Organization context and scope

Over the last two decades, Jordan’s apparel industry has been steadily growing and is now the leading export sector and manufacturing employer in the country. Like most other apparel exporting countries, Jordan gained entry to the global apparel value chain through international ties to developed markets. This began with preferential trade access to the US market, which led foreign investors producing apparel on behalf of international apparel brands to set up manufacturing facilities in Jordan with mostly migrant workers.

Better Work Jordan (BWJ) is a partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The ILO flagship programme brings together stakeholders from all levels of the global garment manufacturing industry to improve working conditions, enhance respect for labour rights, and boost competitiveness.

The Better Work Jordan programme is mandatory for garment factories that export to the US under the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. Better Work Jordan covers an estimated 95 per cent of garment workers in Jordan, as the vast majority of garment-sector employment comes from factories that export to the US.  As a result of their participation with Better Work, factories have steadily improved compliance with ILO core labour standards and national legislation covering compensation, contracts, occupational safety and health and working time. This has significantly improved working conditions and, at the same time enhanced factories’ productivity and profitability.

Within the exporting garment industry, there are three types of factories. The largest factories are direct exporters who produce goods directly for buyers. These factories are mostly located in the main economic zones of Dulayl, Irbid and Sahab. Below these factories in the supply chain are numerous subcontracting factories, smaller factories that produce goods for the direct exporters upon request. Parallel to this system are satellite units, which operate outside of the industrial zones, primarily employ Jordanians, and are typically small. There are currently 24 satellite factories registered in the Better Work Jordan programme that employ over 8,000 Jordanian workers    

Around 78,617workers were employed in the exporting garment sector in 2023. Migrant workers make up three-quarters of the workforce. These workers, primarily from South Asia, typically work in Jordan for a contract of two to three years, which can be extended. Bangladeshis are the largest group of workers (over 50 per cent of migrant workers), and there are also workers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Myanmar. Jordanian workers make up the remaining 25 per cent of the workforce. The majority of workers are women – nearly 75 per cent of the production work force – whereas the majority of management positions are held by men.

Background

Better Work Jordan (BWJ) has been collaborating with national tripartite constituents and international brands for the past decade to improve working conditions and promote decent work in the garment sector. The mandatory inclusion of garment factories exporting to the US market and their subcontractors in the Better Work program has allowed BWJ to access the entire garment-exporting sector. This enabled BWJ to work closely with both workers and managers to enhance working conditions and ensure compliance with labour standards. As a result, factories have made significant improvements.

Despite these advancements, there have been multiple reports of suicides and attempted suicides among migrant workers in Jordan’s garment factories in recent years. These incidents are partly due to economic uncertainties faced by the workers and concerns about the health and well-being of their distant family members. This situation highlights the need for specific interventions to enhance mental well-being, particularly among female migrant workers.

In response, BWJ launched a mental health project in January 2021 aimed at improving the mental health of migrant workers in Jordan. The project focuses on helping workers become more resilient to mental health risks and encouraging them to seek psychosocial support when necessary. It targets factories and the mental health referral system to reach more workers in need of psychosocial support, including women and migrant workers.

Since the beginning of 2024, the project has significantly expanded its reach, with a greater focus on tailoring activities to specific needs and building on lessons learned from previous phases. However, not all project activities have been captured and some have been left out, as the project’s progress and successes do not fully align with the preset project indicators.

In parallel, the ILO Country Office for Jordan, through the Better Work Programme, is implementing a technical cooperation project entitled “Decent Work through Employment Services and Exports-component B” funded by the European Union. This project involves collaboration between ILO/Better Work Jordan and the Ministry of Labour (MoL) to enhance the capacity of MoL, particularly its labour inspectors, and to promote decent working conditions in targeted enterprises and sectors benefiting from the EU-Jordan trade scheme.

To achieve these objectives, and based on identified capacity-building needs, the MoL, in collaboration with ILO, continues to provide training on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). This capacity-building initiative aims to prevent work-related injuries and diseases, protect and promote workers’ health, and improve working conditions and the overall work environment.

Objective

BWJ projects are looking to hire consultant (individuals only) to capture and document the projects achievements and best practices from these initiatives to guide future efforts.

The consultant will work to support two main projects: A) the BWJ Mental Health Project, and B) the Decent Work Through Employment Services Project.

The consultant will report to the Mental Health project lead for mental health related deliverables and will work with the inspection team for the EU related deliverables, he/she will also work in close collaboration with project stakeholders.

Scope of work

The consultant is expected to

1) capture projects’ achievement in specific those are not mentioned in the project document 2) prepare record and communication materials to summarize the captured achievements

3) Highlight successful strategies, interventions, and policies.

4) capture projects’ achievement.

5) prepare quarter and technical progress reports.

6) prepare terms of reference.

Deliverables and timelines

1. Detailed deliverables for mental health project as clarified below:

B)    Detailed deliverables for “Decent Work through Employment Services and Exports-component B” as clarified below

Qualifications

Required

• BA degree in relevant field
• Excellent reporting skills
• Good analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Arabic and English
• Committed to ILO values, including promotion of gender equality.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word and PowerPoint)

Desirable

• Previous experience working with MHPSS projects
• Previous experience with progress reports for donors, preferably the EU, is desired.

Supervision

The Service provider will report to the BWJ mental health project coordinator and inspection team under the BWJ program manager’s overall guidance and work closely with the BWJ team.

Payment Schedule

According to the market rate, the External Collaboration will be paid according to his/her expertise and is asked to submit a financial offer on his/her daily rate. The Service provider will only be paid upon satisfactory completion and approval of deliverables and upon receipt of signed invoices.

Confidentiality

The External Collaborator will sign a contract with the International Labour Organization that contains clauses on confidentiality and non-disclosure.

 Submission

All applicants (individuals only) must send their CV to Jordan@betterwork.org

The deadline to submit your application is 29^th October 2024.

Only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.