Conduct an Impact Assessment of the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Migrant Workers and Their Families in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is requesting for proposals for an impact assessment of the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers and their families in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Hong Kong SAR, China).

Background

Migrant workers often serve in frontline roles in health care, agriculture and food production, domestic work, construction and ensure the continuity of supply chains across the Asia region. During the COVID- 19 pandemic, they have been contributing greatly to their host societies and economies.

However, the pandemic has affected many migrant workers adversely, especially those who are employed in the informal economy and low-income jobs. Some are suffering disproportionately negative social and economic impacts, due to factors such as longer working hours, job loss and wage reductions, limited access to health care and other essential services.

To address identified challenges and promote the protection of migrant workers across Asia in response to COVID 19, the IOM aims to strengthen the evidence base on the impact of COVID-19 on migrant worker populations to inform current, future and post crisis responses. This would benefit policy makers and businesses as key duty bearers for the protection of migrant workers. Ensuring that migrants are not left behind in the pandemic response is also essential to achieving the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

This impact assessment is being conducted as a project activity under the Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST) programme in Asia, with support from the Development and Cooperation Section of the Swedish Embassy in Thailand and in collaboration with partners from the private sector and civil society.

Objectives

The overall objective of this consultancy is to conduct a migrant-centred, gender-sensitive assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on migrant worker populations in Hong Kong SAR, China. The assessment will be delivered in the form of an assessment report which could cover the following sections: 1) an overview on the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers of various sectors (for example, domestic work, entertainment, sex work, hospitality, the care sector and construction) in the Hong Kong SAR, China; 2) the impact of COVID-19 on the recruitment processes, including loan-taking and debt; 3) the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers’ working conditions; 4) the impact of COVID-19 on access to justice and remedy for migrant workers; 5) migrant workers’ access to healthcare and their experiences with COVID- 19 vaccination.

Request for Proposals