Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SHP)

New Delhi, Jul 2: The year 2030 will see a steep drop in productivity of labour and will result in a huge financial loss for India. Due to heat stress, the agricultural and construction sectors will suffer a major blow as over 34 million full-time jobs will be impacted according to a report published by the UN labour agency.

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. This could be either because the worker finds it too hot to work or the work will take longer duration to complete.

Countries in Southern Asia will be the most affected by heat stress, especially in Asia and the Pacific region. Over 940 million people active in agriculture around the world and the farmers will be hit the worst by rising temperatures. According to the ILO data, the sector will be responsible for 60% of global working hours lost from heat stress, by 2030.

“The impact of heat stress on labour productivity is a serious consequence of climate change,” said Catherine Saget, chief of unit in the ILO’s Research department and one of the main authors of the report.

Further, the report also said that global financial loss due to heat stress is expected to reach USD 2,400 billion by 2030 and plans need to chalked and carried out to mitigate climate change. In the event nothing is done, the costs will continue to escalate as global temperature will also continue to increase towards the end of the century.