Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

There are too few high quality jobs that guarantee human dignity around the world. In less developed parts of the world, the economy is growing too slowly. Wages and working conditions are thus poor for many people.

In 2016 almost 6 per cent of the world’s population were unemployed, and the figure is rising. Even more people can barely survive on what they earn, and are poor although they work. Women and young people, who often have no training, are particularly badly affected. On top of this, child labour is still widespread in some countries, denying children the right to attend school. Their families need what they earn in order to survive. Very few companies around the world have put their production and business activities on a sustainable footing. They are thus jeopardising the wellbeing of many people as well as destroying natural resources.

What must be done?

One major precondition for sustainable development is a healthy economy. We need not only more jobs, but companies that deal responsibly with the environment, offer humane working conditions and fair wages, and give women and men equal opportunities. To ensure that as many young people as possible undertake vocational training, a global strategy for youth employment is to be implemented as of 2020. And by 2030, the worst forms of exploitation and child labour are to be abolished. The economy is to become more sustainable at global level, while less developed countries are to chalk up economic growth of at least seven per cent a year. It is up to the political level to foster productivity, resource efficiency and innovation.

Facts and figures

• More than 200 million people around the world are unemployed. In Western Asia and North Africa twice as many women as men have no job.
• About 30 per cent of the working population of the world have to survive on less than USD 3.10 a day, and are thus classed as the “working poor”.
• Working conditions for about 80 per cent of people in developing countries are precarious, with poor pay and no regular working hours or too few hours.