Employment decent work for all and social protection

Employment, Decent Work, and Social Protection are fundamental pillars of sustainable economic growth and integral elements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, they are emphasized in SDG 8: "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all". Decent work is characterized by fair wages, secure employment contracts, safe working conditions, and the right to join or form a trade union. It is essential for poverty eradication, reducing inequalities, and fostering social inclusion, directly contributing to multiple SDGs, such as SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Decent work also links with SDG 4 (Quality Education), as higher education levels often lead to better job opportunities, thereby promoting a cycle of improvement. Meanwhile, social protection is closely aligned with SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), as it shields vulnerable groups from social and economic risks and ensures access to healthcare, food, and other basic needs. Social protection systems, such as unemployment benefits, pensions, and maternity protection, mitigate social inequalities and vulnerabilities, reducing poverty and ensuring social justice.

Furthermore, the interdependence of employment, decent work, social protection, and the SDGs, underscores the need for an integrated approach to sustainable development. Ensuring decent work and social protection for all not only supports economic growth but also advances socio-cultural development and fosters environmental sustainability, resonating with the three pillars of sustainable development – economy, society, and environment. Hence, the pursuit of decent work and comprehensive social protection for all, contributes to a broad-based and balanced progress towards the attainment of the SDGs.

In this podcast, author Ira Wolfe joins XpertHR Legal Editor David Weisenfeld to discuss how companies and HR must adjust to meet recruiting challenges when the future of work seems so uncertain. Topics covered support SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).
In this XpertHR webinar, Robin Shea, partner with Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, discusses compliance issues relating to telework, data security regulations, wage and hour laws for both exempt and non-exempt employees, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The topics covered advance SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).
Corporate culture consultant Joy Stephens joins XpertHR Legal Editor David Weisenfeld for a discussion of the ways that businesses can break down barriers that may exist between employees of different races and cultures. Topics covered in this podcast address SDGs 8 and 10.

The new 2030 sustainable development agenda is likely to dominate policy and academic debates at both national and international levels over next 15 years and beyond. It is, therefore, a crucial time to critically reflect how the SDGs are likely to shape - and be shaped by - the wider research community. Each peer-reviewed paper will address the common question of: “how is the SDG agenda influencing scholarly debates in different research areas, and vice-versa?”.

Elsevier, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 126, July 2020
The new European Commission plans to raise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target from 40% towards 55% by 2030 and make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Achieving this will require accelerated energy efficiency measures, deeper electrification of sectors currently consuming conventional fuels and the deployment of more renewables, faster. This opinion article looks specifically at the role of photovoltaics (PV), based on scenarios from the Commission's 2018 long-term strategy (LTS) for energy and climate.
Elsevier, Journal of Transport Geography, Volume 87, July 2020
In the U.S., substantial employment and wage gaps persist between workers with and without disabilities. A lack of accessible transportation is often cited as a barrier to employment in higher wage jobs for people with disabilities, but little is known about the intraurban commuting patterns of employed people with disabilities in relation to their wage earnings.
Elsevier,

Journal of Business Venturing, Volume 35, July 2020

In this paper, we revisit the entrepreneurship and poverty relationship under a eudaimonic perspective that brings together conversion factors, and future prosperity expectations. Based on an fsQCA of changes in life circumstances of 166 farm households in rural Kenya, we explore how different combinations of conversion factors enable distinct forms of entrepreneuring in the pursuit of prosperity.

Contributing to SDGs 8 and 10, this podcast explores the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement and discusses concepts such as: white privilege and white fragility; how to be an effective ally; how organisations translate powerful conversations into meaningful action; and practical steps that organisations can take in the context of both recruitment and capability.
The SDG Impact of COVID-19 podcast series gathers expert opinion exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals. In this segment, we get the view of Sandra Kerr, Director of Race Equality at Business in the Community.
Elsevier,

Three Facets of Public Health and Paths to Improvements: Behavior, Culture, and Environment, 2020, Pages 261-294

This book chapter advances SDG 5, 8 and 10 by explaining how the outsized role of women caregivers is attributed to historical, cultural, and social perspectives on gender and caregiving that perpetuate the gender inequalities in unpaid care work. In this chapter, the authors analyze women in unpaid work considering two regions: The United States and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 

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