RfP: Financial Solutions for Cross-border Refugee Migration Programs (LATAM to Spain)

Company Description

Executive summary: LaMP seeks a bilingual consultant to conduct data collection and analysis, scenario evaluation, and financial product development on a part-time basis from June through October.  Key skills include research, financial analysis and modeling, and collaborative problem-solving. 

ABOUT LABOR MOBILITY PARTNERSHIPS (LaMP) 

Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening international labor migration systems. LaMP's mission is to create more opportunities for people from low-income countries to access decent jobs abroad, particularly in key sectors with persistent labor shortages. In this way, LaMP seeks to demonstrate that labor migration is a mechanism for poverty alleviation and economic growth favorable to all. LaMP works to create new labor migration programs and improve the quality of existing programs around the world. LaMP has a unique and dynamic approach that focuses on solving problems practically and in real-world settings. We work with local stakeholders to design proof-of-concept projects that demonstrate best practices and generate evidence for building better policies and innovative labor mobility models.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

Project Goal: To design a series of viable labor migration pathways for refugees from Latin American countries to Spain. Multiple potential pathways into Spain for refugees have yet to be unlocked due to discovery and coordination costs (organizing players and demonstrating how to use the pathway) and because of ongoing transaction costs per person (training, travel, arrival costs, etc.). 

LaMP will undertake a six-month effort to produce a set of 3-5 launch-ready projects. This will involve a rapid review of potential pathways based on demand and visa viability, prioritization of pathways based on the emergence of champion partners, refugee dynamics, and impact potential, and deep-dives to set up the operational and financial models needed for a launch-ready pilot. LaMP has already laid the groundwork for movement across several potential pathways, especially in elderly care and hospitality. As viable pilots emerge from the design phase, we will present these projects to our funders for investment decisions. 

Job Description

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES 

Role 

The consultant will provide technical support and expertise in financial data collection and analysis, scenario evaluation, and financial solution development to facilitate the design of launch-ready labor migration programs from Latin America to Spain.  

Cross-border labour migration involves significant costs and financial risks for various stakeholders. Some expenses—like airfare—may be reimbursed by employers or intermediaries, while others (e.g. language training) fall on the workers, who often lack the resources to cover them and resort to informal, high-risk lending. Additionally, the pace of international recruitment varies, and dropouts or certification failures introduce operational uncertainty and financial risk at multiple stages. 

This role will map these costs, risks, and dynamics across different contexts, assess stakeholder willingness to absorb these costs and risks, and support in the development of a viable, scalable financial solution to close funding gaps and mitigate risk along the migration value chain.  

You can read more about the costs and risks associated with labour migration in the following blog posts by Labor Mobility Partnerships:  

• Balancing financial risk in international labour mobility (https://lampforum.org/2024/11/26/balancing-financial-risk-in-international-labor-mobility-programs/)

• Unlocking migration through finance (https://lampforum.org/2024/07/03/unlocking-migration-through-finance-a-loan-product-to-make-language-learning-accessible-for-aspiring-migrants/)

Responsibilities 

The responsibilities below will apply to 3-5 mobility pilots. The consultant should be prepared to scope contexts in multiple geographies, including Spain and countries in Latin America. 

• Data Collection and Analysis (quantitative and qualitative) 

• Gather key data to inform program design, including costs across the value chain (e.g. training, matching, migration processing), programmatic overheads, timelines, dropout rates, potential delays, and local terms and conditions. 

• Estimate post-migration financial metrics such as worker earnings, living expenses, and remittance potential. 

• Support in calculating Social Return on Investment (model to be discussed with LaMP) and other impact indicators.   

• Conduct surveys, focus groups, and utilize other evaluation too