AIDS and the World of Work
Most of the people infected with HIV/AIDS are between the ages 15 and 49. These are working people, both men and women, with important economic and social roles. Because of their condition they cannot fully contribute to their community’s, or their family’s, development and wellbeing. We can’t really calculate the loss to communities and families.
Thus, HIV/AIDS is not only a physical health problem, but an economic problem. It reduces the labor supply and productivity, the rate of savings, economic growth and the delivery of public services. It leads to increased business costs, shrinking production and reduced incomes. Decades of gains in development, training, skills and education are being lost every day. It is very difficult to replace these lost workers.
The loss of skilled workers and managers today threatens the ability of nations to deliver essential goods and services tomorrow. HIV/AIDS is threatening future generations because it forces children to leave school in order to care for family members or provide income—and in rural areas it is breaking down traditional systems of social learning that pass skills and knowledge from generation to generation. HIV/AIDS threatens sustainable development.
Key Statistics
* Every day 7,000 young people (under 25 years old) contract HIV. Nearly 14 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
* By 2020, HIV/AIDS is expected to cause a 10% to 30% reduction in the labor force in countries with an HIV/AIDS epidemic.
* Over half the teachers in Uganda are believed to be living with HIV/AIDS.
* In Malawi, deaths among public service workers increased tenfold between 1990 and 2000, mainly due to AIDS.
* In 2001 one million children in Africa lost their teachers to AIDS, but there is little evidence of planning to replace them.
* A third of the rural households affected by HIV/AIDS in Thailand reported a 50% reduction in agricultural output.
Summarized from the International Labor Organization's Fact Sheet (go to original).