Brief outline of history/aims of organisation:
MicroSave Consulting (MSC) is a boutique consulting firm that has, for almost 25 years, pushed the world towards meaningful financial, social, and economic inclusion. With over 200 staff of different nationalities and varied expertise, we are proud to be working in over 68 developing countries. We partner with participants in financial services, enterprise, agriculture and health ecosystems to achieve sustainable performance improvements and unlock enduring value. Our clients include governments, donors, private sector corporations, and local businesses. For 25 years, MSC has improved credit, savings, insurance and payments products by understanding the poor’s financial needs, aspirations, perceptions and behaviours; converted clients to a market-led approach; published papers offering key insights into financial inclusion in Africa and Asia; trained thousands of leading financial inclusion specialists; and developed newsletters, notes, and research papers with a global perspective.

Background:
MSC’s Future of Work practice operates at the intersection of emerging digital technologies and their effect on the work of low- and moderate-income (LMI) population groups in Asia and Africa. The central themes of our work include informal enterprises, social protection, gender, the digital divide, and skills. One of the pracice’s key focus areas is understanding the role that technology plays in accessing jobs and employment opportunities in the global south. The ubiquity of information and communications technology has paved the way for the rise of digital labor platforms. Countries in the global south (e.g., India, Indonesia, Kenya, etc.) have embraced the nature in which goods and services are delivered, leveraging digital platforms to increase accessibility and decrease costs.

COVID-19 resulted in far reaching implications on the global economy, in part as a result of the restrictive nature of the lockdowns. Digital platforms, however, gained prominence and were integral to the provision and delivery of key services, even being coined essential public infrastructure. Digital platforms served as important intermediaries connecting service providers—workers—with demand-side players—employers. Digital platforms opened new markets and extended work opportunities for those who previously lacked access to work. Such platforms are changing the organization of enterprises, work processes, and the relationship between workers and businesses. Three types of digital platforms that facilitate workers’ abilities to find employment opportunities are:
Platforms that mediate work:
1. Location-based services: Tasks are performed in a defined physical location by workers, e.g., food
deliveries, home services, domestic work, and care services
2. Online web-based platforms: Workers perform tasks that are allocated online and remotely, e.g.,
microtasks and freelance work
Platforms that provide support services for entrepreneurship:
3. Social media platforms: Workers are able to reach a wider base of customers / clients to conduct
business for e.g. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram etc.

Scope of Work
The scope of this Internship will include carrying out a landscape analysis of Jobtech platforms in South Asia, South East Asia, and Africa . The activities during the Internship are listed below.

1. Identify different types of operational Jobtech platforms and thereafter create a suitable taxonomy
classifying the platforms. An example of a suitable categorization can be found here.
2. Conduct a secondary desk review of Jobtech platforms in the selected countries. The desk review
should provide details on the diversity of operational jobtech platforms, their business models,
operations, and other financial and operational metrics (limited to publicly available information).
3. Document the opportunities and challenges faced by workers accessing work opportunities on the
platforms.
4. Document opportunities and constraints of such platforms mediating work opportunities for workers
in low-income countries.
5. Prepare a research report (format to be decided) highlighting the prevalence of jobtech platforms,
business models, their scale, opportunities, and challenges in selected countries.
The tentative list of countries in South Asia would include India and Bangladesh; in South East Asia, the list
of countries would consist of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam and Kenya in Africa. The list of countries
will be finalized at the start of the Internship.

Methodology
This will be a desk-based internship that will allow the selected candidate to work from her/his academic location. The Intern will be expected to conduct a desk review using existing literature, company annual reports, and industry publications to arrive at the required deliverable.
In addition to desk research, the intern will be required to reach out to supply side stakeholders for interviews with key informants to understand different perspectives on the growth of Jobtech ecosystem in each country.

Key Deliverables
1. Mapping of Jobtechs by category in each of the agreed upon focus countries
2. A research report (to be published on the MSC website) highlighting the outputs of the study

Positions available
Two internships positions are available under this project

Period of engagement
It is expected that the period of engagement will last two months with full time dedication. The potential for
part-time is also available; however, the duration would be extended, as a result.

Stipend
A stipend of approximately $1200 per month will be provided during the duration of the internship

Interested Applicants
Please send your resume/CV to Jenifer Shapiro, Global Lead, BD at jenifer.shapiro@microsave.net and Manoj Nayak, Manager, Digital inclusive Development, at manoj.nayak@microsave.net and include the time period which you are available to carry out the work.