National Consultant on Barriers and Incentives to Transition from Informal to Formal Employment among Families with Children, Tbilisi, Georgia.

National Consultant on Barriers and Incentives to Transition from Informal to Formal Employment among Families with Children.

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For every child, the right to health 

Contributes to the design of a quantitative study to test the main hypotheses derived from this analysis.

Scope of Work:

Strategic Context

Despite Georgia’s steady economic growth and continued expansion of social protection, a large share of the working-age population remains engaged in informal employment. Informality is especially common among low-income families with children, including recipients of the Targeted Social Assistance (TSA) programme — Georgia’s main poverty-targeted cash transfer scheme. The TSA programme plays a critical role in protecting the poorest households; however, its structure and interaction with other benefits may inadvertently create disincentives for formalization and labour market activation.

Under the TSA, households are assessed through a proxy means test that generates a TSA score determining eligibility and benefit amount. This score is widely used across sectors and by municipalities as a gateway criterion for additional support — including partial coverage of utility payments, free or discounted public transportation, preferable terms of universal health insurance, education or childcare-related support, and other in-kind or cash benefits. As a result, families that increase their reported income, or shift from informal to formal employment, often lose not only the TSA cash benefit but also a range of associated supports, which can outweigh the perceived gains from formalization.

In 2015, the Government of Georgia reformed the TSA programme and introduced a child benefit component targeted at children under age 16 in families with a low TSA score  (ISSa, 2015; World Bank, 2021). Since its introduction, both the value and coverage of this benefit have expanded beyond the very poorest households. For example, in 2018, the monthly benefit amount was increased from GEL 10 to GEL 50 for the most vulnerable children .

In parallel, the Government introduced a Public Works program targeted exclusively at TSA recipients which is supposed to act as a TSA Graduation mechanism. This Programme aimed at helping beneficiary families move toward sustainable livelihoods and formal employment. Available information indicates this initiative was rolled out in 2018, under the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs (MoIDPLHSA), with support from development partners. However, no systematic evaluation has been conducted to assess its outcomes or effectiveness in facilitating graduation from assistance. Moreover, the expansion of the child benefit within TSA may have counteracted the incentives to exit the system by making remaining eligible more advantageous for poor families with children.

Structural constraints further limit the ability of parents — particularly mothers — to transition to formal employment. One of the most significant barriers is the limited availability of early childhood care services for children below age 3. Public education and care service provision for children under age 2 is almost non-existent, and enrolment rates for ages 2–3 remain below 25 percent. This lack of accessible childcare keeps at least one parent — most often the mother — out of the formal labour market and in unpaid care roles.

At the same time, informal employment offers flexibility and immediate income, with fewer administrative obligations, while formal employment may entail higher taxes, less flexibility, and perceived risk of losing benefits. These trade-offs are particularly pronounced for families balancing childcare responsibilities with low and irregular earnings.

Rationale:

UNICEF, in the frame of the joint programme with ILO and the World Bank “Escaping the middle-income trap through decent and productive jobs and social protection: a proof of concept” in collaboration with government and partners, seeks to better understand the interplay between social protection, labour market incentives, and family welfare.

Specifically, it is critical to investigate:

• What barriers hinder families with children from transitioning from informal to formal employment, and from the status of TSA beneficiaries to formal employment?
• What are the monetary and non-monetary gains or losses experienced during the transition from informal to formal employment?
• How do the TSA and related social benefits influence household decisions regarding formal employment?
• What characteristics of formal employment (e.g., minimum acceptable wage, proximity to place of residence, job stability) would make such employment attractive and feasible for TSA recipients?
• What policy measures could help remove existing disincentives and strengthen pathways from social assistance to decent and formal work?

Expected Results and Use 

Findings will inform:

• UNICEF and government partners’ understanding of the interplay between social protection and formalization.
• The design of policy measures and pilot initiatives to support transition from assistance to employment.
• The quantitative impact evaluation or survey module testing hypotheses on incentives and disincentives for formalization. 

Scope of Work and Tasks

The consultant will perform the following tasks:

Task 1. Desk Review and Mapping

• Review existing literature and policy documents on informality and employment in Georgia, with focus on families with children.
• Map and document the ecosystem of benefits associated with the TSA score, including:
  • National-level programmes (e.g., health insurance, utility subsidies, transportation, childcare or education subsidies, etc.);
  • Municipal-level benefits (e.g., social assistance top-ups, in-kind support, housing, or transport benefits);
  • Responsible institutions/agencies providing these benefits.
  • Eligibility thresholds and conditions tied to TSA scores; and
  • The monetary or in-kind value and duration of these benefits, if possible.
• Summarize how these linked benefits shape incentives for remaining in or existing the TSA system.
• Review international experiences in adjusting benefit systems to support gradual “graduation” from social assistance.

Task 2. Stakeholder Consultations and Qualitative Research

• Conduct interviews or focus groups with:
  • TSA beneficiary families (both current and graduated),
  • Informally and formally employed parents,
  • Employers,
  • Municipal and central government representatives managing TSA-linked programmes,
  • Policy experts, and social workers.
  • Explore families’ perceptions of the value of TSA-linked benefits, trade-offs between informality and formalization, and trust in state institutions.

Before initiating this task, parameters for family composition and geographic location should be clearly defined, as well as number of families and their diverse geo-locations.

Task 3. Analysis

• Analyze how the current social protection and benefit structure affects employment decisions.
• Identify which features of TSA design and linked benefits discourage formalization (e.g., sharp loss of benefits upon exit, limited income disregards, absence of transitional measures).
• Analyze gender and regional differences in how these incentives operate. 

Task 4. Recommendations and Policy Options

Propose policy and programmatic measures to remove barriers and strengthen incentives for formalization, such as:

• Transitional or gradual benefit reduction schemes;
• Alignment of TSA with employment activation and ALMPs;
• Adjustments in eligibility thresholds or benefit tapering;
• Incentives for employers to formalize vulnerable workers.

Part of the work can be done remotely. The consultancy will require field visits, as well face to face workshop facilitation and training provision. 

Duration: 15 November 2025 to 1 March 2026.

Location: Home based

Work Assignments Overview

Inception Report
Outlining the research framework, methodology, timeline for all tasks, including desk review approach, initial mapping, qualitative research design, and proposed analytical framework.
Methodology, workplan, initial mapping.
Delivery deadline: 10 November 2025
Duration: 7 days

Analytical Note
Presenting initial findings from the desk review and mapping, summarizing the policy landscape, TSA-linked benefits, and preliminary hypotheses on informality and employment incentives.
Desk review and summary of key policy and institutional factors.
Delivery deadline: 20 November 2025
Duration: 7 days

Qualitative Findings Report
Synthesize insights from interviews and focus groups with families, employers, and institutions, highlighting perceptions, behavioral drivers, and gender/regional patterns affecting formalization.
Interview transcripts, interview synthesis, key barriers and incentives, preliminary hypotheses.
Delivery deadline: 20 December 2025
Duration: 14 days

Draft Final Report
Integrating desk review, qualitative evidence, and policy analysis to identify barriers and propose actionable policy options for promoting transitions from social assistance to formal employment.
Full analytical report with policy recommendations and inputs for quantitative study design.
Delivery deadline: 20 January 2026
Duration: 10 days

Presentation
Visually summarizing key findings, analytical highlights, and policy recommendations for stakeholder validation and discussion.
Summary of findings and recommendations to UNICEF and partners.
Delivery deadline: 30 January 2026
Duration: 3 days

Final Report
Incorporating feedback from stakeholders and UNICEF, providing a polished, evidence-based narrative and set of practical recommendations for policy reform and future research design.
Revised based on feedback.
Delivery deadline: 20 February 2026
Duration: 4 days

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required

• Advanced university degree  (Masters’) in  the field of public administration, public policy, social science, law economics, or related field
• At least 7 years of experience in social policy, employment, or poverty analysis.
• Proven experience in analyzing informal labour markets, social assistance systems, or behavioral economics aspects of employment.
• Strong understanding of Georgia’s social protection system and TSA scheme.
• Experience in both qualitative and quantitative research design.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills in Georgian and English.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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