Exploring the Global Aims for Quality Employment under Sustainable Development Goal 8: The Labor Market Agenda
In the heart of New York, the United Nations General Assembly is currently in session, with a particular focus on SDG8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth. This goal, a crucial part of the UN's Sustainable Development Agenda, aims to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
The role of education and training in achieving SDG8 is being emphasized, as is the need to reduce informal employment. The strategies and key points of SDG8 are designed to create a holistic framework that fosters economic development while ensuring fair work conditions, social protection, and environmental sustainability.
Some of the key strategies include promoting sustained economic growth, ensuring inclusive growth, facilitating productive employment, improving decent work standards, addressing high youth unemployment rates, enhancing economic productivity through innovation, encouraging resource efficiency, expanding financial inclusion, combating forced labor and child labor, and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The meeting is also discussing the impact of technological advancements on employment and the importance of social protection for workers. One strategy being considered is promoting youth employment, while another is fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. The series #WorldofWorkforSDGs is being used to highlight the connections between the labor market and SDG8.
The UN and its global partners are actively working on these strategies through various programs, policy guidance, and partnerships to accelerate the achievement of SDG8. The adoption of the plan for sustainable development in September 2015 marked a significant step towards a sustainable future for all workers worldwide. The focus on SDG8 at this year's UN General Assembly underscores the organization's commitment to this important goal.
- To accelerate the achievement of SDG8, education and self-development, particularly in the fields of career development and skills training, are emphasized as essential for promoting productive employment and ensuring decent work for all.
- The UN's strategies for SDG8 also prioritize fostering personal growth, emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation as means to enhance economic productivity, address high youth unemployment rates, and support small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
