India projected to lose 5.8 per cent of working hours in 2030, equivalent to 34 million full-time jobs: UN

India is projected to lose 5.8 per cent of working hours in 2030, a productivity loss equivalent to 34 million full-time jobs, due to global warming, particularly impacting agriculture and construction sectors, a report by the UN labour agency said.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) released its report ‘Working on a Warmer Planet – The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and Decent Work’ which said that by 2030, the equivalent of more than two per cent of total working hours worldwide is projected to be lost every year, either because it is too hot to work or because workers have to work at a slower pace.

“Projections based on a global temperature rise of 1.5°C by the end of the twenty-first century, and also on labour force trends, suggest that, in 2030, 2.2 per cent of total working hours worldwide will be lost to high temperatures – a productivity loss equivalent to 80 million full-time job,” the report said.

It said that the accumulated global financial loss due to heat stress is expected to reach USD 2,400 billion by 2030.

“If nothing is done now to mitigate climate change, these costs will be much higher as global temperatures increase even further towards the end of the century,” the report said.