Background:

An independent study that investigates the impact of changing weather conditions on labor supply in the Middle East and North Africa region. Climate change and its expected consequences have been a growing global concern especially on labor market. MENA is considered among the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change. Little research is done on climate change impacts on the labor market and there is non-existent evidence from the MENA region.

Timeline:

6 months

Approach:

Quantitative analysis of secondary data from labor market surveys in 3 countries (Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia) matched with satellite geographically gridded weather data. The data was imported from Economic Research Forum and NASA.

Role:

I was responsible for the data preparation. This included importing and synthesizing data from two different sources followed by matching them into one dataset. I performed data cleaning as a preliminary stage for the analysis. I analyzed the data using STATA and R. I was also in charge of writing up the motivation and the added value of the study, which entailed reviewing the literature of climate change and labor supply and stating the contribution of the study. Along with the team, I contributed in the write up of 1 working paper, 1 policy brief and 1 academic journal paper.

Outcomes:

The study offered much-needed insights into how temperature and humidity impact labor working hours, revealing a surprising non-effect from precipitation. However, we discovered that the influence of temperature and humidity shifts varied between high-risk and low-risk groups of workers. Our findings serve as an essential stepping stone towards understanding the intricate relationship between climate change and labor in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.