit final report incorporating all inputs from technical meeting and written feedback, and a slide deck summarizing key findings and recommendations - 03 days - by 14 Feb 2026

5. Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Master’s Degree in migration studies, public policy, international development, or related fields from an accredited academic institution with at least 7 years of experience in labour migration policy research or advisory work, or
• Bachelor’s Degree in the abovementioned field with 9 years of relevant professional experience.
• Strong knowledge of international labour migration governance.
• Demonstrated ability to write high-quality analytical reports.
• Experience working in the field of migration governance, international labour migration, international recruitment, and with governments and/or international organizations, especially in Asia, is an asset.

6. Supervision and Support:

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Head of Projects and Partnerships at IOM Viet Nam and under direct supervision of the National Programme Officer in charge. Technical guidance will be provided by both IOM and DOLAB focal points. IOM will provide access to relevant literature and facilitate stakeholder engagement across selected countries as relevant.

How to apply

Interested applicants should submit:

• A CV outlining relevant experience, enclosed with sample work relevant to the objective and scope of this TOR.
• A short technical proposal (max 5 pages) outlining the approach.
• A detailed financial proposal specifying the daily rate, breakdown of associated costs if any.

Applicants should submit their applications via email, addressed as “Consultant for Labour Migration Policies Comparative Analysis” via email to the following address: iomvietnamhr@iom.int. All submissions with complete set of documents should reach IOM no later than midnight (GMT+7) on 31 July 2025.