New studies by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have warned that climate change could wipe out millions of jobs, undermine productivity, and inflict billions of dollars in annual economic losses across six countries. The studies, covering Ethiopia, Ghana, Lebanon, the Maldives, Senegal, and Sri Lanka, project that climate change will increasingly threaten workers' health and safety, employment opportunities, business operations, and national economies.
The consequences of rising temperatures could become significantly worse over the coming decades unless governments, employers, and other stakeholders urgently strengthen workplace adaptation and climate resilience measures. According to the projections, even under a low-emissions scenario, climate change could account for the loss of about 1.78 million full-time equivalent jobs in Ethiopia, 550,000 in Ghana, and 145,000 in Sri Lanka by 2040.
The economic implications are equally alarming, with annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) losses projected to reach $33.3 billion in Ethiopia, $26 billion in Sri Lanka, and $23.2 billion in Ghana by 2040. The ILO further warned that the situation could deteriorate substantially by 2060 under high-emissions scenarios, with projected job losses reaching between five million and six million in Ethiopia.
The findings underscore the growing threat climate change poses to the world of work, particularly in agriculture, construction, fisheries, and transport, where workers are frequently exposed to extreme temperatures and have limited opportunities to avoid prolonged heat exposure. The studies also identify policy interventions required to protect workers' health and livelihoods, sustain enterprise productivity, and strengthen national resilience against rising temperatures.
Andreas Floris, lead author of the studies, emphasized that every single industry and every single workplace will stand to benefit from adapting workplaces to heat stress. The ILO noted that the severity of heat stress is influenced not only by national climate conditions but also by the structure of economies and employment, as well as the capacity of countries to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Marlene Attallah, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Labour, Lebanon, cautioned against treating workplace heat protection as an unnecessary financial burden on employers. She stressed that protecting workers from heat stress should not be viewed as an additional burden but as an investment in workers' health, productivity, and working conditions.
The ILO recommended measures such as stronger occupational safety and health systems, expanded social protection, climate-resilient economic planning, and workplace adaptation strategies. The organization also emphasized the importance of social dialogue in developing effective responses that take into account the interests and experiences of governments, employers, workers, and communities affected by extreme heat.
Key points
- Climate change could account for the loss of about 1.78 million full-time equivalent jobs in Ethiopia, 550,000 in Ghana, and 145,000 in Sri Lanka by 2040.
- Annual GDP losses are projected to reach $33.3 billion in Ethiopia, $26 billion in Sri Lanka, and $23.2 billion in Ghana by 2040.
- The ILO emphasized the importance of social dialogue in developing effective responses to heat stress.
