14 December 2015: Achieving sustainable development will mean changes for the global workforce, according to the 2015 Human Development Report (HDR) report, which focuses on the theme ‘Work for Human Development.’ The report recommends a broad view of work that includes creative, unpaid care and voluntary work, in order to harness benefits for sustainable development.

“Work is much more than a pay check: it is a foundation for both the richness of economies and the richness of human lives,” UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said at the report launch, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 14 December 2015. She observed that work can help people escape poverty, “forge stronger communities, develop skills and give people a sense of purpose.” Clark cautioned that the link between work and human development is not automatic, saying the quality of work available determines its impact on human development.

“Human progress will accelerate when everyone who wants to work has the opportunity to do so under decent circumstances,” said the report’s lead author, Selim Jahan, UNDP. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn also called for inclusive work opportunities, saying, “more people need to be able to benefit from sustainable work that helps them and their families to thrive.” UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes welcomed the report’s focus on structural transformation for job creation and inclusive development, which he said “speaks to the key priority of the African continent” and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The report highlights inequalities at the global level, noting that women are less likely to be paid for work than men, and carry out three out of every four hours of unpaid work. Paid women earn 24% less than men, on average, and hold less than 25% of senior business positions globally. Globalization and technological changes are deepening inequalities, the report finds, expanding the types of work available and the ways work is done for highly skilled workers with access to the internet and other technologies, but resulting in fewer opportunities for unskilled workers.

The report also links changing work trends to climate change, asserting that “the types of work many of us do will need to change if our economies and societies are to make genuine progress towards a low emission and climate resilient future.” It also observes that as the world aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), some jobs will be created, others transformed and others eliminated. For example, the report estimates that the global health workforce will need to increase from 34 million in 2012 to 79 million by 2030 to achieve the SDGs’ health targets.

The report proposes a three-pronged action agenda to create work opportunities and ensure workers’ well-being: a “social contract” between governments, the private sector and society to ensure that all peoples’ needs are taken into account in policy formulation; a “global deal” among governments to guarantee workers’ rights and benefits around the world; and a “decent work agenda” for all workers to promote freedom of association, equity, security and human dignity in work life. Other recommendations address inequality in work, including pay, paid parental leave, and access to paid care services.

The report also presents the Human Development Index (HDI), a summary measure of average achievement in three dimensions: a long and healthy life; being knowledgeable; and a decent standard of living. Two billion people have moved out of low human development levels in the past 25 years, with reductions in extreme poverty and gains in education and health outcomes, according to the HDI. [UNDP Press Release] [UNDP Administrator Statement] [UNECA Executive Secretary Statement] [Publication: Human Development Report 2015: Work for Human Development] [Publication Page] [UN Press Release] [HDR Statistical Index] [UNRIC Press Release] [UNEP Press Release]