Islamabad: Pakistan marked International Labour Day on Friday with a stark warning from the climate change ministry that intensifying heatwaves and recurrent floods are rapidly turning into a nationwide labour crisis, exposing millions of workers to rising health and economic risks.
“Climate change is no longer an environmental issue alone; it is a labour crisis unfolding in real time,” Mohammad Saleem Shaikh, spokesperson for the ministry, told reporters.
“From heat-stressed daily wage earners to flood-affected farmers, Pakistan’s workforce is on the frontlines of climate vulnerability. Protecting labour is now central to climate justice and national resilience.”
He said Pakistan, with a labour force exceeding 57 million, remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries despite contributing around one per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions. Around 43pc of workers are employed in agriculture, leaving a large share directly exposed to erratic rainfall, droughts and floods.
