Economy

Heat Stress Could Cost Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal 2.5 Million Jobs by 2040

ILO · 3 hours ago · Read the Full Story on ILO

AI SUMMARY

A new ILO study reveals that rising temperatures and workplace heat stress could cost Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal 2.46 million full-time jobs and $67 billion in annual GDP by 2040.

Rising temperatures and workplace heat stress are affecting workers, productivity, and economies in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Senegal, according to the International Labour Organization.
By 2040 under a low-emissions pathway, reduced working time from heat stress is projected to equal approximately 2.46 million full-time jobs across the three countries.
Ethiopia faces an estimated 1.78 million lost full-time jobs by 2040, compared to 550,000 in Ghana and 129,000 in Senegal.
Combined annual GDP losses are projected at around US$67 billion by 2040 under the same pathway, including US$33.3 billion in Ethiopia, US$23.2 billion in Ghana, and US$10.5 billion in Senegal.
In 2023, workplace heat stress already resulted in significant additional losses of working time and economic output compared to the historical baseline in all three countries.
Agriculture and construction are among the most exposed sectors, though impacts also extend to manufacturing, transport, trade, services, and the informal economy.
In Ethiopia, more than one million full-time equivalent jobs were lost to workplace heat stress in 2023, with agriculture accounting for about three-quarters of those losses.
In Ghana, heat stress accounted for over 345,000 lost full-time equivalent jobs in 2023, with agriculture representing roughly two-thirds of the total.
In Senegal, nearly 72,000 full-time equivalent jobs were lost in 2023 due to heat stress, concentrated particularly in services and agriculture.
Proposed practical measures to reduce heat impacts include adjusting working hours, introducing work-rest cycles, providing shade and hydration, and improving social protection for informal workers.
The studies form part of a six-country research initiative also covering Lebanon, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, commissioned by the ILO with support from the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable 20 Finance Ministers.

Read the Full Story on ILO

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