New ILO Study Warns of HIV/AIDS ‘catastrophe’ for Workers and Employers

country were: Cameroon (4); Ethiopia (5), Haiti (4), Cote d'Ivoire (7), Nigeria (3), Tanzania (8), and
Thailand (1).
The report also says HIV/AIDS will have a significant impact on the composition and quality of the labour
force in those countries in terms of age, skills and experience, while creating more child labour and
unravelling hard fought gains in the advancement of women.
"Age and sex distribution of the labour force will change, due to the rising number of widows and orphans
seeking a livelihood and the large proportion of people with AIDS in the age group 20-49 years, resulting in
early entry of children into the active labour force, the early withdrawal of people with AIDS and the
retention of older person in the labour force due to economic need," the report said.
The report notes that the labour force projections provide some indication of the lowering of the average
age of the labour force due to the impact of HIV/AIDS. Even assuming the same labour force participation
rates, the median age of the labour force in high prevalence countries would be reduced by as much as two
years by the year 2020, implying an increasing proportion of younger age groups in the labour force, as well
as a reduction in the quality of the labour force in terms of education, training and experience.
Impact on employers
The report said AIDS-related illnesses and deaths of workers affect employers by increasing costs and
reducing revenues. The impact of HIV/AIDS will require more spending by employers for health care,
burial, training and recruitment of replacement employees. In addition, the epidemic is expected to lead to a
reduction in revenues due to absenteeism caused by illness or attendance at funerals, as well as time spent
caring for persons with HIV/AIDS or training of people to replace those who have become sick or who have
died.
"In view of these factors, some companies have already begun to hire or train two or three employees for
the same position, if it is feared that employees in key positions may be lost due to AIDS," the report says.
"Employees can also be replaced by importing labour from neighbouring countries, at the risk of creating a
bigger immigrant sub-population, which is often more vulnerable to HIV infection."
The ILO response
"As we enter the new millennium, there is admittedly belated, yet growing understanding that HIV/AIDS is
very much a problem for the world of work," the report said. "The numbers of workers living with
HIV/AIDS have, or will, depending on the country, become a major cause for concern for all employers, in
enterprises and organizations of all sizes."
The report outlines a series of measures that can be taken by its tripartite social partners to increase their
efforts against the further spread of HIV/AIDS in the world of work, including increasing awareness and
advocacy for preventing the spread of HIV and providing protection and support for those living with
HIV/AIDS; development of preventive and protection programmes for workers and employers; gathering
and analysis of additional data on HIV/AIDS; and the development of new legislation and policy for
HIV/AIDS.
The ILO said it would collaborate closely with UNAIDS and its co-sponsors in prevention and support
activities, but could bring its special status as a tripartite organization involving workers' and employers'
organizations as well as governments to the campaign against AIDS.
* HIV/AIDS: A threat to decent work, productivity and development, Document for discussion at the Special High-Level Meeting

on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work, International Labour Conference, 8 June 2000, International Labour Office, Geneva, 2000,
ISBN 92-2-112167-4. The report and other information are available on the new ILO website on AIDS: www.ilo.org/aids