Evaluation Learnings Search

Learning Description

While each country has a labor market exchange system, they are not considered effective because the labor market information that feed the systems is weak. El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have some form of a labor market information system. Nevertheless, according to experts, these systems are not highly effective because the labor market information that feed the systems are of poor quality and often incomplete. Thus, an effective labor market information exchange system requires high quality and complete labor market information.

Learning Description

Countries with small labor markets with limited availability of professional may require a flexible, team approach rather than one highly qualified project director as often required as key personnel by U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The project had to replace the project director two times. According to the American Institute for Research, qualified labor market information professionals already were employed by government institutions, and it did not want to hire qualified professionals away from these institutions, which was a possibility. Instead, it opted to hire less qualified project directors that did not work out. Eventually, the project decided to use a combination of a highly qualified and respected international consultants, a regionally-based manager with strong government contacts, and an American Institute of for Research manager with ample U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs project experience. Together, the team members exceeded the project director requirements and appears to have been effective in fulfilling the project director requirements.

Learning Description

Establishing project steering committees that helped create interinstitutional communication and collaboration. The project established steering committees in each country consisting of key partner institutions in the government, academic, and private sectors. In Guatemala, an existing committee, the Oficina de Coordinación del Sistema Estadístico (National Employment Statistics Coordination Office) served as the steering committee. The main purpose of the committees was to guide the project to make adjustments and provide implementation advice. The steering committees provided a space for labor market information institutions to share information and collaborate on important initiatives such as updating the occupational and industrial classification systems. Prior to the project, these labor market institutions rarely met and shared information.

Learning Description

Contracting respected expert consultants to provide technical assistance and build local capacity. During the early stages of implementation, the project decided to identify and contract regional labor market information expert consultants who were highly qualified, understood labor market information contexts in Latin America, and spoke fluent Spanish. Overall, these labor market information consultants were highly effective at providing training and technical assistance. At least one of the experts served as an International Labor Organization consultant and had a history of working with the project countries on labor market information issues. Reputability of experts has helped the project gain respect and credibility. These are key assets for effective technical assistance and buy-in from government and private sector to promote local capacity building through training and use of skills at work.

Learning Description

Involving credible universities to provide accredited certificate courses. The project worked with its academic partners to offer university accredited certificate courses covering a range of labor market information topics including labor market information policies and systems, establishment surveys, occupational and industrial classification systems, sampling and data collection, data analysis, and statistics. While the certificate courses experienced scheduling and technology difficulties when they were shifted from face-to-face to remote formats due to COVID-19, receipt of a university accredited certificate upon completion of the course was highly appealing to participants and, thus, served as an important motivational factor.

Learning Description

Building project interventions on existing institutional structures, processes, and priorities. The project design included the strategy of working with statistical institutions to improve the household surveys. The strategy also included working with the statistical institutions and other key actors, such as the labor ministries and central banks, to update the occupational and industrial classification systems. Since the statistical institutions have the mandate and resources to conduct periodic household surveys, improvements to the survey instruments are highly sustainable. Likewise, since updating the classification systems is a priority to key labor market information institutions and the cost to make the changes is low, the advances to update the systems are also highly sustainable. It should also be noted that the project leveraged previous efforts supported by the International Labor Organization and other international organizations to align the household surveys and classification systems with international standards.

Learning Description

Identify hazardous activities specific for coffee production. Although the Colombia Avanza project has raised awareness on child labor and hazardous activities in agriculture, there still remains uncertainty among stakeholders regarding the specific activities in coffee cultivation that fall under child labor and those that fall under non-hazardous activities. National laws do not break down the activities specific for coffee production; therefore, the project could play an important role to clearly define which activities are and are not permitted for adolescents participating in coffee cultivation.

Learning Description

Recognize the magnitude of acceptable work conditions: The topic of acceptable work conditions is a complex issue within the Colombian coffee sector that could be the focus of a separate project. The topic must include larger issues such as international coffee prices, low profit margins, and high costs of labor formalization that farmers cannot assume. By contrast, the issue of child labor can be impacted by informed parents who can make the decision to prohibit his or her child from engaging in hazardous activities on family farms.

Learning Description

Plan for governmental changes. Project timelines almost always extend through more than one national governmental administration. Project staff should anticipate these changes and prepare a plan to mitigate any disruption to project activities due to changes in national leadership.

Learning Description

Maintain the interest of stakeholders. As a result of the COVID-19 emergency in all of its different manifestations, stakeholders had to reprogram Colombia Avanza project activities. Not only did it become necessary to adapt the project activities to the new pandemic context, but it also became urgently necessary to maintain stakeholder interest due to the potential rise in child labor as a result of the pandemic.