© UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe

DECENT WORK AND 30 million:

ECONOMIC GROWTH: Number of
jobs required
WHY IT MATTERS every
What’s the goal here? Organization (ILO), 5.6 per
cent of the global popula-
year for new
To promote inclusive and tion were unemployed as entrants to the
sustainable economic of 2017. In 2018, the total
growth, employment and number of unemployed labour market
decent work for all. people remains high -
Why? above 192 million - and it is to keep up with
harder to find decent jobs.
Poverty eradication is
only possible through How many jobs
the growth
stable and well-paid are needed? of the global
jobs. Nearly 2.2 billion 470 million jobs are
people live below the
US$1.90 poverty line.
needed globally for new working age
entrants to the labour
How many people market between 2016 population.
are unemployed? and 2030, just to keep
up with the growth of
According to the the global working age
International Labour
population. That’s around
30 million per year.
So if they all got a job will
extreme poverty end?
In addition to creating
jobs, we also need to
improve conditions for the
some 783 million women
and men who are working,
but not earning enough to
lift themselves and their
families out of poverty.
In addition, women and
girls must enjoy equal
access to equal oppor-
tunities with men and
boys for employment.
I have a job. Why does
this matter to me?
Society as a whole ben-
efits when more people
are being productive and
contributing to their coun-
try’s growth. Productive
employment and “decent
work” are key elements
to achieving fair glo-
balization and poverty
reduction. In addition,
unemployment can lead to
unrest and disrupt peace
if it is left unaddressed.
What does “decent
work” mean?
Decent work means
opportunities for every-
one to get work that is
productive and delivers playing field so that all
a fair income, security in aspiring youth can attain
the workplace and social productive employment
protection for families, regardless of their gender,
better prospects for income level or socio-eco-
personal development nomic background.
and social integration.
Governments can work
It is also important that
to build dynamic, sus-
all women and men are
tainable, innovative and
given equal opportuni-
people-centred econo-
ties in the workplace.
mies, promoting youth
A continued lack of decent employment and wom-
work opportunities, insuf- en’s economic empow-
ficient investments and erment, in particular, and
under-consumption lead decent work for all.
to an erosion of the basic
Local authorities and
social contract underlying
communities can renew
democratic societies: that
and plan their cities and
all must share in progress.
human settlements so as
What can we do to to foster community cohe-
fix these issues?
sion and personal security
and to stimulate innova-
Providing youth the best tion and employment.
opportunity to transition
To find out more
to a decent job calls for
about Goal #8 and
investing in education
other Sustainable
and training of the high-
Development Goals, visit:
est possible quality, pro-
http://www.un.org/
viding youth with skills
sustainabledevelopment
that match labour market
demands, giving them
access to social protection
and basic services regard-
less of their contract type,
as well as levelling the