Result of ServiceThe IC will work under the direct supervision of the Economic Affairs Officer (Gender Economist) on the tasks assigned to them. All deliverables produced under this assignment will remain the property of ESCWA. • Assist in compiling, processing and wrangling of data sets derived from a variety of sources, such as Labour Force Surveys/Labour Market Panel Surveys microdata, the skills monitor. • Conduct statistical and data analysis and assist in exploring skills profiling to highlight overall trends and skills gaps. • Conduct background research, review relevant materials, and contribute to stakeholder engagements/expert interviews, as requested. • Support in drafting analytical sections for the study. • Assist in other related tasks as requested by the supervisor. All deliverables shall be submitted in English. Work LocationUN-House ESCWA Expected duration6 Months Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underscores gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as central to achieving sustainable development. Yet gender-based inequalities persist, and the Arab region remains off track in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5). The 2025 Global Gender Gap Report finds that the Arab region has among the widest gender gaps globally, ranking it the lowest-performing region. While girls’ education has improved in parts of the region, women’s economic participation continues to be held back by structural barriers, including discriminatory laws and practices, restrictive social norms, unequal unpaid care burdens, limited mobility, occupational segregation, and unequal access to decent work opportunities. At the same time, the region is navigating rapid labour-market transformation linked to digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI). According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, by 2030 nearly 40% of workers’ core skills are expected to change, with digital and cognitive competencies rising fastest. These shifts create both opportunities and risks for young Arab women: digitalization can open new entry points into emerging occupations, but existing gender gaps in skills access, social constraints, and unequal unpaid care work may widen exclusion from “jobs of the future” unless targeted policy action is taken. The urgency is underscored by (i) persistently low female labour force participation—below 20% in many Arab countries compared to 74% for men, and (ii) the scale of youth unemployment: while over half the region’s population is under 30, young people account for around 40% of the unemployed. In addition, ESCWA’s Skills Monitor highlights growing employer demand for AI and digital skills alongside continued underrepresentation of women in AI-relevant/digital fields, pointing to a widening gender digital divide without corrective interventions. ESCWA Centre for Women seeks to engage an individual contractor (IC) to provide analytical and research support for a study on how digitalization and AI are reshaping employment in the Arab region, with a specific focus on young women’s access to future-ready skills and digital jobs. The assignment will generate evidence on (a) young women’s labour-market outcomes and sectoral/occupational patterns, (b) their digital and cognitive skill profiles (employed and unemployed), (c) the alignment/misalignment between women’s skills and employer-demand signals, and (d) the structural barriers limiting access to reskilling/upskilling pathways—culminating in actionable, gender-responsive policy recommendations to bridge the gender digital divide. Qualifications/special skillsAn advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in economics, labour economics, development studies, data science, or related fields is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 2 years of professional work experience in applied quantitative research is required. STATA proficiency is required. Strong skills in microdata management and statistical/econometric analysis are required. Knowledge in R/Python is desirable. Experience in labour market and gender is desirable. Familiarity with combining qualitative insights with data-driven evidence is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Note: \"Fluency\" equals a rating of \"fluent\" in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and \"knowledge of\" equals a rating of \"confident\" in two of the four areas. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.