JPO - Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) Statistics

Background

For more information related to the work area of this position, see: https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/cooperatives/areas-of-work/WCMS_550541/lang--en/index.htm

Introduction

The position is located in the Cooperatives Unit (COOP) in the Enterprises Department. The Department contributes to the ILO mission of creating decent work for all through the promotion of sustainable enterprises of all types and sizes. The unit is responsible for the promotion cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy in advancing decent work and sustainable development.

Cooperatives:

Despite their economic significance, little attention has been paid to cooperatives in international standards on labour statistics. The first discussion on cooperatives statistics took place during the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in 2013. A resolution concerning further work on statistics of cooperatives was adopted with the recommendation that the International Labour Office carry out further developmental work on the measurement of cooperatives, in particular on the number and characteristics of cooperatives, members of cooperatives, workers employed in cooperatives and value added generated by cooperatives. In line with the resolution, the ILO, in collaboration with COPAC , undertook a number of activities towards the preparation of the Guidelines concerning Statistics of Cooperatives. The draft guidelines were presented, discussed and endorsed by the participants at the 20th ICLS in October 2018.  The central objective of the statistics component of the project is to provide practical guidance as needed by member states toward implementing the Guidelines. 

Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE):

In light of the growing momentum around the SSE there is also growing demand for improved statistics on the SSE. There are discussions on establishing an international standard on the SSE at the UN, which will underline the need for better statistics on the SSE. Toward that end the ILO is contributing to the analytical and preparatory work to advance this area through a research initiative undertaken in the context of the UNTFSSE. The JPO will therefore be expected to also work closely with the ILO COOP team in contributing to the efforts around advancing statistics on the SSE building on the work around statistics of cooperatives. 

This JPO position will contribute to the work on implementing the current initiative and developing the manual on statistics of cooperatives as a long-term objective. It will support the advancement of the conceptual work around SSE statistics.

Supervision

Direct Supervision: Head - Cooperatives Unit.

The supervisor will establish a work plan in collaboration with the JPO, assign defined tasks throughout the duration of the contract, and monitor the work of the JPO, daily contact, joint missions, mentoring, job shadowing, joint outputs including research, project management and training will be among the methods of learning.

Performance management will be reviewed in accordance with ILO’s Performance Management Framework, as applicable to Junior Professional Officers.

Learning Components and Learning Elements

Training components:

The incumbent will have an opportunity to participate in variety of training events and seminars on issues such as SSE, cooperatives, enterprise development and future of work, among others. The incumbent will be exposed to on-the-job learning through daily interaction with senior colleagues.

Learning elements:

•    Become familiar with ILO’s institutional and informal coordination mechanisms;
•    Become familiar with ILO’s mandate, particularly in relation to cooperatives and SSE;
•    Enhance skills in planning, development, implementation and monitoring of development cooperation projects;
•    Interact with ILO colleagues in the Headquarters as well as country offices working on a range of technical topics; as well as with ILO constituents and the international cooperative and SSE movements;
•    Get acquainted with the work of a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team;
•    Familiarize with the functioning of the UN system, particularly through contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals; as well as with the structures and functions of the international cooperative and SSE movements;
•    At the end of the assignment, the JPO will have gained in-depth technical knowledge and skills on a variety of technical issues related to cooperatives, SSE, decent work, future of work, and other areas of work at the ILO.
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the supervisor in close collaboration with ILO STATISTICS Department, the JPO will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

•    Support the implementation of the current initiative on the guidelines in selected countries;
•    Assist in organizing and conducting meetings, workshops and conferences for the National Advisory Committees (NACs), Global Advisory Committee (GAC) and other expert group for the initiative;
•    Support coordination, communication and follow-up with National Consultants (NCs);
•    Support the planning of financial and administrative related matters as well as communication initiatives with ILO Constituents and cooperative and wider SSE stakeholders;
•    Contribute to the work on developing the manual on the Guidelines concerning Statistics of Cooperatives;
•    Work with ILO STATISTICS Department, to support research in the field of statistics on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy;
•    Assist in providing technical assistance in the discussion at various events on statistics on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy including preparation for the 21st ICLS in October 2023;
•    Liaise with other agencies, regional organizations and other partners on the topic of statistics on cooperatives and statistics on the social and solidarity economy;
•    Support the work of the Office with ILO Constituents, including national statistical offices develop and present statistics on the SSE;
•    Provide and disseminate information, respond to information requests; manage knowledge sharing tools, strategies and mechanisms including email lists, discussion groups, online databases, policy briefs, issue briefs, policy round tables, etc.; andPerform others task that may be assigned by the supervisor, in collaboration with ILO STATISTICS Department.

During the period of assignment, the JPO will contribute to the following key outputs:

•    NAC & GAC meetings and their joint conferences of the initiative;
•    National & global reports and briefs (with translations) as outputs of the initiative and its internal evaluation report and donor report;
•    The office paper to be presented at 21st International Conference of Labour Statistician (ICLS) in 2023;
•    A strategy paper for next steps of the current initiative toward cooperative and/or SSE statistics development and related proposal to potential donor;
•    ILO’s presence at multiple occasions to present its work on statistics of cooperatives and the wider SSE;
•    Participate in the UNTFSSE meetings and contribute to the discussions on statistics of SSE.

Required Qualifications

Education

An advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in statistics, econometrics, development economics, sociology, labour relations, international development, or other relevant area.

Experience and skills required

Work experience (excluding internships and volunteering):

At least two years of experience related to statistics, social and economic development, social economy, labour issues, or employment at the national or international level. Experience in statistics familiar with various data sources such as household surveys, censuses, establishment surveys would be highly considered.

Languages

Fluency in English and Korean and other working languages of the ILO (French, Spanish) would be an asset. In the light of related countries of the current initiative on statistics of cooperatives, Italian, Turkish would be a plus.
 

Key Competencies

Skills required for the assignment:

Excellent analytical, statistical and research skills, including drafting papers/reports; Good communication skills (oral and writing); Good computer skills (e.g. MS office), familiarity with statistical packages (e.g. Tableau, MATLAB, SPSS, SAS).); Knowledge in project cycle management; and Good organization skills.

The candidate is expected to demonstrate and be guided by ILO competencies, specifically:

1. Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
2. Capacity to work on own initiative as well as cooperate as a team member.
3. The ability to work in a multicultural environment, and gender-sensitive behaviour and attitudes are also required.