Call for External Collaborator – Development of a Labour Shortage Index to support evidence-based labour market analysis and policymaking in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ILO DWT/CO-Budapest, LEP II project

Summary

The assignment aims to develop and operationalise a Labour Shortage Index (LSI) for Bosnia and Herzegovina, building on an existing methodological framework and a structured vacancy lifecycle dataset generated through an AI-enabled web-scraping system. The consultant will translate the conceptual framework into an empirically implementable model by operationalising labour market pressure indicators (e.g. vacancy persistence and recruitment intensity), constructing a composite index using appropriate statistical techniques (e.g. PCA), and ensuring methodological robustness, transparency, and reproducibility. The work will include integration, where feasible, of complementary labour market data sources (e.g. Labour Force Survey, administrative data) to enhance analytical relevance. Based on the Index, the consultant will produce analytical outputs identifying labour shortages across occupations, sectors, and regions, and provide policy-relevant insights for Public Employment Services (PES) and policymakers. The assignment will result in a structured dataset, technical documentation, and an analytical report. The consultant will also present key findings at a high-level technical event in Sarajevo.