Forests for Work

Lead Institute WF Institute of Forestry

Informal logging near Kisangani - DR Congo

Forests for Work: Research and Assessment

Forests and the forest sector play a vital role in national economies and sustainable development by generating employment, creating economic value, supporting environmental sustainability, and serving as a cornerstone of the emerging bioeconomy.

Background and Objective

Despite these contributions, the quality, distribution and conditions of forest-sector employment remain insufficiently examined. Persistent data gaps and high levels of informality continue to constrain systematic assessments of whether employment practices align with the principles of decent work and equitable access to opportunities. In addition, numerous forest-sector workers worldwide face demanding, sometimes hazardous working environments, including exposure to extreme climate conditions, high accident risks, and occupational health challenges. These risks are especially acute in developing regions, where environmental vulnerability intersects with economic precarity and limited social protection.

At the same time, forest-based value chains are undergoing rapid transformation, shaped by sustainability imperatives and expanding labour-governance mechanisms. These shifts raise critical questions about job quality, gender equity and the evolving occupational landscape of the sector. In response, this project aims to deepen understanding of employment dynamics in the forest sector by examining the nature and quality of work, evaluating the influence of international labour standards and other regulatory or certification mechanisms, identifying dominant and emerging forest-related occupations within and beyond typical subsectors, generating robust global estimates of informal employment, and defining priority research directions to guide evidence-based policymaking and support sustainable, inclusive and decent work outcomes in the forest-related labour market.

Data and Methods

Cross-country modelling approach to fill data gaps, identify structural patterns, and analyse employment dynamics across forest-related sectors.
Country- and regional-specific studies, combining quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches
Literature review to synthesise existing evidence and identify knowledge gaps

Our Research Questions

How decent is work and employment in the forest sector?
To what extent do International Labour Standards and other certification standard systems enable progress toward decent and equitable employment in the forest sector?
Which occupations dominate within typical forest-based subsectors, and what patterns can be observed (e.g., skills, gender, etc.)?
What constitutes forest-based occupations beyond the typical sector boundaries?
How is forest sector employment distributed between formal and informal work?
What are the key gender dynamics in forest-sector employment, and how can gender equality be advanced within forest-related labour markets?
What are the key research priorities for advancing knowledge on forest-sector employment?