STRENGTHEN3

The STRENGTHEN3 project, is a joint initiative of the European Union (EU) and the ILO that seeks to promote the systematic consideration of employment in investment and policy decisions. Building on the experience of the previous STRENGTHEN and STRENGTHEN2 projects, STRENGTHEN3 will expand employment impact assessment (EmpIA) beyond sub-Saharan Africa to a global scale. It further develops the ILO’s EmpIA methodologies, datasets and webtool, while supporting governments, the European Union, financial institutions, development partners, investors and other stakeholders to use employment evidence to promote more and better jobs. Particular emphasis is placed on EU-supported investments, including Global Gateway initiatives, and on integrating dimensions such as gender, youth and skills into employment impact assessments.

The project pursues three objectives:

• To further develop and refine EmpIA methodologies, datasets and tools to cover more countries and investment sectors and capture broader dimensions of employment outcomes.
• To strengthen the capacity of governments, the EU, financial institutions, development partners, investors, social partners and other stakeholders to apply and interpret EmpIA tools and methodologies.
• To support more employment-oriented investment and policy decisions through EmpIAs, technical advice and practical knowledge products that identify employment effects and measures to maximize more and better jobs.

STRENGTHEN3 has a global scope and provides targeted support to partner countries across different regions, while strengthening the use of EmpIA in EU-supported investments and development cooperation. The project is scheduled to end in March 2029.