Image: Dennis Jarvis/Flickr
8. Decent work and economic growth

8. Decent work and economic growth

Over the past 25 years the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically, despite the lasting impact of the 2008 economic crisis and global recession. In developing countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a number that has almost tripled between 1991 and 2015.

However, as the global economy continues to recover we are seeing slower growth, widening inequalities, and not enough jobs to keep up with a growing labour force. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015.

Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

Image: U.S. Agency for International Development/Flickr
Image: U.S. Agency for International Development/Cambodia HARVEST/Fintrac Inc
Image: U.S. Agency for International Development/Flickr
Image: UNDP DRC

To adopt SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth, in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, please contact us at partners@eco-business.com

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News

Two_Sessions_Beijing_Night
China’s most important political meetings show balancing act between economic growth and emissions control.
Textile_Maker_Mumbai_India
Big brands must pay their share of green investments to shrink the industry's carbon footprint, Global South garment makers say.
Solar_Installation_Panels
Why China’s clean energy projects, and efforts to green its heavy industry, matter for climate change.
Two_Sessions_Solar_China
China’s annual lianghui (两会) – also known as the “two sessions” – ended on 11 March, drawing the curtain on a key political event that saw limited climate targets set for 2024.
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Opinion

Domestic worker Jakarta Indonesia
In most countries around the world, domestic workers are excluded from general labour laws. Indonesia’s Domestic Worker Protection Bill can change that.
Prabowo_Indonesia elections
Non-populist policies pose risks for politicians. Prabowo Subianto, who has claimed victory in the Indonesian presidential elections, is looking at creating five million green jobs, but stops short of pledging to phase out fossil fuels subsidies.
Solar_Worker_Installation_Philippines
Workers worldwide will need the expertise and resources to drive the fossil fuel-free agenda forward.
Women_Farmers_Market_Indonesia
What does the future hold for the millions of women left to work in Asia's agriculture sector battling a climate in collapse?
All Decent work and economic growth Opinion →

Videos

BCG video Eco-Business
EB Studio Asia's green transition pathways need to be socially inclusive given huge differences in economic development across the region, says experts at the Boston Consulting Group. State-owned enterprises have an "outsized" role to play, they add.
Journey to net-zero Keppel video
EB Studio Our urban infrastructure is responsible for almost 40 per cent of global carbon emissions. Climate solutions need to include the biggest energy guzzlers, clean energy and retrofitting old buildings.
Women in STEM
Women play a key role in developing innovations to push for sustainability, but barriers remain to their entry into STEM careers. To celebrate International Day of Women & Girls in Science, EB Impact speaks to three women in science on making an impact and pursuing careers in STEM.
An e-jeepney in the Philippines. A growing movement is underway to electrify Southeast Asia's transport. Image: Eco-Business
In gridlocked, smoggy Southeast Asian cities, change is afoot to electrify transport and clear some of the world's most polluted skies. This video documents the pockets of hope for e-mobility around the most climate-vulnerable region.
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Podcasts

EB Podcast climate insurance
Asia lags the world in natural catastrophe protection. Part of the problem could be counting extreme weather losses only after they happen, industry insiders tell the Eco-Business podcast.
Cantilan Bank aftermath of Rai_EB podcast logo
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas assistant governor tells the Eco-Business Podcast about the regulator’s maiden sustainability report that features an empirical study of climate impacts on banks as well as the nation’s first taxonomy.
EB podcast gender energy
In a region where large hydro projects and expanding biofuel plantations coincide with an upcoming coal phaseout, a laissez-faire approach could worsen existing inequalities and mar the success of a clean energy buildout.
An Eco-Business debate in 2019
EB Studio Covid-19 didn't kill events, but it did change them. Teymoor Nabili and Veemal Gungadin tell the Eco-Business Podcast how a pandemic transformed the way sustainability events are conceived and organised.
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