Housing and Labor Productivity of Female Tea Pluckers in Sri Lanka

This study analyzes the link between labor productivity of tea-plantation workers in Sri Lanka and their living conditions. The results indicate a significant negative relationship between Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) vulnerable houses and the labor productivity of dwellers. Our analyses suggest that the productivity of a tea worker living in improved houses is 100% to 151% higher than that of a worker living in traditional, IAP vulnerable houses. We also find that a healthy worker plucks 39% more tea leaves than a worker with a respiratory illness. Since investing in housing improvements and new houses for workers yields significant net benefits to both estate management and estate workers, we recommend that estate managers cooperate with the government to develop better estate worker houses.