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

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News

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As Germany tries to find workers for its renewable energy expansion, private recruiters are building new migration pipelines from India.
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As Southeast Asia’s climate risks intensify, The Liveability Challenge is backing ocean-based innovations to help close the region’s funding gap for climate resilience and emissions reduction.
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It can strengthen energy security and bring investment and employment closer to demand, write two academics.
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Laos’ dams and transmission lines are powering the region’s shift to lower-carbon energy. But its neighbours are also ramping up other renewables.
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Opinion

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Even as hunger declines around the world, food insecurity remains prevalent in rural communities. Restoring soil health, expanding access to new technologies, strengthening land rights, and upgrading public infrastructure are essential to boost agricultural productivity and protect rural livelihoods.
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Southeast Asian countries are seeking to adopt some measure of autonomy in the AI technology competition between China and the US. The question is whether such efforts can be successful.
Rickshaw_Driver_India_Thane
Electric vehicles can reduce pollution and emissions. But underlying issues of preserving car dependence, displacing environmental harm and workers bearing the costs of a clean future need to be addressed.
Backhoe_Coal_Mining
Mineral security is not just about access to resources but about control over value chains. India’s response must be strategic, not reactive.
All Decent work and economic growth Opinion →

Videos

UCFS ID 2026 closing plenary
Speakers at Unlocking capital for sustainability Indonesia 2026 discuss how Indonesia can power its mineral boom without compromising climate goals or community trust
Resilience Episode 2
In this second episode of Eco-Business’s Resilience podcast series, Singapore's Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and youth sustainability advocate Man Jing Kong dives into what resilience means for the city-state with Jessica Cheam. Watch as they discuss everything from climate adaptation to mental health and building public trust as an AI-driven economy reshapes daily life.
EB podcast - Resilience episode one image
In the inaugural episode of Eco-Business's new Resilience podcast series, industry leaders say the palm oil sector's ability to weather disruption will depend not on certification alone, but on rethinking the relationships that underpin the entire supply chain.
WASTED the impact documentary
The impact documentary exploring Asia's mounting waste crisis – and its solutions – is now streaming exclusively for Eco-Business subscribers.
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Podcasts

Resilience Episode 2
In this second episode of Eco-Business’s Resilience podcast series, Singapore's Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and youth sustainability advocate Man Jing Kong dives into what resilience means for the city-state with Jessica Cheam. Watch as they discuss everything from climate adaptation to mental health and building public trust as an AI-driven economy reshapes daily life.
TLC podcast
In the latest episode of the Climate Tech in Asia series, we speak to Breakthrough Energy and Green COP about what the shifting geopolitical landscape means for the climate tech ecosystem in Asia.
EB Podcast cover_climate journalists
The Eco-Business Podcast speaks to reporters Nadiah Rosli, Adelia Dinda Sani, Gerald Flynn and Hannah Alcoseba Fernandez about funding limits, data access, and reporting against the odds in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.
EB Podcast camel herders in Alasha
A researcher lived with camel herders in Inner Mongolia for years to find out how they're coping with both conservation schemes and modernisation. He tells the Eco-Business Podcast about their challenges and lessons for the world.
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Strategic Organisations

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