Research Assistant

Result of ServiceThe deliverables of the IC include, but are not limited to, the following: • The National Report on Skills and Social Justice in Jordan. • Additional ad hoc deliverables as required. Work LocationUN-House ESCWA Expected duration1.5 Months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: The ILO-ESCWA collaboration on “Skills Development and Lifelong Learning for Decent Work and Social Justice” responds to the transformative shifts in the world of work—driven by globalization, digitalization, demographic change, and environmental challenges—by promoting inclusive, rights-based skills policies. As economies shift toward greener and more digital sectors, the initiative underscores the urgency of addressing skills mismatches, ensuring lifelong learning, and reforming education and TVET systems to align with labor market needs and social aspirations. Anchored in international labor standards and aligned with both ILO and ESCWA frameworks on social justice, the collaboration seeks to leverage ESCWA’s Skills Monitor—an AI-powered platform analyzing online job postings—to inform policymaking and support upskilling and reskilling strategies in Arab countries. The joint initiative will conduct country-level analyses, raise awareness among stakeholders, and advocate for embedding social justice principles into skills development, thereby fostering inclusive societies and equitable access to decent work opportunities. The research assistant will be working with the Social Justice Team on research activities and preparation of various written outputs related to the skills development and lifelong learning for decent work and social justice project. Objective and methodology: ESCWA is seeking the services of an Individual Contractor (IC) in the function of a research assistant, to work with the social justice team. Tasks- Duties and responsibilities: Under the supervision of the project manager and the overall guidance of the Cluster Lead, the Individual Contractor will: - Review existing literature; conducting desk research; collecting quantitative and qualitative data from secondary sources. - Compile, tabulate and analyze different types of data sets on various socioeconomic issues relating to skills development, lifelong learning for decent work, and social justice. - Use the ESCWA skills monitor and other online resources and data to assess the skills gap. - Assist in harnessing the power of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze job quality in selected countries in the region, offering insights into the availability and provision of crucial employment benefits such as annual leave, health insurance, pension, sick leave, and decent wages. - Perform other duties as requested. Qualifications/special skillsA Master's degree or equivalent in one of the following fields: economics, social science, statistics, or a 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 experience in socio-economic research, social policy research, writing of research papers and reports, and analysis of statistics is required. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in Arabic and English is required. Fluency in French is desirable. 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 InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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.