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Heat stress, Albanian workers most vulnerable in the Region to climate change

2025-04-30 07:37:00, Aktualitet CNA

Climate hazards have a direct impact on people, reducing incomes and damaging productive assets. In the Western Balkans, rising temperatures and falling rainfall are starting to affect workers. Albania will be the hardest hit, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates.

Heat stress will significantly affect the Western Balkan countries, with Albania estimated to be the hardest hit in the Region in terms of labor productivity.

Climate change risk scenarios show that Albania is projected to lose 0.07 percent of working hours in 2030, equivalent to about 700 full-time jobs.

Heat stress increases the risk of workplace accidents, with deaths often occurring during the first few days on a new job.

High temperatures contribute to increased absenteeism from work due to heat-related illnesses, further reducing worker productivity.

The direct impact of natural disasters on workplaces in the Western Balkans was demonstrated during the 2014 floods.

Damage to economic and transport infrastructure led to the loss of jobs for 33,500 workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the temporary loss of 51,800 jobs were temporarily damaged in Serbia.

The October 2024 floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina displaced 1,100 families, destroyed 800 homes, and severely impacted agriculture and small businesses.

The World Bank, analyzing these developments, noted that the negative impacts of natural hazards on labor productivity, income, and assets can push people into poverty. Losses due to extreme weather events fall primarily on poor households.

On the other hand, poor people have limited access to savings, credit and insurance to help them manage losses of income or assets. While current data on damage and losses in the region tend to focus on the impacts of disasters on public assets and infrastructure, losses due to extreme weather events fall disproportionately on poor households./ Monitor Magazine