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.

Elsevier, The Lancet, Volume 393, 9 - 15 February 2019
Background: Women are under-represented in surgery and leave training in higher proportions than men. Studies in this area are without a feminist lens and predominantly use quantitative methods not well suited to the complexity of the problem. Methods: In this qualitative study, a researcher interviewed women who had chosen to leave surgical training.
Elsevier, The Lancet, Volume 393, 9 - 15 February 2019
Elsevier, The Lancet, Volume 393, 9 - 15 February 2019
Elsevier,

The Lancet, Volume 393, Number 10171, 9 February 2019, pages 493-610. 

This special issue from The Lancet focusses on SDG 5 (gender equality) within science, medicine, and global health, contributing to SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing).  This issue also contributes to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).

Advancing SDG 3, good health and wellbeing and goal 8, decent work economic growth, this podcast examines wellbeing in the workplace as an important focus for improved business performance.
Elsevier,

World Development, Volume 113, January 2019

SDG 8 calls for promoting 'sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’. Even as it highlights the importance of labour rights for all, it also makes visible some significant tensions. We note, for example, that despite many critiques of narrow economic measures of growth, the focus here remains on GDP and per capita growth. This is problematic, we argue, because the GDP productive boundary excludes much of social reproductive work.

Entrepreneurship is widely argued to be critical for alleviating extreme poverty. However, research on this topic is characterized by diverging perspectives regarding poverty alleviation and remains fragmented across various research domains. This review examines 77 leading academic journals over the period 1990 to 2017 and identifies over 200 articles on entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation.

Advancing goals 8 and 9, this webinar explores how technology can advance decent work in global supply chains, with a specific focus on the potential of blockchains.

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