Islamabad, April 21 (IANS) The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a specialised United Nations agency, has stated that an employment and livelihoods loss assessment has been undertaken by it for 14 of the worst-affected districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local media reported on Tuesday.
The flood-affected districts of Punjab province bore the majority of employment losses and disruption, according to the assessment of the ILO. Almost 78 per cent of the total estimated employment losses are accounted for in the rural areas, and agriculture is the most affected sector, with service and industry sectors following it, Pakistan’s leading daily dawn reported.
According to the ILO assessment, around 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods in Pakistan.
The assessment was in support of the validation and review of the Preliminary Assessment of 2025 Flood Damages. It was a collective exercise with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the overall technical lead and supported by the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, European Union, and the World Bank.
Immediate relief and resettlement needs were addressed by the provincial compensation measures, noted the assessment, but to restore livelihoods and income-generating activities in flood-affected areas, comprehensive support is needed, said ILO.
Cash-for-work programmes, skills training, and subsidised credit, to help affected households restart small-scale farm and non-farm economic activities, were recommended as a package of recovery measures by the ILO.
Reacting on the outcome of the assessment, Pakistan’s Overseas and Human Resource Development Minister Salik Hussain said that serious damage was caused by the floods, especially for the daily wage earners, small farmers, self-employed workers and vulnerable households in rural areas.
Meanwhile, ILO Country Director for Pakistan, Geir Tonstol, said that the floods have deepened economic vulnerability for already at-risk communities. “There is a need for timely measures that support decent work, income recovery, and promote long-term resilience to climate-induced disasters,” asserted Tonstol.
The need to revive the World of Work Crisis Response Strategy developed in the aftermath of the 2022 floods was highlighted by the ILO Country Director, so that in future the disaster response can be more timely, coordinated and centred on the protection and recovery of employment and livelihoods.
–IANS
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