TONGA EMPLOYMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FACT SHEETS 2017

Transcription

1 TONGA EMPLOYMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY FACT SHEETS 217 The Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets series provides key features of employment and environmental sustainability performance. Jobs that are green and decent are central to sustainable development and resource productivity. They respond to the global challenges of environmental protection, economic development and social inclusion. Such jobs create decent employment opportunities, enhance resource efficiency and build low-carbon, sustainable societies. The fact sheets include the most recent available data for selected indicators 1 on employment and environmental sustainability: (i) employment in environmental sectors; (ii) skill levels; (iii) vulnerability of jobs; (iv) jobs in renewable energy; and (v) scoring on the Environmental Performance Index. Figure 1. Map of Tonga Figure 2. Demographics for Tonga Population:.11 million Population growth rate Fertility rate Life expectancy at birth.7% 3.7 children 72.9 years Tonga Rural population Urban population Population age categories % 2% 4% 6% 8% The Kingdom of Tonga 2 is a South Pacific island nation consisting of 171 islands, with only 4 of them inhabited (Fig. 1). Its population is mostly rural and growing, with a fertility rate of 3.7 children and life expectancy at 72.9 years (21). Around 8 per cent of the population is of legal working age (1 64 years) (Fig. 2). 36% 6% 8% 14 years 1 64 years 6+ years Note: All data for 216, except fertility and life expectancy, which are 21. updated 2 July 217, (accessed 3 July 217). 1. The fact sheet is based on available data only. 2. Tonga became a member of the International Labour Organization in

2 Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets 217 In 217, the labour force participation rate is 63.3 per cent and the employment-to-population ratio is 6.2 per cent. Both of those rates are more than 21 percentage points higher for men than for women. The total unemployment rate is 4.8 per cent and the youth unemployment rate is 1.9 per cent, with the female youth rate 4.8 percentage points higher than the male rate. Employment is evenly divided among services (at 39 per cent), agriculture (at 33 per cent) 3 and industry (at 28 per cent). The large majority of employment is in medium-skilled occupations (Fig. 3). Figure 3. Basic employment statistics for Tonga, 217 Employment-to-population ratio (1+ years) 8% 6% 4% 2% % Unemployment 1% 1% % % Male Female Employment by sector (1+ years) 4% 3% 2% 1% % Employment by occupation 1% 7% % 2% % Total Male Female Unemployment rate Youth unemployment rate (1 24 years) Agriculture Industry Services Skill level 1 (low) Skill level 2 (medium) Skill levels 3 and 4 (high) Vulnerable employment in Tonga as of 217 accounts for 6.8 per cent of the labour force, with the majority of those workers having own-account status (Fig. 4). Own-account and contributing family workers are more likely to experience low job and income security than employees and employers, as well as lower coverage by social protection systems and employment regulation. Figure 4. Vulnerable employment, by status, % 42.1% 6.8% Vulnerable employment Employees Employers Own-account workers 38.% Contributing family workers 18.8% Note: Vulnerable employment includes own-account workers and contributing family workers. Source: ILO compilation using ILOSTAT, (accessed 17 July 217). According to the World Risk Report, 4 Tonga is among the top five high-risk countries due to its very high exposure and high vulnerability to natural disasters and environmental damage and limited institutional capacity to respond and adapt. Although only 7.3 per cent of the total land area is below meters above sea level, 7. per cent of the total population lives in this area. According to the Emergency Events Database, 6 there has been a general increase in natural disasters 7 per decade between 196 and 216 (Fig. ). Such events have resulted in 14 deaths and affected approximately 14, people. Developing preventive measures to limit infrastructure and property damage and increase institutional capacity, particularly for small businesses to respond to climate events, can be a source of decent job creation while building resilience. Note: ILO estimates. Labour force participation rate and unemployment: aged 1 years and older. Youth unemployment: aged 1 24 years. Employment by occupation: skill level 1 (low) for elementary occupations; skill level 2 (medium) for clerical, service and sales workers, skilled agricultural and trade workers, plant machinists and assemblers; and skill level 3 and 4 (high) for managers, professionals and technicians. Source: ILO compilation using ILOSTAT, (accessed 17 July 217). 3. Informal employment (self-employed and contributing family members) is excluded from the agriculture calculations. 4. Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and United Nations University: World risk report 216 (Berlin, 216), World Bank: World development indicators, last updated 2 July 217, 6. EM DAT: The Emergency Events Database Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) CRED, D. Guha-Sapir Brussels, Belgium. 7. Climatological, hydrological and meteorological disasters. 2

3 Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets 217 Figure. Natural disaster occurrence and damage costs in Tonga, 196s 21s Natural disasters (number) s 197s Natural events 198s 199s 2s 21s Damages (2nd axis) nd axis (million US$) Note: Natural events include climatological, hydrological and meteorological disasters. 21s data are only for the first half of the decade. Source: ILO compilation using EM-DAT: The Emergency Events Database Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) CRED, D. Guha-Sapir Brussels, Belgium. Tonga ranks 12 of 18 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), with a score of (with furthest from the high-performance benchmark target of 1). Tonga outperforms the average scores for the Pacific islands and the Asia-Pacific region in the majority of the EPI categories for which a score was calculated: environmental health, fisheries and biodiversity and habitat. 8 Despite its middling-good performance, there is room for improvement in all environmental areas, particularly in ecosystem vitality (in water resources and agriculture) (Fig. 6). Action to improve environmental health, ecosystem vitality, climate change and resilience to weather disasters all have the potential to provide job creation, green economy growth and innovation. Figure 6. Environmental Performance Index 216 for Tonga Environmental health (EH) EH Health impacts EH Air quality EH Water and sanitation Ecosystem vitality (EV) EV Water resources EV Agriculture EV Forests EV Fisheries EV Biodiversity and habitat EV Climate and energy Tonga score ( 1 best) Asia-Pacific average score ( 1 best) Pacific islands average score ( 1 best) % 2% 4% 6% 8% 1% Environmental health (EH) Note: Score 1 1 best. Tonga: No score for EV Forests and EV Climate and energy due to lack of data. Pacific islands and Asia-Pacific: Each score is an average of all data for ILO member States in the subregion and region, respectively, excluding four countries with no data (Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu). Source: ILO compilation using, A. Hsu et al.: 216 Environmental Performance Index (New Haven, CT, Yale University, 216), Ecosystem vitality (EV) Rural population growth was.4 per cent in 21. Between 1991 and 214, the share of agricultural land in total land area increased slightly to 4.8 per cent, while the number of people employed in agriculture fluctuated by a couple thousand between 1991 and 214 ending with a small increase over the period (Fig. 7). However, the proportion of agricultural employment in total employment declined by 6.4 percentage points between 1991 and 214, when it stood at 34.2 per cent. This decline reflects more rapid job growth in other sectors. Terrestrial and marine protected areas, as a percentage of the total area available, increased by 9.6 and 14.7 percentage points, respectively, between 8. Due to lack of data, the score for EV Forests and EV Climate and energy could not be calculated. 3

4 Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets and 214. Forest area remained constant in that same period, at 12. per cent of total land area (Fig. 8). In 23, 28.8 per cent of employment was in the agricultural, hunting and forestry sector and 3 per cent in the fishing sector (Fig. 9) The transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy will require a significant expansion of employment in a number of green economic activities, such as those related to resource management or environmental services (for example, waste management and reforestation). 9 Figure 7. Agricultural land and agricultural employment, Agricultural land (% of land area) Employment in agricultural (% of total employment) Agricultural employment (thousand, 2nd axis) updated 2 July 217, ILOSTAT, ilostat (accessed 3 July 217). Figure 8. Forest area and terrestrial and marine protected areas, nd axis (thousand) Figure 9. Employment in sectors with strong green jobs potential, 23 Agriculture, hunting and forestry Fishing Mining and quarrying Electricity, gas and water supply Note: These sectors have the most potential for green job opportunities. Employment by selected 1-digit sector level (ISIC-Rev. 3, 199). Source: ILO compilation using ILOSTAT, (accessed 16 November 217). Access to improved water supply was 1 per cent in 21, while access to improved sanitation decreased by 7 percentage points from 199 to 21, reaching 91 per cent (Fig. 1). In 214, 63. per cent of the population relied primarily on clean fuel and technology, in the sense that they do not create indoor pollution within the home. In 1994, the country s municipal solid waste generation was 3.71 kg per capita per day and is excepted to slightly decrease to 3. kg per capita per day by A significant proportion of the waste is organic (at 48 per cent), followed by recyclable materials, such a paper (at 31 per cent) and glass and plastics (at 8 per cent) (Fig. 11). There are opportunities to create decent work with safe composting and recycling for local communities. Terrestrial protected area (% of total land area) Marine protected area (% of terrestrial waters) Forest area (% of land area) updated 2 July 217, (accessed 3 July 217). 9. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: The jobs potential of a shift towards a low-carbon economy, OECD Green Growth Papers, No. 212/1 (Paris, 212), 1. World Bank: What a waste: A global review of solid waste management (Washington, DC, 212). 4

5 Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets 217 Figure 1. Improved sanitation and water supply access, Improved sanitation facilities (% of population with access) Improved water source (% of population with access) updated 2 July 217, (accessed 3 July 217). Figure 11. Waste composition, 1994 Figure 12. Renewable energy share in total final energy consumption, Source: ILO compilation using UN: SDG indicators: Global database (217), unstats.un.org/ (accessed 17 July 217). Figure 13. Renewable energy generation, Total renewable energy electricity generation (GWh) Other % 4.7 Metal 8% Glass 3% Plastic % Organic 48% Paper 31% Source: ILO compilation using World Bank: What a waste: A global review of solid waste management (Washington, DC, 212). The share of renewable energy in total energy consumption has fluctuated, peaking in 21 at 2.7 per cent before dropping to 1 per cent in 21 and then increasing slightly to 1.6 per cent in 214 (Fig. 12). Renewable energy generation is low, although it has been increasing since 211, with solar the main source in 21 (Fig. 13). There are no data available on renewable energy sector employment. The employment share within the electricity, gas and water supply sector was 1. per cent in 23 (Fig. 9). Improvements in utilities can potentially provide benefits on three fronts: community health, environmental health (reducing air, land and water pollution) and the economy, with increased employment opportunities. 11 Renewable energy electricity generation (GWh), by technology 21 Hydropower Marine Wind Solar Bioenergy Geothermal Source: ILO compilation using International Renewable Energy Agency: Dashboards (217), (accessed 17 July 217). 11. ILO: Working towards sustainable development: Opportunities for decent work and social inclusion in a green economy (Geneva, 212).

6 Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets 217 Better data collection relating to the green economy and the environmental sector would be valuable for policymakers in Tonga and Asian-Pacific countries. Better data on green and decent jobs is particularly needed to assess the impact of climate change and climate-related policies on social inclusion. Without better data, it will be difficult to determine what policy changes are needed to assure a just transition to environmental sustainability and to monitor progress going forward. Disclaimer: The designations used in International Labour Organization publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Organization concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers 6