The clock is ticking for a New Social Contract
More than two years on since the outbreak of Covid-19, our world is more unstable and unsafe. We face an increasing number of conflicts, growing global inequality, and a worsening climate crisis.
Covid-19 has also triggered an extraordinary wave of destruction across the world of labour. We lost the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs in 2020, and some 130 million jobs were lost or at risk in 2021. The global jobs deficit, the number of jobs that must be created to reach full employment, is some 575 million. In addition, around 2 billion people are trapped in informal work.
We call for a New Social Contract with SDG 8 in its centre, rooted in a gender-transformative agenda based on (1) jobs – the creation of decent, climate-friendly jobs with just transition; (2) rights for all workers; (3) minimum living wages and equal pay; (4) universal social protection for all; (5) equality, and an end to all discrimination; and (6) inclusion, ensuring development systems that empower developing countries.
#Timefor8. The clock is ticking for a New Social Contract.