Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Decent Work and Economic Growth focuses on creating good jobs that provide a fair income and safe working conditions for everyone. It is about ensuring that as economies grow, they do so in a way that doesn't harm the environment. This goal also fights against child labor and modern slavery, ensuring that work helps people build a better life without being exploited.
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Decent Work and Economic Growth focuses on creating good jobs that provide a fair income and safe working conditions for everyone. It is about ensuring that as economies grow, they do so in a way that doesn't harm the environment. This goal also fights against child labor and modern slavery, ensuring that work helps people build a better life without being exploited.
Introduction to Goal 8
A curriculum designed for Goal 8 that inspires the values and competencies behind this mission for grades 5-12.
Featured Lesson: Art
Illuminating the Future: Installation Art for Affordable and Clean Energy
Dive into Goal 8 through the lens of art. This lesson provides hands-on activities and creative exploration designed to bring the concepts to life for students.
Lessons
Art Exploration
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through art.
Optical Wonders: Art for Great Jobs & A Growing World
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through art.
Haiku for Humans: Tiny Words for Big Work
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through creative writing.
Dancing Towards Decent Work: Movement for Fair Futures
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through dance/movement.
The Drama of Decent Work
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through drama.
A Drumming Journey for Clean Power
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through music.
DRAMA EXPLORATION
Explore Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all through drama.
These learning objectives are organized into five categories that together form a comprehensive approach to understanding and engaging with this goal.
Knowledge
- •
Identify and define the importance of energy in daily life and recognize that energy should be affordable, reliable, and clean for everyone.
(Cr1.1.MS, Cn10.1.MS) - •
Recognize the difference between clean (renewable) and non-clean energy sources, and understand the benefits of using clean energy for the planet and people.
(Cn10.1.MS, Cn11.1.MS) - •
Understand that there are challenges in getting clean energy to everyone and that saving energy is important.
(Cn10.1.MS, Cn11.1.MS)
Discourse
- •
Explore and describe how messages and ideas about energy and sustainability are expressed through various art forms (visual art, creative writing, dance, drama, music) by reflecting on visuals, words, movements, sounds, and stories.
(Re7.1.MS, Re8.1.MS) - •
Participate in respectful discussions about energy challenges and solutions, including how to save energy and how clean energy sources work.
(Re9.1.MS, Cn11.1.MS) - •
Communicate their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, about Global Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy through creative expression in various artistic mediums.
(Cr3.1.MS)
Attitudes
- •
Develop empathy and concern for individuals and communities who lack access to reliable or clean energy, recognizing the impact on their daily lives.
(Re8.1.MS, Cn10.1.MS) - •
Appreciate the value of clean energy sources (like sun, wind, and water power) and their role in protecting our planet and creating a healthier future.
(Cn11.1.MS) - •
Cultivate a sense of personal responsibility for their own energy use and a positive attitude towards saving energy and supporting clean energy solutions.
(Re9.1.MS)
Capacity
- •
Develop critical thinking skills by observing and discussing how different artistic elements (like colors, shapes, rhythms, movements, or persuasive words) can represent energy challenges, transformations, and solutions.
(Re9.1.MS, Cn10.1.MS) - •
Practice collaboration and communication skills through engaging in group art projects, shared writing activities, and coordinated movement, drama, or musical performances to tell stories about energy.
(Cr2.1.MS, Pr5.1.MS) - •
Develop creative expression skills through purposeful experimentation with diverse artistic mediums (visual art, creative writing, dance, drama, music) to communicate their understandings and feelings about Affordable and Clean Energy.
(Cr3.1.MS)
Action
- •
Identify simple and age-appropriate actions they can take to conserve energy and support clean energy practices in their daily lives, schools, and homes.
(Pr6.1.MS, Cn11.1.MS) - •
Participate in collaborative artistic projects that creatively express messages of hope and support for Clean Energy for All.
(Cr3.1.MS, Pr6.1.MS) - •
Reflect on their personal role in creating a more sustainable energy future for all, fostering a sense of responsible global citizenship.
(Re9.1.MS, Cn11.1.MS)
Empowering youth to become active agents of change in the pursuit of ensuring decent work and economic growth for all. Recognizing that even small, consistent actions, sparked by their creative explorations, can contribute to a larger global impact.
Taking Action Beyond the Classroom
Here are ways your students can extend their learning and apply their understanding of Global Goal 8 in their wider community and beyond.
Become Work-Story Artists: Choose a favorite piece created in the lessons, and share with family, friends, or local community groups (like a school event, digital portfolio, or community group). This allows them to use their art to tell a powerful story about why fair jobs and healthy economic growth matter for everyone.
Concrete Action: Aim to share their creative work related to decent work and economic growth with at least three people outside of school.
Job Shadow and Share: Inspired by discussions on different jobs and their challenges/solutions, ask a trusted adult about their job. What do they do? What do they like about it? What challenges do they face? How does their work help the community? Then share one interesting fact or feeling about that job with their family or class.
Concrete Action: Students interview one adult about their job and share one key takeaway.
Fairness in My World Audit: Oberve how fairness relates to work in everyday life. This could be fairness in chores at home, group projects at school, or even observing how local businesses treat their customers and employees.
Concrete Action: Create a short Fairness in My World observation (drawing, comic, writing, etc.) reflecting on fairness in work around them and how it connects to Global Goal 8.
Research a Job Champion: Research a real person (from history or today) who has worked to make jobs fairer, safer, or more inclusive for others, either locally or globally. Write a short paragraph, create a drawing, or prepare a brief presentation about this Job Champion, explaining how their actions connect to Global Goal 8. This helps to see real-world examples of impact and positive change.
Concrete Action: Research and present one Job Champion to share with family or the class.
Benchmarking Progress
A quick view of the official UN targets for this goal paired with the indicators that track global progress. Use these to connect classroom inquiry with real-world data.
Target 8.1
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.
Indicators
- 8.1.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita
Target 8.10
Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all.
Indicators
- 8.10.1
(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults
- 8.10.2
Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider
Target 8.2
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.
Indicators
- 8.2.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person
Target 8.3
Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
Indicators
- 8.3.1
Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex
Target 8.4
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 Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead.
Indicators
- 8.4.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
- 8.4.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
Target 8.5
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.
Indicators
- 8.5.1
Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
- 8.5.2
Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
Target 8.6
By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
Indicators
- 8.6.1
Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training
Target 8.7
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.
Indicators
- 8.7.1
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 and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular woman migrants, and those in precarious employment.
Indicators
- 8.8.1
Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status
- 8.8.2
Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status
Target 8.9
By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
Indicators
- 8.9.1
Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
Target 8.a
Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries.
Indicators
- 8.a.1
Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements
Target 8.b
By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization.
Indicators
- 8.b.1
Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy