- Posted on 19 Feb 2025
About SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
Informal and insecure work accounts for over 60% of employment globally. In many countries including Australia women and young people are disproportionally represented. The COVID pandemic has exacerbated the problem, tipping people into poverty in many parts of the world. A renewed focus on support systems, working conditions, and job security and creation is more vital now than ever.
UTS hosts Anti-Slavery Australia and is strongly committed to abolishing all forms of forced labour, child labour, and modern slavery. Supporting unions in the workplace and our strong employment agreements provide protections to our own staff, and UTS researchers specialise in developing and advocating for secure employment for everyone everywhere.
Here are some examples of our work at UTS contributing towards SDG 8.
This project aims to improve the working conditions and job security of public school teachers amid changing governance structures and demands that are affecting teachers’ work and conditions.
Federal government to introduce world-first visa protections for exploited migrant workers, implementing UTS Law Professor’s evidence-based recommendations.
Empowering survivors of modern slavery to access justice and rebuild their lives.
Our impact
Find out how UTS staff and students are contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Trailblazers for the Goals
UTS has experts working towards the SDGs all over campus. The Trailblazers for the Goals are a campus-wide network of researchers and experts advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
You can contact a trailblazer to discuss their work for the SDGs, or they can connect you with other experts in the space.
Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF)
Samantha is a Research Director at ISF and an expert in just transitions in Asia-Pacific labour markets. She advances SDG 8 through leading UTS’s involvement in International Labour Organisation projects in the textile industry, as well as exploring the links between migration and climate change.
Learn more
Three UTS experts will contribute to major reports for the world’s most trusted authority on climate change.