Position Paper
Revisiting the Aims and Implementation of SDG 8: Prioritizing Inclusive Economic Growth to
Expedite Global Progress
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has chosen SDG 8 as focused on ''sustained,
inclusive, sustainable economic growth, full employment, and decent work for all''. Despite all
those breakthroughs, current implementation strategies do not always pay sufficient attention to
equality issues, most notably, to economic disparities among the groups at the bottom of the
society, thus hampering global advancement in general. This position underscores that improving
inclusiveness of economic growth has to be prioritized in the process of re-strategizing SDG 8 in
order to fast-track its goals efficiently.
A major weakness of current approaches is that they fail to consider structural issues
experienced by specific populations like women, youths, and other informal employees. It is
stated that according to the most recent statistics of the International Labour Organization, the
unemployment rates among young people are still very high at the beginning of 2022 and stand
at 15.6%, and developing countries are affected most of all. Moreover, gender inequalities are
still present; women around the world are paid 20% less than their male counterparts for the
same job and are employed predominantly in vulnerable positions (UN Women, 2021). These
inequalities are maintained by the absence of specific policies, which hampers the inclusive
economic growth and SDG 8 advancement.
The concept of inclusive growth is not only advantageous to the excluded groups but also to
large scale economy. The research also reveals that closing the gap in male and female labor
markets could boost the world economy by a total of $12 trillion by the year 2025 (McKinsey
Global Institute, 2020). In a similar manner, youth and informal workers’ skills development and
provision of decent jobs generates improved productivity and better resilience contributing to
economic development cycle. Political decision-makers require embracing intersectionality in
employment policies so that none of the groups should be marginalized.
To fasten the pace, it is high time to rebalance the approaches within SDG 8 and focus on
economic disparities as a primary goal. Equal pay should be required, incentives for employers to
hire from diverse groups should be required, and social security for informal workers should be
increased. These actions will not only fulfil the ethical obligations of SDG 8 but also unleash the
sleeping giant of millions, to fast-track the pace of change.
Therefore, it can be stated that increasing the inclusiveness within the implementation of
SDG 8 is not only a matter of principle but also the imperative for positive development of the
world. Therefore, it is possible to make economic growth result in positive changes for everyone
in society.
References:
International Labour Organization. (2022). World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2022.
International Labour Organization. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/research-and-
publications/world-employment-and-social-outlook/world-employment-and-social-outlook-
trends-2022
International Labour Organization. (2022). ILO World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO):
Trends 2022 – The report in short. International Labour Organization. Retrieved from
https://www.ilo.org/resource/ilo-world-employment-and-social-outlook-weso-trends-2022-
report-short
International Labour Organization. (2022). World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2022
[Research portal]. Retrieved from
https://researchrepository.ilo.org/esploro/outputs/report/995238293202676
