These are; "sustainable economic growth; diversify, innovate and upgrade for economic productivity", "promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises", "improve resource efficiency in consumption and production", 'full employment and decent work with equal pay', 'promote youth employment, education and training', 'end modern slavery, trafficking, and child labour', 'protect labour rights and promote safe working environments', 'promote beneficial and sustainable tourism', universal access to banking, insurance and financial services.

In addition, there are also two targets for means of implementation[3], which are: Increase aid for trade support; develop a global youth employment strategy.

For the least developed countries, the economic target is to attain at least a 7 percent annual growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In developing countries, 34 per cent of total employments were for the middle class, a number that has increased rapidly between 1991 and 2015.

[7][8] SDG 8 aims at fostering sustainable and equitable economic growth for all workers, irrespective of their background, race or gender.

[11] Achieving higher productivity will require diversification and upgraded technology along with innovation, entrepreneurship, and the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

[4] The official wording for Target 8.2 is: "Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.

[11] A large portion of North America (Canada and the United States) had an average 0.5% increase in GDP per employed person, but overall, the continent had an approximate -0.53% decrease in productivity.

South America had an overall decrease in GDP per employed person, with Venezuela experiencing the largest change at -31.8%.

[11] The official wording for Target 8.3 is: "Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

[11] Jobs that fall under the Informal employment in non-agricultural employment include; unregistered and/or small-scale private unincorporated enterprises engaged in the production of goods or services meant for sale or barter, self-employed street vendors, taxi drivers and home-base workers, irrespective of size.

[11] The official title of Target 8.4 is: "Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10‑Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead.

As the NEET rates for youth in the majority of African countries are higher today than in 2015 (when the SDGs were originally implemented).

[17] The lack of decent employment can also contribute to exacerbating global issues such as poverty and mass migration.

According to data for 2019, 98 per cent of the countries surveyed had a youth employment strategy or a plan to develop one in the near future.

[14] ILO as the agency for this indicator is in charge of the data gathering for the progress of Global Youth Empowerment Strategy.

[25] With companies shutting down and small scale business being affected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic it is reported that chances of employment will continue to decrease.

[29] The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has reduced the growth of every economy in the world, including every sector like banking, insurance and services.