SDG 8 and interlinkages with other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Decent work and economic growth

With just five years left to meet the 2030 Agenda, SDG 8 - promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all - remains one of the most off-track goals. Although modest gains have been made, including increased access to financial services, progress has stagnated or regressed across critical areas such as youth employment, informality, labour rights, and child labour. The erosion of decent work is symptomatic of broader global structural challenges, including macroeconomic volatility, inequality, climate shocks, geopolitical fragmentation, and digital transformation. The UN Expert Group Meeting on SDG 8 (New York, 6-7 February 2025) highlighted how the SDG 8 agenda is not only central to the economy but foundational to the 2030 Agenda. Decent work underpins poverty reduction, gender equality, education, and climate resilience. Achieving it requires addressing both the quantity and quality of employment — with equal attention to rights, social protection, productivity, and inclusion.

This session will explore critical pathways to accelerate progress on SDG 8 by identifying priority areas in need of urgent action and examining how national policies can be realigned to place decent work at the center of economic planning. Participants will discuss practical strategies for formalizing informal work, financing social protection, embedding labour standards in green and digital transitions, and strengthening data systems to monitor labour rights and non-standard forms of work. The session presents an opportunity to re-commit to the vision of SDG 8 — one where growth benefits all, where work is safe and dignified, and where no one is left behind in transitions shaping the future of work.