Decent work in the forest sector

Background and Objective

The contributions of the global forest sector, which consists of forestry and logging, manufacture of wood and wood products, manufacture of pulp and paper in job creation and poverty alleviation, inter alia, have long been recognised amongst policy-related actors and scientific communities. Despite its potential to promote employment and improve the well-being of people, the forest sector needs to tackle decent work deficits, particularly in the Global South. These include, for instance, poor and unsafe working conditions, lack of access to social protection, and high levels of informality. This project aims to determine the current status of decent work patterns and consequentially the social sustainability of the forest sector. It further examines whether any correlations exist between ratifying international labour standards and decency of the forest-related employment.

Data and Methods

Panel datasets across countries are constructed based on publicly available databases such as ILO, FAOSTAT, and the World Bank.To address the research questions, inferential statistical techniques are applied, coupled with a literature review.

Our Research Questions

1. How decent are employment in the forest sector?
2. Can International Labour Standards play an enabling role in advancing decency of employment in the forest sector?