17 PROMOTE SUSTAINED, INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH, FULL AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND DECENT WORK FOR ALL
Employment is an important part of daily life. It helps keep our economy moving, it helps us earn money to support our families and can offer us a way to contribute to the economic prosperity of others. However, not everyone makes enough money as they should. Sometimes people can’t find work, or are discriminated against because of their identity or ability. In many impoverished areas, adults and children are exploited, or forced to do work in dangerous and underpaid situations, to support their families. Achieving this goal means making sure jobs are available, safe and supportive for everyone. In the process of making a living, we need to make sure we are having a positive impact on our planet too.
Learning Objectives
- Learners will understand the concepts of sustainable economic development, productive employment and decent work.
- Learners will understand the relationship between employment and economic growth.
- Learners will understand how inequalities between labor force and management, owners and stakeholders can lead to poverty and civil unrest.
- Learners will be able to understand and demand fair wages, equal pay for equal work and labor rights from their employers and government regulators.
- Learners will be able to understand their individual rights and clarify their needs and values related to work.
- Learners will be able to develop and evaluate ideas for sustainability-driven innovation and entrepreneurship.
Essential Questions
Media (Identification of Value/Biases):
Article: The Media Cartel: Corporate Control of the News (Lee & Solomon)
https://inforefuge.com/media-cartel-disregard-for-public-good
How are labor issues reported in the media?
Environment
How can we improve the impacts on our environment through the jobs we have?
Poverty, wealth and power
How does wage and employment relate to the poverty cycle?
Indigenous Peoples
What are the labor issues impacting Indigenous people and communities?
Oppression and genocide
In what ways can people exercise their right to work and fair pay?
Health and biotechnology
How can people working in dangerous occupations improve their working conditions?
Gender politics
How can we improve gender parity in employment?
Social justice and human rights
What are the rights of workers and how can we spread the word?
Peace and conflict
How can we address civil unrest caused by unfair working conditions and low wages?
Overview of The Goal
Work is part of most of our everyday lives.
It drives society and our economies, and collectively impacts economic growth and the planet as a whole. Everyone can benefit from the innovations and other products of this growth, but how are we getting there? How does the work we are doing affect our planet and the lives of others?
According to the U.N., 2.2 billion people live on $2 or less a day and in 2015, almost 204 million were unemployed. Decent work can mean a safe work environment, equal pay, a living wage, worker rights and fulfilling jobs. The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goal #8 focuses on promoting decent work for everyone and fostering inclusive, environmentally friendly economic growth.
What does decent work look like?
Work is part of most of our everyday lives. It drives society and our economies, and collectively impacts economic growth and the planet as a whole. Everyone can benefit from the innovations and other products of this growth, but how are we getting there? How does the work we are doing affect our planet and the lives of others?
According to the U.N., 2.2 billion people live on $2 or less a day and in 2015, almost 204 million were unemployed. Decent work can mean a safe work environment, equal pay, a living wage, worker rights and fulfilling jobs. The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goal #8 focuses on promoting decent work for everyone and fostering inclusive, environmentally friendly economic growth.
What big questions are global citizens asking about this issue? Below we provide some key questions worth asking and resources to explore to find your own answers. Some resources may not work for all students, but these can at least help you build your own knowledge and may lead you to other resources too
Learning Activities
Websites for Research
Article: How Wal-Mart is (Mis)Shaping the Global Economy (Richard Wilson)
https://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/spring-2007/how-wal-mart-misshaping-global-economy
Article: The Human Lives Behind the Labels (Rethinking Schools)
https://rethinkingschools.org/issues/volume-33-no-3-spring-2019/
Article: Coronavirus at Smithfield pork plant: The untold story of America’s biggest outbreak. – Jessica Lussenhop BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52311877
Article: By the Numbers (Statistics, Sources & Quotes on Child Labor)
Book: Economic Apartheid in America (Analysis of the distribution of income)
Book: When Corporations Rule the World (David Korten)
Websites for Research: HOW CAN WE BETTER PREPARE YOUTH FOR EMPLOYMENT?
Education is Essential to Counter Youth Unemployment
Helping prepare young people for the future of work
Solutions for Youth Employment
Youth Unemployment | World Economic Forum
Starbucks Expands Youth Job Training Initiative to Phoenix
Websites for Research: WHAT DOES DECENT WORK MEAN?
What is Decent Work? | International Labor Organization
Here’s how much you have to earn to live comfortably in every US state
Pros and Cons of Raising U.S. Minimum Wage
Prevention of Human Trafficking
Websites for Research: WHAT LAWS SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO PROTECT WORKERS?
Parental Leave: The Swedes Are The Most Generous
A History Of The Minimum Wage | TIME
The Labor Movement in the United States | History
What Happened To The American Labor Union? | TIME
Nearly two-thirds of global workforce in the ‘informal’ economy – UN study
Websites for Research: HOW CAN WE HOLD BUSINESSES TO OPERATING MORE SUSTAINABLY?
Three Factors that Drive Consumption of Responsible Products
Can Businesses Be Environmentally Sustainable And Still Make Money?
Big brands from Nestle to Walmart back sustainable supply chain drive
Fighting Climate Change Could Save the World $30 Trillion, Report Finds
Websites for Research: DOES SLAVERY STILL EXIST?
New Numbers On Child Labor Are Not Encouraging
Human trafficking is all around you. This is how it works
Modern Slavery Is Real and 40 Million People Are Trapped In It
Websites for Research: MEET THE HELPERS
International Labour Organization
10 global companies that are environmentally friendly
Student Action with Farmworkers
Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo | UN Special rapporteur on Human Trafficking
This Nun Has Been Fighting For Migrant Kids For 45 Years
Starbucks Just Ensured Women Will Earn the Same as Men
A School Rooted in Real-World Learning
Videos
Yasheng Huang: Does democracy stifle economic growth?
Economist Yasheng Huang compares China to India, and asks how China’s authoritarian rule contributed to its astonishing economic growth — leading to a big question: Is democracy actually holding India back? Huang’s answer may surprise you.
https://www.ted.com/talks/yasheng_huang_does_democracy_stifle_economic_growth
Dambisa Moyo: Economic growth has stalled. Let’s fix it
Economic growth is the defining challenge of our time; without it, political and social instability rises, human progress stagnates and societies grow dimmer. But, says economist Dambisa Moyo, dogmatic capitalism isn’t creating the growth we need. As she shows, in both state-sponsored and market-driven models, capitalism is failing to solve social ills, fostering corruption and creating income inequality. Moyo surveys the current economic landscape and suggests that we have to start thinking about capitalism as a spectrum so we can blend the best of different models together to foster growth.
https://www.ted.com/talks/dambisa_moyo_economic_growth_has_stalled_let_s_fix_it
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Want to help Africa? Do business here
We know the negative images of Africa — famine and disease, conflict and corruption. But, says Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, there’s another, less-told story happening in many African nations: one of reform, economic growth and business opportunity.
https://www.ted.com/talks/ngozi_okonjo_iweala_want_to_help_africa_do_business_here
Thomas Piketty: New thoughts on capital in the twenty-first century
French economist Thomas Piketty caused a sensation in early 2014 with his book on a simple, brutal formula explaining economic inequality: r > g (meaning that return on capital is generally higher than economic growth). Here, he talks through the massive data set that led him to conclude: Economic inequality is not new, but it is getting worse, with radical possible impacts.
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_piketty_new_thoughts_on_capital_in_the_twenty_first_century
Social Media
Below are links to several dynamic conversations, communities and experts on social media.
Further Research and Activities
Assessment and Reflection
Reflection Journal
- Describe the learning activities (articles, videos, etc.) and your experience – What did you do/hear/see?
- Interpret and evaluate the events from your perspective – What do I think about it now? How does it relate to other things that I know?
- Explain your experience; reveal your new insights, connections with other learning, your hypotheses, and your conclusions.
- Reflect on how this information will be useful to you – What questions do I have? Have I changed how I think about the situation? Where do I go from here?
- What did you particularly value and why?
- Is there anything you would do in the next unit? What have you learned? What will you do with these lessons?
Renewable Assignment Options
Learn the laws. Protect yourself and your community by learning about your rights as a worker. Share what you know with your community and find out more about labor inequalities in your community. Education is key to ensure safe working environments and decent work.
Vote with your dollar. Support fair working conditions and workers’ rights by supporting companies whose treatment of their workers is fair and just. A way to do this is buying fair trade products. Look for the label and ask the places that you buy from to support them too. Learn how and where products are made and if they use child labor or exploitative working conditions to source their raw materials. You can also take action to make your school Fair Trade or learn more about Fair Trade Canada here.
Support economic empowerment projects. If you want to donate to a cause that supports labour rights, look for projects that involve gender equality, microloans and poverty reduction. Investing in people’s skills, training and providing access to start-up capital can offer them the support they need to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
Join a cause. Learn about local workers’ unions in your area and show your support for a cause you believe in. International Workers’ Day (May 1) is a celebration of the working class and international labor movement. Join a charity that supports ending unfair child labor and educate others about how they can make ethical choices in their shopping.
Learn about the cycle of poverty within your own community, province, country and internationally and understand the interconnected relationship of the global market and its workforce. Support an aspect of this by campaigning for equal rights, equal pay, smaller wage gaps and more.
Ask a local business to participate in a job mentoring event at your school and share advice about preparing for the workforce. Alternatively, have students ask businesses to participate in a community job fair.
Workshops teach high school students valuable career skills
Classroom Activities for Teaching Job Readiness
Supporting local businesses helps support the local economy. Have students start a campaign to encourage the community to shop locally.
Why Buying Local Is Worth Every Cent
Are available jobs in your community living wage jobs? Conduct a job audit and research wages of different positions in your community. Share your results with the community, chamber of commerce and local businesses.
The Red Sand Project is a “participatory artwork” that raises awareness about human trafficking. As a class, create your own participatory art movement to raise awareness about an issue your class is passionate about surrounding decent work.
Agriculture is an important part of the economy, but often farmworkers are not given the labor rights they deserve. Support farmworkers by spending a day in their shoes and advocating for better protection. If you volunteer at a farm, reflect on your experience and compare it with the typical experience of a farmworker. Were you able to drink water, take breaks or use the restroom when you wanted? Did you have the proper attire and equipment?
Student Action with Farmworkers
