Result of Service

A consultant, under the supervision of ESCAP South and South-West Asia Delhi Office in consultation with IOM and UNWOMEN India office, will conduct a literature review, surveys, and focus group discussions and develop a paper overviewing the situation of migrant women in the textile industry in Tirupur (Tamil Nadu) and Bengaluru (Karnataka), and provide recommendations based on the questions defined in duties and responsibilities.

The consultant will make a presentation after the preparation of the initial draft and update the work based on the comments.

The report should be submitted in MS Word with the main text of 8,000 – 10,000 words. The tables and figures will be submitted in an MS Excel file in editable mode with their sources, date of access, etc.

Work Location

Remotely

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Internal migration is an important and prevalent feature of the Indian economy and society, with workers, over the years, increasingly looking for job opportunities beyond their home districts and states in search of decent work and better livelihoods. With this understanding, migration for work is a dynamic process, and women in India represent almost 80 percent of the total internal migrants as per the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO 2007-2008) and 70.7 percent as per Census 2001. Although the primary purpose for women migrating is because of marriage, it also leads to their employment at the destinations. The number of women migrating for economic opportunities is also on the rise, with many low to medium-skilled women employed in garment and textile manufacturing industrial clusters outside their states of residence.

The garment sector in India employs about 45 million people, of which more than 60 percent are women, making it the second-largest employer of women workers in the country after agriculture. The labor migration often enhances women’s economic opportunities and offers avenues for greater autonomy and empowerment; many women migrant workers, particularly those in low-wage and low-skill occupations, face unique barriers to decent work and social protection.

In the absence of a comprehensive study to understand the spectrum of work settings and sub-contracting of jobs, the scale of informal work, and challenges faced by migrant women workers in the garment and textile manufacturing industry, ESCAP, in collaboration with IOM and UNWOMEN plans to carry out an assessment, which covers collection of primary and secondary data to understand the challenges these migrant women face. The research will also look at the conditions in their Home States due to which these women chose/were forced to migrate.

Under this initiative, a consultant will be engaged to undertake the research in Tirupur (Tamil Nadu) and Bengaluru (Karnataka), to conduct research aiming to examine the following questions:
1. What is the socio-economic background of migrant women working as garment and textile manufacturing workers in the identified locations?
2. What motivated migrant women to take up work in the industry of focus? What are the push and pull factors for migrant women workers in India?
3. What is the scale of migrant women’s employment across the different work arrangements: factory-based with in-house labor contractors, non-factory-based with unregistered contractors, and home-based workers?
4. What are the systemic barriers women migrants are exposed to in the aforesaid industry?
5. What are the necessary improvements required in the working and living conditions of migrant women workers?
6. What are the appropriate interventions that public and private sectors can adopt while keeping in mind the specific vulnerabilities of the diverse categories of migrant women workers?
7. What are the barriers faced by migrant women workers in accessing social security benefits?
8. What affiliate skills can be imparted to migrant women for access to better employment opportunities to expand their migratory choices?
9. What are the international standards related to protecting women migrant workers in factory-based and home-based garment work? Which of these are adapted in these States?
10. To examine if the labor and wage standards adopted by India have been applied by these States, and if not, what is the reason and how can this be enforced?
11. What were the conditions in these women’s home states under which they needed to migrate? What needs to be done at their home states/ villages or destinations to improve their situation?
12. What social barriers and risks do women migrants face in pursuing and undertaking work and migration (including GBV, abuse, and harassment)?
The consultant will carry out a survey of migrant women (at least 100 in each State), their employers, people in their village (from where they migrated), and related government and non-government agencies.

Expected activities and timeline:

• Outline of study, survey questions and list of stakeholders to be interviewed – Mid August 2023
• Finalized survey questions and outline approved by ESCAP – End of August 2023
• First draft study report – First week of December 2023.
• Review and comments on the draft report by ESCAP, IOM, UNWOMEN, and other stakeholders – December 2023 to January 2024
• Submission of the final report – February 2024
• Submission of the accepted revised final report – March 2024
• Presentation of the report to stakeholders and relevant partners as necessary

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in economics, social, development studies, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Do you have five years of progressively responsible experience in economic and social research and analysis, policy formulation, and policy advisory. Speciality in labor markets and gender issues is desirable.
The consultant should have knowledge and work or research experience in the subject area and should have proven expertise in policy analysis and research methodologies, including carrying out focus group discussions and primary data collection.

Languages

For this position excellent command of the English language, both written and oral, is required.

Additional Information

• Total remuneration: USD 22,500 (inclusive of travel within India)

• Payment Terms:

a. Submit to ESCAP the outline of study, the Suvery questions, and list of stakeholders to be interviewed – Mid August 2023

b. Finalization of survey questions and outline (approved by ESCAP) – End of August 2023: USD 8,000 as the first installment will be processed upon completion.

c. First draft study report – First week of December 2023: USD 6,000 will be processed after receiving the submission as the second installment.

d. Submission of the accepted revised final report – March 2024: Upon acceptance of the report by ESCAP, USD 8,500 will be paid as the final installment.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.