Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica

Nekeisha Spencer; Mikhail-Ann Urquhart

doi:10.1007/s13753-020-00327-1

Volume 12 Issue 2

Dec. 2021

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Nekeisha Spencer, Mikhail-Ann Urquhart. Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(2): 232-239. doi: 10.1007/s13753-020-00327-1

Citation:

Nekeisha Spencer, Mikhail-Ann Urquhart. Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(2): 232-239. doi: 10.1007/s13753-020-00327-1

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Extreme Climate and Absence from Work: Evidence from Jamaica

doi: 10.1007/s13753-020-00327-1

Department of Economics, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica

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This article is based on research done for the International Labour Organization on labor market and resilience in the Caribbean.

Available Online: 2021-12-25

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of extreme climate events on work absence in Jamaica. To this end, we constructed a quarterly individual level dataset on labor market and climatic data for 2004–2014. We find that while excess rainfall increases the odds of being temporarily absent from work, heat is unlikely to have an effect. The estimated outcome of excess rainfall is reasonable given the possibility of flooded roads, which can impede travel to work. This draws attention to the development of e-commuting policies to mitigate any negative effects on productivity.
- Excess rainfall,
- Heat,
- Jamaica,
- Worker absence

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References(28)

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