Sustainable Development Goal 8
Developing the introduction
Overall Aim of Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
Sustainable Development Goal 8 No Decent work and economic growth, is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015.
The SDGs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.
Goal 8 has following targets:
- 8.1 Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries
- 8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labor-intensive sectors
- 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
- 8.4 Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavor to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead
- 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
- 8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
- 8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
- 8.8 Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
- 8.9 By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
- 8.10 Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
- 8.A Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
- 8.B By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labor Organization
Why is it important for educational community?
One of the key benefits of learning about the SDGs is that it opens students’ minds to different communities and experiences outside of their own. This helps the development of students into more well-rounded citizens of the world and shows them the ways in which they can make a difference in the future.
Society benefits when more people are being productive and contributing to their country’s growth. Productive employment and “decent work” are key elements to achieving fair globalization and poverty reduction. In addition, unemployment can lead to unrest and disrupt peace if it is left unaddressed.
Key dimensions of Sustainable Development 8: Decent work and economic growth
The 8th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG8) aims at ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic growth around the world, notably by:
● achieving full employment, decent and productive work for all, and equal pay for equal work by 2030
● ending forced labour and child labour by 2025 and address informal work, to which women and children are the most exposed
● supporting investment, entrepreneurship, and innovation to boost job creation
According to the UN, nearly 2.2 billion people live below the poverty line and it always becomes harder to find decent jobs. Globally, 200 million people are unemployed and 1.4 billion people are in vulnerable jobs, with 783 million who are working poor. The global gender pay gap stands at 23% and, without significant efforts, it will take another 68 years to achieve equal pay. Additionally, informal work, associated with poor employment conditions, is often the norm when it comes to employment in partner countries and remains an important challenge to address.
How many people are unemployed today?
The Covid-19 pandemic will have a devastating effect on world unemployment. The International Labor Organization estimated that working hours could be reduced by 14% in the second half of 2020. Possible increase in unemployment after 2020. it will depend on the efforts of individual countries to preserve jobs through the measures they implement. The world is facing a recession that is more severe than the one that hit the world in 2009.
More than one in six young people have stopped working since the Covid-19 pandemic, and those who managed to keep their jobs have fallen by 23%.
Of all the branches of the economy, tourism is the most affected by the world’s pandemic due to border closures, travel bans and epidemiological measures. International travel could be reduced by 60-80% in 2020. in relation to 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit 1.6 trillion workers in the informal economy hard. Many of them cannot rely on savings. For them Covid- 19 crisis and staying home due to epidemiological measures means job loss.
What can we do to improve the situation?
Provide young people with education and development of skills that meet the requirements of the labor market. Provide them with adequate health care and a safe working environment (protection at the workplace). Young people should be provided with productive employment, regardless of their gender and income level. States should support the development of sustainable and innovative economies, which would put man at the center. Also, special attention should be paid to the employment of young people and the empowerment of women in the economy.
The interplay between Sustainable Development Goal 8. and the acquisition of 21st century skills
21st Century skills are 12 abilities that today’s students need to succeed in their careers during the Information Age.
The twelve 21st Century skills are:
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Information literacy
- Media literacy
- Technology literacy
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Initiative
- Productivity
- Social skills
These skills are intended to help students keep up with the lightning-pace of today’s modern markets. Each skill is unique in how it helps students, but they all have one quality in common. They’re essential in the age of the Internet.
Each 21st Century skill is broken into one of three categories:
- Learning skills
- Literacy skills
- Life skills
Learning skills (the four C’s) teaches students about the mental processes required to adapt and improve upon a modern work environment.
Literacy skills (IMT) focuses on how students can discern facts, publishing outlets, and the technology behind them. There’s a strong focus on determining trustworthy sources and information to separate it from the misinformation that floods the Internet.
Life skills (FLIPS) look at intangible elements of a student’s everyday life. These intangibles focus on both personal and professional qualities.
