Result of Service

The objective of this consultancy is to conduct research in areas related to employment creation, labor markets, and the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the labor markets.

Work Location

Beirut

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background: The world is currently experiencing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. With this transition, the velocity of change and the sheer number of innovations are unprecedented. This revolution will inevitably eliminate many current lines of work yet has the capacity to bring in new lines of employment. The agility of this revolution makes the jobs of the future difficult to predict using traditional techniques. Given this background, this project will tackle three main issues: o The lack of timely information to monitor the dynamism of the labor market needs; o The mismatch between human capital accumulation and labor market demand; o Labor market policies and regulations are mostly outdated and unprepared for the impact of automation on jobs in most ESCWA countries. Almost all countries in the region are still heavily reliant on costly household/establishment survey data which is not carried out periodically. To assess job market policies, skill sets for newly created job categories that are and will continue to come about from the Fourth Industrial Revolution must be surveyed in a more innovative way. Without a new monitoring technique, information on the impact of technological change on available skill sets cannot be properly assessed. One finding that we can build on conventional survey (household establishment) results is that workers with higher educational attainment are expected to benefit the most from jobs in the formal sector if high-quality education is made available and better job market matching schemes are put in place. Looking at the ESCWA region, educational attainment over the past three decades, during which the region excelled in primary and secondary education (mid-skills), suggests that the population does not necessarily have adequate skills for newly created jobs. All these issue resulted in a vulnerable middle class. Duties and Responsibilities: 1. AI Augmentation and Algorithm Development: • Develop and implement AI models for skills extraction, job classification, and matching algorithms, ensuring alignment with existing taxonomies and ontologies. • Explore alternative LLMs (Large Language Models) for enhancing skills extraction and classification processes. 2. Data Analysis and Visualization: • Perform data extraction, augmentation, and analysis on various datasets to identify trends in emerging or decaying skills, labor mobility, and the impact of generative AI on job markets. • Develop dynamic data visualization tools, including graphs and UI elements, to display data on a yearly and quarterly basis, reflect new methodologies, and provide insights into education fields and skills. 3. Research and Exploration: • Conduct research on Jobs of the Future, analyzing data to identify new roles and required competencies. • Explore methodologies for tagging green jobs and sustainable energy transition skills, and assess the percentage of jobs affected by AI technologies. 4. Collaboration and Reporting: • Collaborate with various entities for data sharing, extraction, and analysis projects, ensuring effective communication and alignment with project goals. • Prepare and contribute to policy briefs, reports, and presentations to stakeholders and partners, reflecting the findings and methodologies developed.

Qualifications/special skills

A masters degree in economics, data science, statistics or related area is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 3 years of professional work experience in Data Science is required. Proven experience in economic data analysis, drafting, visualization and presentation of data and concepts is required. Knowledge of machine learning is required. Knowledge in Python or R, and Stata is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.