ABSTRACT
Life revolves around work for the vast majority of the adult population worldwide. The centrality of work in people’s lives makes it a key aspect of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This chapter problematises the notion of sustainable development in the context of working life by focusing on SDG 8 and Target 8.5, ‘Full employment and decent work with equal pay’. Based on the target indicators of Target 8.5, we evaluated the prerequisites for sustainability considering prolonged working life policies using senior workers as an example. We identified current challenges in materialising the targets in Target 8.5 in the Global North and South while acknowledging the role of occupation, sex, and personal disabilities. Specifically, we present examples of (a) discrepancies between the vision in Target 8.5 and the realities of contemporary working life; (b) the advantages and limitations of the selected indicators in Target 8.5; and (c) alternative and more comprehensive SDG indicators. Moreover, we (d) demonstrate how research on working life can help detect hazardous working environments, unequal employment relationships, and hidden discrimination in the labour market. Finally, we (e) describe societal, organisational, and individual conditions that hinder or promote full, equal, and sustainable employment.
