Climate change is increasingly a labour market problem, not merely an environmental one. Discuss with reference to trends in Indian industry and relevant international frameworks.

Q. Climate change is increasingly a labour market problem, not merely an environmental one. Discuss with reference to trends in Indian industry and relevant international frameworks. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Climate change has moved from being an ecological concern to a workforce concern: the ILO projects that heat stress alone will cost 2.2% of global working hours by 2030 — equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs, with southern Asia among the worst-hit regions [1]. For India, a tropical, labour-intensive economy, this converts an environmental externality into a hiring, productivity and welfare problem.

Evidence from Indian industry - An Adecco India survey of 1,044 employers across five metros found 97% of firms treat external disruptions — climate shocks, infrastructure stress, public-health outbreaks — as a constant operational reality, not exceptional events [2]. - Impacts are now on the labour side of the ledger: about half of employers report difficulty attracting and retaining talent, and 1 in 4 cite severe hiring impact; morale decline is highest in Bengaluru (48%) and Hyderabad (44%) [2]. - Firm-level costs surface as absenteeism, temporary shutdowns and higher operating costs, squeezing MSMEs that lack business-continuity capacity [2].

Why it is a labour market problem - Occupational exposure: outdoor and informal workers in construction and agriculture face Wet Bulb Globe Temperature breaches, sectors the ILO identifies as bearing the bulk of lost working hours [1]. - Distributional burden: gig, contract and informal workers lack paid sick leave or remote-work options, so climate shocks widen labour market inequality. - Growth risk: the World Bank's India Country Economic Memorandum (2025) ties high-income status by 2047 to raising labour force participation above 65% and sustaining productivity — both eroded by recurring disruption [3].

Frameworks and way forward - ILO's Decent Work agenda and heat-stress guidance supply occupational safety benchmarks [1]. - Domestically, NDMA's Heat Wave guidelines already mandate rescheduled work hours, shelters and cascaded IMD colour-coded warnings [4]. - The World Bank's Lifelines finding — $4 of benefit per $1 invested in resilient infrastructure, a $4.2 trillion net gain — makes resilience a growth investment, not a cost [5].

Climate adaptation must therefore be designed as labour policy: embedding heat standards in the labour codes, extending Heat Action Plans to workplaces, and supporting MSME continuity planning. Aligning this with SDG 8 (decent work) and SDG 13 (climate action) would let India protect its demographic dividend even as the climate warms.

(~340 words)

Sources: 1. ILO, Working on a Warmer Planet: The Effect of Heat Stress on Productivity and Decent Work (2019) — 2.2% working hours / 80 million full-time jobs by 2030; southern Asia worst affected; agriculture and construction exposure 2. The Hindu, "Majority of Indian firms face persistent external disruption" (June 10, 2026) — Adecco India External Disruptions and Workforce Productivity Report: 97% figure, 1,044 employers, hiring and morale data 3. World Bank, India Country Economic Memorandum: Becoming a High-Income Economy in a Generation (2025) — labour force participation above 65%, productivity and infrastructure requirements for 2047 4. NDMA, National Guidelines for Preparation of Action Plan – Prevention and Management of Heat Wave — rescheduled work timings, shelters, IMD colour-coded warnings 5. World Bank, "$4.2 Trillion Can Be Saved by Investing in More Resilient Infrastructure" (June 19, 2019) — $4 benefit per $1 invested; $4.2 trillion net benefit