Contribution of the forest sector to total employment in national economies - Estimating the number of people employed in the forest sector

Forests and the forest sector are important sources of employment, livelihoods and incomes for millions across the globe, particularly in rural areas. They provide jobs in a wide range of activities related to sustainable forest management, the provision and production of timber and other wood and non-wood forest products, the protection of forest ecosystems and biodiversity, and safeguarding the benefits of forests. Despite the relevance of forests for employment and income generation, limited quantitative information is currently available on the subject. This lack of data makes it challenging to quantify the number of people employed in the forest sector, and their contribution to global employment. Notwithstanding, estimating forest-related employment involves methodological challenges such as the standardization and comparability of data collected, as well as the availability of reliable and detailed employment statistics. This study employs a new method to fill the gaps of missing data points in order to provide sound total employment estimates in the forest sector on a global scale.