The International Labour Organisation (ILO) conducted an assessment of employment and livelihoods losses in 14 severely impacted districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The majority of employment losses and disruptions were observed in the flood-affected districts of Punjab province, with rural areas bearing around 78% of the total estimated employment losses. The agriculture sector was the most affected, followed by service and industry sectors, as reported by Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn.
According to the ILO assessment, approximately 3.3 million jobs may have been impacted by the 2025 floods in Pakistan. The assessment, which supported the validation and review of the Preliminary Assessment of 2025 Flood Damages, was a collaborative effort involving the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the overall technical lead, along with support from the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, European Union, and the World Bank.
The assessment highlighted that while immediate relief and resettlement needs were addressed through provincial compensation measures, comprehensive support is essential to restore livelihoods and income-generating activities in flood-affected regions. The ILO recommended a package of recovery measures including cash-for-work programs, skills training, and subsidised credit to assist affected households in restarting small-scale farm and non-farm economic activities.
Pakistan’s Overseas and Human Resource Development Minister Salik Hussain expressed concern over the significant damage caused by the floods, particularly affecting daily wage earners, small farmers, self-employed workers, and vulnerable households in rural areas. Meanwhile, ILO Country Director for Pakistan, Geir Tonstol, emphasized that the floods have exacerbated economic vulnerability for already at-risk communities, stressing the importance of timely measures to support decent work, income recovery, and long-term resilience to climate-induced disasters.
Tonstol also underscored the need to revive the World of Work Crisis Response Strategy developed after the 2022 floods, aiming for more timely, coordinated disaster responses focused on protecting and recovering employment and livelihoods.
