ILO says 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by 2025 floods in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Around 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods in Pakistan, according to an employment and livelihoods loss assessment carried out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The ILO, a specialised agency of the United Nations, said on Tuesday that it had conducted the assessment in 14 of the worst-hit districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the organisation, most of the employment losses and disruptions were concentrated in the nine flood-affected districts of Punjab. The assessment also found that rural areas made up nearly 78 per cent of the total estimated employment losses.

Agriculture was identified as the hardest-hit sector, followed by services and industry, the ILO said.

The organisation said the assessment was prepared to support the review and validation process for the Preliminary Assessment of 2025 Flood Damages, a joint exercise backed by the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union and the World Bank, with the United Nations Development Programme serving as the overall technical coordination lead.

According to the ILO statement, provincial compensation measures helped meet immediate relief and resettlement requirements, but broader assistance was still needed to restore livelihoods and income-generating activities in flood-affected areas.

The ILO recommended a recovery package that includes cash-for-work schemes, skills training and subsidised credit to help affected households restart small-scale farm and non-farm economic activities.

Government and ILO response

Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain said the floods had caused extensive harm to livelihoods, especially for self-employed workers, daily wage labourers, small farmers and vulnerable rural households.

He said focused employment recovery and livelihood restoration steps were required to help affected communities rebuild their lives and sources of income. Hussain added that his ministry, working with provincial governments, social partners and development partners, would support efforts to restore livelihoods through targeted and employment-intensive recovery programmes.

ILO Country Director for Pakistan Geir Tonstol said restoring jobs and livelihoods should remain a central part of the recovery effort. “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,” he said.

Tonstol also stressed the importance of reviving the World of Work Crisis Response Strategy developed after the 2022 floods so that future disaster responses could be more coordinated, timely and focused on protecting and restoring employment and livelihoods.

The ministry and the ILO also reaffirmed their commitment to work together with employers’ and workers’ organisations, as well as other stakeholders, to support flood-affected communities and advance recovery through sustainable employment and livelihood measures.