Sustainable Development Goal 8
Sustainable Development Goal 8 is about "decent work and economic growth" and is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals which were established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The full title is to "Foster sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all." Progress towards targets will be measured, monitored and evaluated by 17 indicators.
SDG 8 has twelve targets in total to be achieved by 2030. Some targets are for 2030; others are for 2020. The first ten are outcome targets. These are; "sustainable economic growth; diversify, innovate and upgrade for economic productivity", "promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises", "improve resource efficiency in consumption and production", 'full employment and decent work with equal pay', 'promote youth employment, education and training', 'end modern slavery, trafficking, and child labour', 'protect labour rights and promote safe working environments', 'promote beneficial and sustainable tourism', universal access to banking, insurance and financial services. In addition, there are also two targets for means of implementation, which are: Increase aid for trade support; develop a global youth employment strategy.
For the least developed countries, the economic target is to attain at least a 7 percent annual growth in Gross Domestic Product. In 2018, the global growth rate of real GDP per capita was 2 per cent.
Over the past five years, economic growth in least developed countries has been increasing at an average rate of 4.3 per cent. In 2019, 22 per cent of the world's young people were not in employment, education or training.
Background
For close to three decades, the number of workers living in extreme poverty has reduced drastically. This is despite the impact of the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession. In developing countries, 34% of total employments were for the middle class, a number that increased rapidly between 1991 and 2015.Employment growth since 2008 has "averaged only 0.1% annually, compared with 0.9% between 2000 and 2007".
SDG 8 aims at fostering sustainable and equitable economic growth for all workers, irrespective of their background, race or gender. This means achieving "higher levels of economic productivity through product diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors."
Targets, indicators and progress
The UN has defined the 12 Targets and 17 Indicators for SDG 8. The 12 Targets specify the goals and Indicators represent the metrics by which the world aims to track whether these targets are achieved by using the years stated and documented for the indicators actualisation. Two of the indicators are to be achieved by the year 2020, one by the year 2025, and the remaining fourteen indicators are to be achieved by 2030.Target 8.1: Sustainable economic growth
The full title of Target 8.1 is: "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".It has one indicator: Indicator 8.1.1 is the "Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita".
Achieving higher productivity will require diversification and upgraded technology along with innovation, entrepreneurship, and the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises.
In 2018, the global growth rate of real GDP per capita was 2 per cent.
Target 8.2: Diversify, innovate and upgrade for economic productivity
The official wording for Target 8.2 is: "Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors."It has one indicator: Indicator 8.2.1 is the "Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person".
A large portion of North America had an average 0.5% increase in GDP per employed person, but overall, the continent had an approximate -0.53% decrease in productivity. South America had an overall decrease in GDP per employed person, with Venezuela experiencing the largest change at -31.8%. The continent overall met an approximate -2.56% decrease in productivity.
Asia had an overall increase in GDP per employed person. It had an approximate 2.1% increase in GDP per employed person with a large portion seeing a 6.6% increase. Europe had an overall increase in GDP per employed person. It had an approximate 1.3% increase with a large portion seeing a 2.5% increase. Africa had an overall increase in GDP per employed person. It had an approximate 0.4% increase. Oceania had an overall increase in GDP per employed person. It had an approximate 0.85% increase with a large portion seeing a 0.2% increase.
Target 8.3: Promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises
The official wording for Target 8.3 is: "Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation."It has one indicator: Indicator 8.3.1 is the "Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex".
Jobs that fall under the Informal employment in non-agricultural employment include; unregistered and/or small-scale private unincorporated enterprises engaged in the production of goods or services meant for sale or barter, self-employed street vendors, taxi drivers and home-base workers, irrespective of size.
Target 8.4: Improve resource efficiency in consumption and production
The official title of Target 8.4 is: "Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10‑Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead."It has two indicators:
- Indicator 8.4.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
- Indicator 8.4.2: Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
Domestic material consumption per capita has increased by 11 per cent from 2010 to 2017 reaching 12.17 tonnes and domestic material consumption per unit of GDP has not increased between 2010 and 2017 staying at a value of 1.16 kg.
Target 8.5: Full employment and decent work with equal pay
The full title for Target 8.5 is: "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".Target 8.5 has two indicators:
- Indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
- Indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
Target 8.6: Promote youth employment, education and training
The full title for Target 8.6 is: "By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training". Unlike most SDG targets set for the year 2030, this is set to be achieved by 2020.It has one indicator. Indicator 8.6.1 is the "Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training".
Most SDGs are either set to be reached by 2020 or 2030. While SDG 8, is due in 2030 target 8.6 has already expired in 2020.
In 2019, "22 per cent of the world's young people were not in employment, education or training, a figure that has hardly changed since 2005".
In Canada, over the years there has been a slight decrease in the number of youths not associated with education, employment and or training. The NEET rates in 1975 were 18% and in 2020, the NEET rates were 20%.
While there has been progress in many North American and European Countries, this is not the case for most African countries. As the NEET rates for youth in the majority of African countries are higher today than in 2015.
Youth that is NEET, are more likely to have adverse effects on their emotional, physical and psychosocial wellbeing. The lack of decent employment can also contribute to exacerbating global issues such as poverty and mass migration.
Target 8.7: End modern slavery, trafficking, and child labour
The full title for Target 8.7 is "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".There is one indicator: Indicator 8.7.1 is the "Proportion and number of children aged 5–17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age".
Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe working environments
The full title of the Target 8.8 is: "Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment".It has two indicators:
- Indicator 8.8.1: Frequency rates of fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries, by sex and migrant status
- Indicator 8.8.2: Level of national compliance with labour rights based on International Labour Organization textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status