ILO State of Social Justice Report: Social Justice Gains at Risk Amid Inequalities and Transitions
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Labour and Employment | NITI Aayog
Ahead of the Second World Summit for Social Development (Qatar, November 2025), the International Labour Organization (ILO) released its first comprehensive global review of social justice. The report finds that while the world is wealthier, healthier, and better educated than in 1995, deep disparities persist. 138 million children are still in labour (half in hazardous work), women earn only 78% of menβs wages, and the top 1% control 38% of wealth.
The ILO structures its findings across four pillars: fundamental rights, equal access to opportunities, fair distribution, and fair transitions. Key warnings include the slowdown in closing gender wage gaps (estimated to take 50β100 years at current pace), 58% of workers in informal employment, and climate, digital, and demographic transitions threatening millions of jobs without adequate policy planning. Despite reductions in extreme poverty and child labour since 1995, global disenchantment with institutions and weakening trust signal a fraying social contract.
For India, the reportβs findings resonate with challenges of informality, wage inequality, and labour force participation gaps. Policy priorities must align with existing frameworks like National Skill Development Policy and social security codes, ensuring just transitions in climate and digital shifts. Strengthening trust in institutions through effective implementation, inclusive growth, and social protection expansion remains critical.
Follow the full report here: https://doi.org/10.54394/ASWD9537