Updated methodology to quantify forest-sector employment

The number of people employed in the forest sector serves as a long-standing and tangible measure for assessing the socioeconomic importance of forest-related economic activities. Internationally comparable data on employment in the forest sector are needed to ensure evidence-based policymaking and foster a sustainable and resilient forest sector. This study introduces an updated methodology – the Forest EMployment (FEM) model – for assessing the magnitude of global forest-sector employment. The forest sector is defined in accordance with the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities, encompassing three subsectors: forestry and logging, the manufacture of wood and products of wood (wood manufacturing), and the manufacture of pulp, paper and products of paper (pulp and paper manufacturing).

Key messages:

• The Forest EMployment (FEM) model provides annual estimates of forest-sector employment by gender between 2011 and 2022 for 182 countries and territories, accounting for 99 percent of global forest area.
• In 2022, the forest sector provided employment to at least 42 million people worldwide, which amounted to about 1.2 percent of total employment.
• The manufacture of wood and products of wood accounted for the largest share (58 percent) of employment in the forest sector in 2022.
• In 2022, approximately 11 million women were employed in the forest sector, representing 25 percent of its total workforce.
• Between 2011 and 2022, about 0.8 percent of women and 1.5 percent of men in the global workforce were employed in the forest sector.

FAO news : New research provides updated estimates on global forest-sector employment