Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future

This course explores the past and future of work in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth. It is offered by the SDG Academy and made available through edX, an online education platform. The SDG Academy is an initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

This seven-module course examines the state of income and employment around the world, barriers to employment, policies to promote economic opportunity, and the future of work in our rapidly changing world. The topics covered include structural shifts in economies and work; informality, gender and child labor, the modern welfare state; the future of work, and more. The target audience for the course includes policy professionals, development practitioners, and students interested in SDG planning and goals-based development.

Some of the core areas of the course include:

• The link between employment, work, income and wealth
• Global perspectives on changes to formal employment
• The challenges of child labor, gender disparity and informal employment
• Modern welfare state and novel policy instruments
• Structural and institutional models for the future of work