Around 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods in Pakistan, according to an assessment conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The ILO – a specialised United Nations agency – announced on Tuesday that it had undertaken an employment and livelihoods loss assessment for 14 of the worst-affected districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the ILO, the assessment showed that the majority of employment losses and disruptions were borne by the nine flood-affected districts in Punjab.
It further indicated that rural areas accounted for nearly 78 per cent of the total estimated employment losses, with agriculture emerging as the most affected sector, followed by services and industry.
According to the statement, the assessment was in support of the review and validation by the Preliminary Assessment of 2025 Flood Damages, a collective exercise supported by the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, European Union, and the World Bank, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as overall technical coordination lead.
The assessment noted that while provincial compensation measures helped address immediate relief and resettlement needs, there remained a strong need for more comprehensive support to restore livelihoods and income-generating activities in flood-affected areas, the ILO said.
The ILO also recommended a package of recovery measures, including cash-for-work programmes, skills training, and subsidised credit, to help affected households restart small-scale farm and non-farm economic activities. On the outcome of the assessment, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain said that the floods had caused serious damage to livelihoods, particularly for self-employed workers, daily wage earners, small farmers, and vulnerable households in rural areas.
He added that targeted employment recovery and livelihood restoration measures were needed to help affected communities rebuild their lives and income sources.
Hussain said that his ministry, in collaboration with provincial governments, social partners, and development partners, would support efforts aimed at restoring livelihoods through targeted and employment-intensive recovery programmes.
Meanwhile, ILO Country Director for Pakistan Geir Tonstol emphasised that restoring employment and livelihoods must remain central to the recovery response. “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.
He also highlighted the need to revive the World of Work Crisis Response Strategy developed in the aftermath of the 2022 floods, so that future disaster responses can be more coordinated, timely, and centred on the protection and recovery of employment and livelihoods.
The ministry and the ILO reaffirmed their commitment to working together with employers’ and workers’ organisations and other stakeholders to support flood-affected communities and promote recovery through sustainable employment and livelihood interventions.