Capacity Building Expert for Private Recruiting Agencies on Ethical Recruitment Standards

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. 

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The International Organization for Migration (IOM), under the Swedish Ministry of Justice-funded project “Promotion of Regular Pathways and Prevention of Irregular Migration to Sweden and the EU from Uzbekistan,” supports the Government of Uzbekistan in promoting safe, orderly and regular labour migration and strengthening regular labour migration pathways.

Private Recruitment Agencies (PRAs) play an important role in facilitating regular labour migration and connecting Uzbek workers with employment opportunities abroad. As the role of private recruitment agencies continues to expand, strengthening their professional capacity to apply ethical recruitment principles is essential to ensuring transparent, fair and responsible recruitment practices and reducing risks of exploitation, excessive recruitment costs, debt and other vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers.

IOM therefore seeks to engage a qualified Consultant to design and deliver an interactive capacity-building training curriculum for representatives of PRAs on international ethical recruitment standards and responsible recruitment practices, with particular emphasis on the Employer Pays Principle (EPP).

The Consultant should introduce participants to internationally recognized principles and standards for ethical recruitment, provide practical examples and lessons learned from other countries, and support participants in understanding how these principles can be applied in their day-to-day recruitment operations.

The training should be highly practical and participant-centred. It should combine short technical presentations with facilitated discussions, practical exercises, case studies, group work and scenario-based learning. Examples should reflect the operational realities of recruitment agencies working with Uzbek migrant workers and employers in destination countries.

The Consultant shall ensure that the content is adapted to the Uzbek context and relevant to the roles, responsibilities and business processes of PRAs. The training should also identify practical measures that agencies can introduce to strengthen transparency, worker protection, responsible fee practices, employer engagement, grievance mechanisms and overall compliance with ethical recruitment standards.

International labour recruitment can provide important employment opportunities for migrant workers but may also create risks where recruitment processes lack transparency or where workers bear inappropriate or excessive recruitment-related costs.

International standards and initiatives, including ILO fair recruitment principles, IOM’s ethical recruitment framework and the Employer Pays Principle, provide guidance for promoting responsible recruitment and protecting migrant workers from recruitment-related exploitation and financial burdens.

Against this background, IOM seeks to strengthen the capacity of PRAs in Uzbekistan to understand and apply internationally recognized ethical recruitment principles and to promote responsible recruitment practices in their engagement with workers and employers.

The main objectives of this initiative are to:

• Strengthen PRAs’ understanding of internationally recognized ethical recruitment standards and principles;

• Introduce participants to the Employer Pays Principle, its rationale, key elements and practical implications for recruitment agencies and employers; 

• Build participants’ understanding of Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST), including the role and responsibility of businesses and recruitment agencies in identifying, preventing and addressing risks of forced labour, exploitation and trafficking in recruitment and employment processes; 

• Introduce participants to Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR) principles and their practical relevance to recruitment agencies, employers and migrant worker protection;

• Present relevant international practices and experiences from countries that have introduced or promoted ethical recruitment and responsible recruitment systems;

• Strengthen participants’ ability to identify and address recruitment-related risks, including excessive or inappropriate worker-paid fees, lack of transparency, misleading information and contractual risks;

• Provide practical guidance on applying ethical recruitment principles throughout the recruitment process, from job order and employer engagement through worker selection, placement and post-placement support;

• Strengthen PRAs’ understanding of grievance, complaint and referral mechanisms relevant to migrant workers;

• Support participants in identifying practical steps that their agencies can take to improve ethical recruitment practices and compliance.
   

The selected Consultant will be responsible for the preparation and delivery of an interactive capacity-building training programme for representatives of PRAs, to be conducted over one or two days. The assignment shall include the following key tasks:

• Review relevant international standards, principles and guidance on ethical recruitment, fair recruitment and the Employer Pays Principle, including relevant materials and approaches related to Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking  and Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR);

• Introduce participants to practical approaches for promoting integrity and transparency throughout the recruitment process, including recruitment agency due diligence, responsible engagement with employers and workers, prevention of fraudulent and deceptive practices, proper documentation and record-keeping, and measures to identify and mitigate recruitment-related risks;

• Develop a concise and practical training package tailored to PRAs in Uzbekistan, including presentations, practical exercises, case studies, scenarios and supporting materials;

• Introduce participants to internationally recognized ethical recruitment standards and explain their practical relevance to recruitment agencies;

• Provide a clear and practical explanation of the Employer Pays Principle, including the respective responsibilities of employers, recruitment agencies and workers;

• Facilitate dedicated training sessions focusing on corporate responsibility for preventing and addressing slavery, trafficking, forced labour and other forms of exploitation within recruitment and employment processes;

• Design and facilitate training on Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR), focusing on the responsibilities of businesses and recruitment agencies to respect migrant workers’ rights and prevent, identify and address human rights risks in recruitment and employment;

• Present examples and experiences from other countries on ethical recruitment, responsible recruitment models, employer engagement and implementation of the Employer Pays Principle;

• Develop MBHR self-assessment tools;

• Facilitate practical exercises and case studies based on realistic recruitment scenarios, including situations involving recruitment fees, employer demands, worker contracts, deductions, misinformation and complaints;

• Use practical case studies and scenarios to help participants apply the above mentioned principles to the day-to-day operations of recruitment agencies;

• Conduct pre- and post-training assessments;

• Develop a set of feasable context-specific recommendations for the potential introduction and integration of international standards and principles on Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR) into Uzbekistan’s labour migration framework and the practices of private recruitment agencies.

The training should cover, at minimum, the following thematic areas:

• International principles and standards on ethical and fair recruitment;

• Key principles of responsible recruitment and worker protection;

• Employer Pays Principle – concept, rationale and practical application;

• Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking – corporate responsibility, prevention of forced labour and trafficking, identification of risks, and practical measures to strengthen responsible recruitment and worker protection;

• Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR) – business responsibilities, migrant workers’ rights, human rights risks in recruitment and employment, and practical approaches to prevention, mitigation and remedy;

• Roles and responsibilities of employers, PRAs and migrant workers;

• Transparency of recruitment processes, costs, employment conditions and contracts;

• Responsible recruitment fees and prevention of inappropriate worker-paid costs;

• Employer due diligence and responsible engagement with foreign employers;

• Job-order verification and prevention of misleading or fraudulent recruitment;

• Protection of migrant workers from exploitation, coercion and deceptive practices;

• Grievance, complaint, referral and remedy mechanisms;

• International country examples and practical lessons learned;

• Practical application of ethical recruitment, Corporate responsibility and MBHR principles in the Uzbek context;

• Development of agency-level actions to strengthen ethical recruitment practices.

The final structure and thematic emphasis of the training shall be agreed with IOM Uzbekistan based on consultations with relevant stakeholders and the identified needs of participating PRAs.

Final deliverables under the assignment shall include:

• Approved training programme and methodology;

• Training presentation and participant materials;

• MBHR self-assessment tools;

• Practical exercises, case studies and recruitment scenarios;

• Pre- and post-training assessment tools;

• Materials introducing international ethical recruitment standards and the Employer Pays Principle;

• Examples of relevant international practices and country experiences;

• Completed assessment results and analysis;

• Participant feedback summary;

• Final report with key findings, recommendations and proposed practical actions for PRAs;

• Editable electronic copies of all training materials;

• Context-specific feasible recommendations for the potential introduction and integration of international standards.

The Consultant shall apply an interactive, practical and participant-centred training methodology rather than relying primarily on lecture-based presentations.

The training should include a combination of:

• Short expert presentations introducing key concepts and international standards;

• Practical examples from different countries and recruitment systems;

• Case studies based on realistic recruitment situations;

• Group discussions and problem-solving exercises;

• Role-play and scenario-based exercises where appropriate;

• Practical exercises on applying the Employer Pays Principle and other ethical recruitment standards;

• Facilitated peer exchange among participating PRAs;

• Questions and discussions on operational challenges faced by recruitment agencies;

• An action-planning exercise to identify practical improvements that PRAs can implement following the training.

The Consultant should ensure that international examples are presented not only as theoretical models but also with discussion of how relevant practices could be adapted to the Uzbek recruitment context.

The training materials should use clear and accessible language and avoid unnecessary technical terminology. Practical examples should be directly relevant to the work of PRAs and their engagement with migrant workers and foreign employers.

• Bachelor's degree and 10 years of relevant experience or Master's Degree and 6 years of relevant experience

• At least 10 years of demonstrated professional experience in labour migration, ethical recruitment, fair recruitment, migrant worker protection, recruitment practices, or related areas;

• Proven experience in developing and delivering professional capacity-building or training programmes for recruitment agencies, employers, government institutions or other relevant stakeholders;

• Strong knowledge of internationally recognized ethical recruitment standards and principles, including the Employer Pays Principle, and demonstrated familiarity with Corporate Responsibility, Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR), corporate responsibility, forced labour/trafficking risks and migrant worker protection;

• Demonstrated knowledge of international experiences and good practices related to ethical recruitment and responsible recruitment systems;

• Experience in developing practical training materials, case studies, exercises and participant-centred learning methodologies;

• Strong facilitation skills and demonstrated ability to conduct interactive training for adult professional audiences;

• Ability to translate international standards and technical concepts into practical guidance relevant to recruitment agencies;

• Experience working on labour migration and recruitment issues in Uzbekistan and/or Central Asia is highly desirable;

• Experience working with international organizations, government institutions, development partners or private sector stakeholders;

• Excellent communication and coordination skills;

• Fluency in Uzbek and English; Russian language capacity is an advantage;

• Strong organizational and project management capacity and ability to deliver all outputs within the agreed timeframe.

For this consultancy, Fluency in Uzbek and English; Russian language capacity is an advantage;

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

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

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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