World – Climate change to slash equivalent of 80 million jobs by 2030

An increase in heat stress resulting from global warming is projected to lead to global productivity losses equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs in the year 2030, according to a report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The ILO report draws on climate, physiological and employment data and presents estimates of the current and projected productivity losses at national, regional and global levels

Projections based on a global temperature rise of 1.5°C by the end of this century suggest that in 2030, 2.2% of total working hours worldwide will be lost because of higher temperatures, a loss equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs. This is equivalent to global economic losses of USD 2.4 trillion. The report warns this is a conservative estimate because it assumes that the global mean temperature rise will not exceed 1.5°C. It also assumes that work in agriculture and construction, two of the sectors worst affected by heat stress, are carried out in the shade.

“The impact of heat stress on labour productivity is a serious consequence of climate change, which adds to other adverse impacts such as changing rain patterns, raising sea levels and loss of biodiversity,” Catherine Saget, Chief of Unit in the ILO’s Research department and one of the main authors of the report, said.

The sector expected to be worst affected, globally, is agriculture with 940 million people around the world working in this sector. It is projected to account for 60% of global working hours lost due to heat stress by the year 2030. The construction sector will also be severely impacted with an estimated 19% of global working hours lost by the same date. Other sectors especially at risk are environmental goods and services, refuse collection, emergency, repair work, transport, tourism, sports and some forms of industrial work.

The regions losing the most working hours are expected to be southern Asia and western Africa, where approximately 5% of working hours are expected to be lost in 2030, corresponding to around 43 million and 9 million jobs, respectively. The report added that lower-middle- and low-income countries are expected to suffer the worst, particularly as they have fewer resources to adapt effectively to increased heat.

“In addition to the massive economic costs of heat stress, we can expect to see more inequality between low and high income countries and worsening working conditions for the most vulnerable, as well as displacement of people. To adapt to this new reality appropriate measures by governments, employers and workers, focusing on protecting the most vulnerable, are urgently needed,” Saget said.

The report calls for greater efforts to design, finance and implement national policies to address heat stress risks and protect workers.

Source: http://www2.staffingindustry.com/row/Editorial/Daily-News/World-Climate-change-to-slash-equivalent-of-80-million-jobs-by-2030-50442