Mission and objectives

IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

Context

While emigration to some extent reduces unemployment and enhances livelihoods through remittances, it also contributes to labor and skills shortages in the country of origin, affecting competitiveness, growth, and economic convergence, along with other negative effects such as the sustainability of the pension system. In Serbia, several sectors are already facing a shortage of workforce, partly due to the high rates of emigration. Evidence is scarce, but it does indicate that labor emigration is at an all-time high and has been increasing every year. The Serbian government have different degrees of awareness of labor migration challenges and limited experience in facilitating pathways for regular migration and labor migration policies. In addition, the administrative processes for engaging migrant workers are lengthy and costly, making it difficult for smaller companies to recruit outside of the country, thus negatively impacting their growth potential. While new policies and procedures for expanding and enhancing regular migration pathways have been put in place in recent years, important challenges remain to harness the potential of labor migration and address the growing needs of employers while ensuring institutional safeguards for protection of labor migrants rights and prevention of exploitation. In this context, targeted and evidence-based programming is needed on labor migration policy and programmes to support establishing the necessary institutional capacities, services and safeguards, and thus help advance the labor migration agenda. Comprehensive problem analysis and consultations with institutional, public and private stakeholders, as well as technical knowledge of laws, procedures, administrative rules and practices across the country will be required in this process. The selected UN Volunteer will support IOM’s strategic objectives regarding mobility and labor migration in Serbia, notably through support and participation in analysis of labor migration policy and programming, expert discussions among IOM and partners, stakeholder engagement, project development, event management.

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of Program Coordinator, Human Mobility and Migration Governance in IOM Serbia, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: – Support IOM Serbia Management Team for programming in facilitating regular migration pathways and labor migration in Serbia, in the framework of IOM Strategic Plan 2024-2028, Skopje Declaration and related Action Plan, and Global Compact for Migration (GCM). – Support in data collection on trends, policies, standards, and practices in international labor migration of relevance to the Serbian Government efforts to develop labor migration strategies. – Participate in the work of IOM Serbia in assessing the current labor migration needs and potentials for the country and in defining possible approaches to managing such forms of migration with effective protection safeguards and enhancing opportunities for fair and ethical recruitment with guarantees for decent working conditions. – Support the implementation of labor migration related activities (ex. consultations, roundtables, visibility events, donor presentations); – Participate in the development of position papers, concept notes, project proposals and budget for the implementation of labor migration programmes or activities – Support IOM Serbia Management Team in organizing public events/conferences/media campaigns covering the topics relevant to regular migration pathways and labor migration

Competencies and values

Accountability Adaptability and Flexibility Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning ​Communication ​​Creativity ​​Ethics and Values ​​​Integrity Professionalism ​Respect for Diversity ​Technological Awareness ​Working in Teams

Living conditions and remarks

The UN Volunteer will be based in Belgrade, the capital of the Republic of Serbia. The urban area of Belgrade has a population of 1.23 million, while nearly 1.7 million people live within the administrative limits of the City of Belgrade. Belgrade has an extensive public transport system consisting of buses, trams, and trolleybuses, which are affordable and widely used by residents. The city is well connected with the other parts of the country as well as with other European cities and capitals by busses, trains and airlines. Thanks to Belgrade’s central location, most of the other European cities are a couple of hours away. Belgrade itself became one of the prominent tourist destinations in Europe. Belgrade offers a unique sense of history, a rich vein of culture, and a variety of entertaining, cultural, sport and outdoor experiences. Social life in Belgrade is usually a pleasant experience for foreigners and there is a range of activities available. Belgrade’s real estate market is very vibrant, and it is not difficult to find safe and comfortable accommodation. Services in terms of banking, transportation, communications, etc. are well-developed and available. A significant number of people in Belgrade speak English, so it won’t be a problem in everyday communication. English-speaking media is available, and restaurants and cafes have menus in English. For more details, please visit: http://www.serbia.com/ and https://www.beograd.rs/en/living-in-belgrade/ Belgrade is a family duty station, classified as “A” by ICSC. A to E duty stations are rated on a scale that assesses the difficulty of working and living conditions from A to E, with A being the least and E, being the most difficult. Medical facilities are well-developed and easily accessible. The educational institutions at all levels as well as international schools are available. In accordance with the security risk assessment, it is under Security Level 1 (minimal). No security clearance is required when traveling to SL1 areas. UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. Contingent on specific eligibility criteria, location of the volunteer assignment and contractual type and category, the payment of allowances will begin from the date of Commencement of Service.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements