Climate Change and Labor in Sub-Saharan Africa

Climate change is directly and indirectly imposing adverse effects on labor productivity, employment, and labor mobility worldwide. It directly affects labor productivity through heat-stress, expansion of malaria and other weather-sensitive diseases. Indirectly, it impinges on employment through its effects on economic and ecosystem functions. The magnitude of such effects on labor are non-linear across the world. In particular, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) stands out in terms of both direct and indirect effects of climate change on labor due to various reasons.

This report reviews the interlinkages between climate change and labor with a special focus on the SSA region. The first objective is to synthesize how climate change would impact labor productivity, employment and migration both directly and indirectly. The second objective is to highlight how policy responses would contribute to maintain employment in the face of climate change.