What is SDG 8?

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA, n.d.) defines SDG 8 as the global mandate to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”. While economic growth can be achieved in countless ways, SDG 8 focuses explicitly on its inclusiveness and sustainability. In this sense, economic growth shall be inclusive by being broad-based across different sectors of the economy and by benefiting everyone in society, and it shall be sustainable by preserving the natural environment and by acknowledging its role in supporting economic activities (Ianchovichina & Lundstrom, 2009, p. 2; United Nations Environment Programme, n.d.). Concurrently, the promotion of productive employment should not be solely oriented towards making people work, but towards giving them access to decent work instead, which involves providing opportunities for work that is productive and that delivers a fair income, security in the workplace, social protection, better prospects for personal development and social integration, and equality of opportunity and treatment regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or class (International Labour Organization, n.d.).

As remarked by the UNDESA (2025), significant progress has been achieved over the past few decades, particularly in combating child labour, with the number of exploited children declining by more than 100 million since 2000 and by over 20 million since 2020 (p. 24). The global unemployment rate reached an all time low of 4.9% in 2025 and the global rate of youth neither in education nor employment or training is finally coming down after its surge during the COVID 19 pandemic, while tourism continues to drive growth and employment by creating new economic opportunities in remote and rural communities around the world (UNDESA, 2024, p. 24; UNDESA, 2026, p. 25). 

Yet, labour productivity growth is slowing down globally, the protection of labour rights is weakening, and geopolitical tensions are adding to an already sluggish global economy, constraining economic growth worldwide, thereby undermining the achievement of SDG 8 and threatening to revert the progress made so far (UNDESA, 2026, pp. 24-25). Therefore, substantial work is still required to ensure the timely achievement of SDG 8, and countries around the world are expected to coordinate their efforts and work together towards common solutions to address the current challenges.

List of References

Ianchovichina, E., & Lundstrom, S. (2009, March). Inclusive Growth Analytics: Framework and Application. (World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4851). https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-4851 

International Labour Organization. (n.d.). Decent work and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://www.ilo.org/topics-and-sectors/decent-work-and-2030-agenda-sustainable-development

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2024). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2024/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2024.pdf

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2025). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2025.pdf

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2026). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2026/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2026.pdf

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal8

United Nations Environment Programme. (n.d.). Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://sdgs.unep.org/article/goal-8

Countries