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Engendering informality measurement for Labour Force Surveys - Final evaluation

eval_number:

3260

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/3260

location:

country:

Inter-Regional

region:

Inter-Regional

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eval_title:

Engendering informality measurement for Labour Force Surveys - Final evaluation

recommendations:

date:

2025-08-20 00:00:00.0

themes:

theme:

Organizational issues

category:

Planning and programme design

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comments:

On the specific point of seeking extended timeframes in future projects this has been highlighted to the current donor but ultimately returns to a need to prepare specific timelines and budget requests for resources – very transparent requests for a buffer period of 6 months at the end of a project are difficult to incorporate but the ILO has attempted to ensure plans allow sufficient time for reporting thereby creating some element of space to ensure outcomes can be propagated. In addition the ILO has been successful in initiating further discussions on extensions of funded work with ongoing discussions expected to lead to extensions to 2028/9 – improving the possibilities to promote project outcomes and improve effectiveness. However, to truly address sustainability of resources issue would require a change in model to something like a rolling service agreement – something not yet addressed with the focus remaining on more defined deliverables with specified timeframes. The ILO will continue to seek opportunities to advance this discussion but it does depend on what is feasible on the donor side at a time when the donor community is under significant pressure due to the loss of other funding sources for statistical work. Regarding recommendation 3.2 the ILO continues to provide support to countries beyond project timeframes through the global technical team for statistics. For example in the case of the two project countries (Uganda and Peru) significant ongoing technical assistance has been provided leading to the implementation of a quarterly labour force survey in Uganda from Q1 2025 onwards applying the ILO model questionnaire as updated based on the project. In the case of Peru they have switched to an updated quarterly LFS as of 2025 also and are preparing to publish results based on the new questionnaire. In both cases ILO support was extensive. Re recommendation 3.3 on assessment of capacity of NSOs this recommendation has been incorporated in ILO technical assistance through early discussions on the required capacities and resources for countries taking on LFS implementation or update. This however extends beyond the project and refers to the wider ILO technical assistance and capacity building programme.

action_plan:

Continue discussions with donor to create a more sustainable funding base. The same model (specific tasks and timelines rather than openended) continues to be the model engaged but the ILO has been successful in securing agreements to provide support on a longer term basis (provisionally up to 2028 subject to finalisation of discussions). Further discussions on an alternative operational model of open ended agreements with more stable resource support have not yet advanced. The ILO will seek opportunities for this but it must be recognised that the funding environment is challenging with donors facing a multitude of requests – as such there is no guarantee such an agreement can be reached. Regarding sustainability of support to project countries the ILO has followed through with ongoing support utilising regular budget resources to the two countries (Uganda and Peru) with significant results whereby both are now running an updated labour force survey incorporating ILO guidance and the latest statistical standards. R3.3 has been incorporated through preparatory discussions for countries engaging with technical assistance – seeking to assess their capacity to take on LFS implementation or update. However, the ILO is not using this to restrict support to member states, rather just promoting the allocation of sufficient resources to ensure plans are sustainable and achievable.

management_response:

Partially Completed

progress:

Partially achieved

admin_units:

STATISTICS

title:

Consider extending the duration of each project phase or adopting a multi-phase plan, with sufficient foresight to accommodate recruitment needs and avoid loss of capacity. In its current format, each phase could benefit from an additional 6 months to account for recruitment timelines and related constraints. ● R.3.1. Based on a feasibility study, further to mapping key activities and assessing incumbent costs and resources, determine any additional time required. (E.g., 4-6 months for recruitment processes) ● R.3.2. Based on feasibility studies and needs assessments, extend relevant interventions in countries (including pilot and other countries that participate in Phase I) to ensure realistic timeframes. ● R.3.3. Explore ways to gauge the commitment and the absorptive capacity of NSOs before providing substantial technical assistance. Given limited resources, the project should devote effort to countries that have the best chance of benefitting from extensive support to move towards progressive self-sustained scaling up.

project_symbols:

GLO/20/27/GAT

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/recommendations/2356993

information_source:

Head Quarters

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