Consultancy for Labour Market Assessment for the Kenya-Mauritius-Seychelles Labour Mobility Corridor Mauritius-Seychelles Labour Demand Assessment in the Hospitality Sector

Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.

IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration

Project Context and Scope

- Background and Context.

The Government of Kenya, through the State Department for Labour and Skills Development, is committed to promoting safe, orderly and regular labour migration as a pathway for employment creation, skills development and economic growth. At the same time, Mauritius and Seychelles continue to face labour shortages in key service sectors, particularly tourism and hospitality, due to demographic constraints, economic growth and sustained demand for skilled and semi-skilled workers. The Kenya-Mauritius-Seychelles labour mobility corridor therefore presents an opportunity to respond to destination-country labour demand while supporting structured, ethical and mutually beneficial labour mobility from Kenya.

Mauritius and Seychelles have increasingly relied on foreign labour to sustain priority sectors, including hospitality, tourism, construction, domestic services and related service industries. In Mauritius, foreign workers have become important in supporting economic activity where domestic labour supply is insufficient to meet employer needs. In Seychelles, the structural reliance on migrant labour is especially pronounced, with migrant workers representing a significant share of the workforce in tourism, construction, fisheries, domestic services and other sectors. These trends underscore the importance of generating reliable evidence on actual and projected labour demand, priority occupations, recruitment requirements and employer expectations in the two destination countries.

Given the strong dependence of both island economies on tourism and hospitality, there is a need to better understand which occupations are in demand, the scale and nature of labour shortages, the skills and qualification standards required by employers, and the recruitment channels and employment conditions that shape access to these labour markets. Such evidence is essential to determine whether, and under what conditions, suitably qualified Kenyan workers can be matched to identified demand in Mauritius and Seychelles through safe, regular and ethical labour mobility arrangements.

The hospitality sector in Mauritius and Seychelles includes a wide range of occupations such as hotel operations, food and beverage services, housekeeping, culinary services, customer care, recreation and tourism services. While Kenya has a sizeable workforce and training ecosystem that may support labour mobility, the immediate priority of this consultancy is to assess destination-country demand, including employer needs, skills requirements, qualification and certification expectations, and mobility-related constraints affecting recruitment from Kenya.

Despite the potential for labour mobility between Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles, there is limited consolidated evidence on current and emerging hospitality-sector labour demand in Mauritius and Seychelles, including priority occupations, required skills and competencies, qualification and certification standards, employer recruitment practices, employment conditions and operational constraints. This evidence gap limits the ability of governments, employers, training institutions and IOM to design targeted, demand-responsive and protection-sensitive labour mobility interventions.

To support evidence-based labour mobility programming and inform future policy dialogue, skills matching initiatives and potential Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements (BLMAs), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with support from the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM), intends to commission a Labour Market Assessment (LMA) focusing on Mauritius-Seychelles as labour demand country within the Mauritius-Seychelles Kenya-corridor.

Purpose of the consultancy assignment.

The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct a labour demand assessment of the Mauritius-Seychelles hospitality sector in Mauritius and Seychelles, with a view to identifying current and emerging demand, priority occupations, skills requirements, qualification and certification standards, and employer needs relevant to structured labour mobility from Kenya. The assessment will generate evidence on labour shortages, occupational demand, recruitment requirements, available job opportunities demanded skills and competency occupation profiles, working conditions, required and labour mobility constraints in the two destination countries, in order to inform safe, regular, ethical and mutually beneficial labour mobility pathways between Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Overall Objective.

To generate evidence-based insights on current and emerging labour demand in the hospitality sector in Mauritius and Seychelles, including priority occupations, skills requirements, qualification standards and employer needs, in order to inform safe, regular, ethical and mutually beneficial labour mobility pathways between Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Specific Objectives.

The following are the specific objectives of the proposed consultancy assignment:

- Map current and emerging labour demand in the hospitality and tourism sectors in Mauritius and Seychelles, including priority occupations relevant to structured labour mobility from Kenya.
- Assess employer demand for skilled workers in priority hospitality occupations, including occupation-specific shortages and recruitment needs.
- Analyze employer requirements related to education levels, technical qualifications, professional certifications, work experience, language competencies and soft skills.
- Examine recruitment channels, employment conditions and mobility-related requirements affecting the placement of Kenyan workers in Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Identify existing and emerging skills gaps and occupation-specific competency needs within the hospitality sectors of Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Examine qualification, certification and recognition requirements applicable to hospitality occupations in Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Assess employer awareness, interest and readiness to participate in structured, ethical labour mobility arrangements with Kenya.
- Analyze gender-specific opportunities and constraints within hospitality-sector labour demand and recruitment practices in Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Identify priority occupations, employer profiles and recruitment segments that could be matched with suitably qualified Kenyan workers.
- Develop evidence-based recommendations to support demand-responsive skills matching, ethical recruitment, worker protection and future labour mobility arrangements between Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles.

12. Required Qualifications and Experience - The consultant should possess the following qualifications:

- An advanced degree in Economics, Labour Studies, Migration Studies, Development Studies, Tourism Management or related discipline.
- At least 10 years of relevant experience conducting labour market assessments, migration studies or employment-related research.
- Demonstrated expertise in labour migration governance and skills mobility.
- Experience in hospitality sector workforce analysis.
- Strong quantitative and qualitative research/study skills.
- Experience in East African and regional labour markets.
- Excellent analytical, facilitation and report-writing skills.
- Experience working with governments, development partners and private sector stakeholders.

13. Application requirements. - Interested consultants/firms are requested to submit:

- Technical and financial proposal.
- Detailed CV(s) of proposed consultant(s).
- Provide evidence of similar assignments undertaken.
- Proposed workplan and methodology.
- At least three professional references.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link . Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

- Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
- Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
- Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
- Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
- Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

- Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
- Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
- Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
- Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
- Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Notes

IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, security clearances.

IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.

IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.

IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM e-Recruitment system (for internal candidates link here ). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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