Fighting Heat at the Workplace

The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2025 report highlights a clear upward trend in temperature anomalies across the region, intensifying risks to already precarious work environments. In 2024 alone, countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, the People’s Republic of China, Georgia, and Turkmenistan recorded temperatures exceeding both global and regional averages—highlighting the growing threat that heat poses to worker health and productivity.

Figure 1. Temperature Change with Respect to Baseline Climatology of Select ADB Member Economies, ADB Regional Average, and Global Average

Source: Table 2.7.4 of Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2025.

One major concern is exposure to extreme heat, which is becoming more frequent and intense across the globe—including in Asia and the Pacific. Rise in temperature directly affects occupational health, as workers in some sectors are increasingly exposed to heat stress, which can lead to heat exhaustion, dehydration, and even heat stroke. Both dry and humid heat affect human thermoregulation, adding to the physical strain of their already demanding work.

Given these increasing risks, it is crucial to implement workplace adaptations that protect and promote the health and safety of workers. Measures such as shaded rest areas and hydration breaks can reduce the effects of extreme heat. Without these, workers will face greater health threats and lost productivity as temperatures continue to climb.

ADB—in collaboration with the National Statistics Bureau of Bhutan and the Philippine Statistics Authority—conducted a survey on the availability of workplace facilities that protect workers from heat stress. Survey findings indicate the following are present, albeit at varying levels: safe drinking water, shade, good ventilation, fans, and air conditioning.

While the survey reveals important cross-country variations in workplace facilities, these quantitative findings capture part of the picture and do not fully reflect the structural inequalities that shape how women and men experience heat at work. Data on access to amenities must therefore be interpreted within the broader context of labor segmentation, occupational roles, and unequal protection mechanisms.

In Bhutan, access patterns differed across amenities. Women were slightly less likely than men to lack safe drinking water (4.1% versus 9.1%), good ventilation (8.4% versus 15.3%), and fans (22.5% versus 41.9%). They reported almost the same level of limited access to air conditioning (75% versus 75.6%). For other facilities, over half of women (56.2%) had no access to shade compared to 44.6% of men. These differences indicate that both men and women face gaps in workplace protection, with shade being a more pressing concern for women—possibly reflecting their concentration in outdoor or semi-outdoor informal work that is lower paid and less regulated.

Results from the Philippines reveal a different trend. Women appeared to have better access to protective measures compared to men. Fewer women lacked access to safe drinking water (10.4% versus 16.8%), shade (7.1% versus 16.5%), and good ventilation (9.4% versus 18.9%). Women were also less likely to be without access to fans (21.1% versus 44.5%) or air conditioning (54.3% versus 68.8%). While these figures might suggest lower exposure to heat, they more likely reflect occupational differences: women are concentrated in indoor or service-sector jobs such as education, health, and retail, while men dominate outdoor and physically demanding sectors such as construction and transport. This segmentation exposes men to higher direct heat risk, while women remain vulnerable to chronic and cumulative heat stress and in low-paid, insecure employment.

Figure 2. Percentage of Workers Without Access to Workplace Facilities or Amenities by Sex (Bhutan, Philippines)

Note: Percentages are computed using weighted data. Totals exclude: “not applicable”, “don’t know”, and “refused” responses.
Source: Asian Development Bank analysis using data from the bank’s Jobs and Skills Survey in Bhutan (August 2024) and the Philippines (March 2025). Unpublished.

The gender disparities in Bhutan and the Philippines underscore the need to interpret quantitative differences in a gender-responsive manner. While the data do not directly capture structural inequalities, they imply how occupational segregation, informality, and unequal labor protections shape women’s and men’s exposure to heat at work. Ensuring equitable access to protective measures and amenities is crucial for combating the effects of rising temperatures, promoting fairness, and improving well-being and productivity for all workers.

Beyond these findings, women across Asia and the Pacific are overrepresented in informal, low-paid, and outdoor work where labor protections and adaptive infrastructure are weak, while their voices remain largely absent from workplace safety and adaptation decisions.

To move beyond, future analysis must examine how heat risks vary by occupation, work environment, and representation in decision-making. Linking quantitative data with sectoral and employment patterns can reveal the deeper gendered dimensions of vulnerability to extreme heat.

Vulnerability to heat stress does not end when workers leave the job site—it often continues at home, where gender roles intersect to shape exposure and resilience.

Workers earning below a living wage often live in environments that offer little protection from extreme heat. Inadequate housing, limited access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and lack of cooling or ventilation are common in rural areas and informal urban settlements.

Homes in low-income areas are often overcrowded and built with heat-trapping materials that retain heat during the day and release it at night, providing little relief from high temperatures. While cooling options exist, high electricity costs make them unaffordable for poor households. As a result, continuous heat exposure disrupts sleep, increases fatigue, and reduces resilience to heat stress.

From a gender equality perspective, heat exposure at home compounds existing inequalities. In three countries from South Asia, about 60% of women report an increase in unpaid care and domestic work during heat waves, including caring for children and the sick. These additional responsibilities reduce women’s opportunities for paid employment and recovery from heat exposure, heightening both physical strain and economic vulnerability.

These conditions compound workplace risks, leaving individuals exposed to heat around the clock. Without relief at home, the cumulative impact on health, well-being, and productivity can be severe. For many, the struggle is not just about surviving the workday, but also enduring harsh living conditions that undermine their dignity and resilience every day.

Figure 3. Proportion of Population Using Safely Managed Drinking Water and Sanitation Services, 2024

Source: Table 1.6.1 of Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2025.

Figure 4. Proportion of Urban Population Living in Slums, Informal Settlements, or Inadequate Housing, 2022

Source: Table 1.11.1 of Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2025.

As shift in weather patterns intensifies, it is crucial to recognize the urgent need for comprehensive and gender responsive policy shifts to safeguard health, productivity, and social equity.

Responses will need to go beyond short-term adjustments and consider how to embed resilience into both workplaces and households. At the workplace level, this means ensuring consistent access to protective measures such as shade, hydration, ventilation, and cooling. At the household level, it requires improving access to clean water, adequate housing, and safe sanitation, which directly influence how well workers can recover from daily heat exposure.

Survey findings from Bhutan and the Philippines reveal different patterns in access to workplace protection, pointing to the need for context-specific and inclusive approaches. These results, however, only capture part of the story. Women’s concentration in informal and low-paid employment, combined with their disproportionate unpaid care responsibilities, increases both their exposure to heat and their difficulty recovering from it. Addressing these risks requires gender-responsive measures in labor protection and workplace resilience.

Strengthening coordination across governments, employers, and labor organizations will also be essential. Cooperation can help align occupational safety standards with climate adaptation strategies, integrate health data into labor planning, and ensure that workers’ voices are represented in policy discussions.

Note: For more related statistics on environment and labor, refer to ADB's Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2025.