De Montfort University is a global academic hub chair and as such publishes a progress report on both the individual United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as a comprehensive report on all the goals.
Our 2025 report will show what the university has been doing in terms of research, teaching, partnerships and engagement in helping to meet those targets and raising awareness of the progress towards the 2030 aims.
This is the progress report for SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth. The full report on all the SDGs can be viewed here.
UN PROGRESS REPORT ON SDG 8 in 2025
GLOBAL economic growth is falling short and half of the targets for 2030 show either regression or stagnation on the 2015 benchmark (30% regression, 20% stagnation).
The UN estimates that 15% of targets will be met in five years’ time, while reporting 20% are showing moderate progress and a further 15% only marginal progress,
The 2025 progress report from the UN states: “GDP per capita growth was projected to slow to just 1.5 per cent in 2025 due to heightened trade tensions and policy uncertainty.
“Real GDP growth in LDCs (least developed countries) remains well below the 7% target. Weak productivity growth and declining labour rights compliance further undermine decent-work progress.
“While the unemployment rate fell to a record low of 5.0% , nearly 58 per cent of workers remained informally employed, with persistently high rates in LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa.”
MAJOR DMU NEWS ON SDG 8 IN 2025
Research shows that work from home revolution is not helping to level-up UK regions
THE post-covid work from home revolution is not to helping to level-up struggling regions of the UK, and may even make matters worse.
A ten-month research project involving De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) and others looked into the economic impact of the work from home revolution that was sparked by the Covid pandemic of 2020.
At the time it was widely thought that changes in working practices would redistribute wealth around the regions of the UK as well-paid workers in high-skilled occupations dispersed around the county. High-skilled occupations refers to management & professional occupations.
DMU student takes her shoemaking skills to Africa
A TRIP to Tanzania has kick-started one DMU student’s ambition to teach African women how to make shoes.
Damari Kota Diur-Kota, 25, travelled to Arusha, Tanzania’s third largest city, for four weeks to teach disadvantaged communities practical business skills as part of a volunteering trip run by DMU Global.
Armed with ten tool kits containing essential shoemaking equipment, Damari arrived in Arusha and worked with Perfect Vision Women Tanzania, a not-for-profit non-government organisation aimed at tackling poverty through education, to set up her shoe-making workshop teaching 15 women.
Professor wins funding to commercialise AI research
A GROUND-BREAKING AI-powered system that could revolutionise the billion-pound banana industry has been given a £100,000 boost.
OPTIcut, created by Professor David Elizondo, aims to reduce waste in the industry by improving cutting methods and helping local growers maximise profits.
Responsible AI UK – backed by Innovate UK - announced it had awarded the team funding to refine and expand its system, which uses AI and 3D image processes to help producers create the best cutting strategies for harvesting.
New report highlights barriers facing Asian business owners in UK
GROUND-BREAKING new research from DMU and Barclays Eagle Labs reveals the vital contribution Asian founders make to the UK economy - and the systemic barriers that continue to hold them back.
The study, based on 125 interviews with Asian entrepreneurs, business leaders, and support organisations across England and Wales, shows that Asian-owned businesses contribute an estimated £25 billion to the UK economy and make up over 6% of all SMEs.
However, the research highlights significant barriers to growth, including cultural attitudes to debt and risk, stereotyping in investment and banking, and limited access to elite business networks.
DMU celebrates 50 years of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
BUSINESSES, graduates and academics from DMU came together to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK’s flagship Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme, which helps companies access Government funding to innovate.
And special guest was Richard Lamb, head of KTPs for Innovate UK, who heard about projects past and present at DMU and looked to the future as it aligns with the Government’s new Industrial Strategy ambitions.
Since the university’s first KTP project back in 1978, DMU has won £11m in funding for 134 projects, which have in turn generated some £60million to the local and national economy.
Universities recognised nationally for pioneering research-to-start up accelerator
A PIONEERING programme to help turn university research into successful ventures has been shortlisted as a finalist for a national Knowledge Exchange Award.
VentureVersity, developed through a collaboration between the University of Leicester, DMU, and Loughborough University in partnership with Leicester Start-Ups, aimed to create new accelerated pathways for university intellectual property and ideas.
MAJOR DMU RESEARCH ON SDG 8 IN 2025
Strategic adaptation in a cold funding climate: Third sector experiences of employability funding and commissioning in the UK after ‘Brexit’
Rose, J., Payne, J., Butler, P. (2025)
THE ability of third sector organisations (TSOs) to strategically navigate commissioning environments in ‘marketized’ public services is much debated.
This article addresses those delivering employability support outside the UK’s marketized public employment system following the end of European funding.
Focusing on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and No One Left Behind in Scotland, it examines TSOs’ views on the localisation of employability support under ‘austerity localism’ in the contrasting governance contexts of England and Scotland.
https://doi.org/10.1332/20408056y2025d000000036
An Ethical Framework for Emerging Technologies: the TEAeM Approach
Bhalla, Nitika; Brooks, Laurence; Richardson, Kathleen; Cannizzaro, Sara (2025)
THE inherent nature of uncertainty and the indefinite time horizon of emerging technologies means that their effective ethical governance is not sufficiently addressed by industry and hence society.
This paper explores an approach to enhance existing ethical frameworks that can be useful and relevant to new and emerging technologies.
We begin with the analysis of literature exploring some of the technical features of each framework and its potential applicability to emerging technologies. Following this, a detailed outline of a broad ethical framework has been proposed using a combination of existing ethical frameworks.
https://doi.org/10.55613/jeet.v35i1.147
A Systematic Literature Review of Passenger Non-Adoption of Airport Self-Service Technologies: Issues and Future Recommendations
Chaiwan, C., Budd, L., and Ison, S. (2025)
TECHNOLOGY has become crucial for businesses to deliver faster and smoother services for growing numbers of customers at lower operating costs, and aviation is no exception. Airports and airlines have made significant investments in a range of back-office and customer-facing technologies including introducing self-service check-in and bag drop in order to enhance the guest experience and reduce processing times.
However, while uptake of these technologies among certain customer segments has been strong, other passengers are reluctant to use them and prefer interacting with human staff members which leads to inconsistency in the service offer and additional costs for airlines.
The aim of this paper is to identify the issues related to passenger non-adoption of self-service technologies in airports and make recommendations for how airlines and airports might approach this issue in the future.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jatrs.2025.100065
Architecture by Algorithm: A Stylistic and Empirical Enquiry into Parametricism
Emeje, Ucheojo (2025)
PARAMETRICISM has emerged as a dominant discourse in contemporary architecture, yet there is a persistent lack of consensus regarding its classification.
While some scholars argue that Parametricism represents a methodological approach driven by computational design and algorithmic processes, others maintain that it functions as a distinctive architectural style comparable to movements such as Modernism, Postmodernism, and Art Nouveau.
This study aims to critically investigate the defining components of an architectural style and to construct an empirical framework for classifying architectural movements.
Architecture by Algorithm: A Stylistic and Empirical Enquiry into Parametricism
The Limits of the Possible: Third Sector Employability Support for Vulnerable Users and the Challenge of Job Quality
Payne, J., Rose, J. and Butler, P. (2025)
MANY third-sector organisations (TSOs) deliver employability support for vulnerable groups, but can they address the quality of jobs their users enter?
The question is timely in the UK, given structural constraints presented by its neoliberal labour market and welfare regime, and the new Labour Government’s aim of moving job centres towards a supportive approach focused on ‘good work’.
An interesting comparison emerges with Scotland, where ‘fair work’ is more established in policy.
https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.13162
"The cost of “everything”: minoritized social entrepreneurs’ response and adaptation during the cost-of-living crisis
Kah, S., Murithi, W., Munawar, M., Ogunmokun, O., Osei-Nimo, S. (2025)
THE cost-of-living crisis negatively impacted many parts of the United Kingdom, exposing the heightened economic failures faced by impoverished people whom social enterprises (SEs) support.
Yet, the resilience of SEs, especially those led by minoritized individuals hardest hit by the crisis, is underexplored.
This paper examines the response and adaptation of Black- and Asian-led SEs during the cost-of-living crisis. It draws from Duchek’s (2020) organizational resilience conceptualization to offer valuable insights into crisis response strategies and their implications.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-01-2024-0061
The Role of Financial Institutions in Bridging the Financing Gap for Women Entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa
Irene, B., Ndlovu, E., Felix-Faure, P.C., Dlabatshana, Z., Ogunmokun, O. (2025)
SMALL and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are vital to economic growth, innovation, and job creation across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Women entrepreneurs are key contributors to this sector, yet they face persistent barriers to accessing finance, which constrain their business growth and broader economic participation.
This study investigates the role of financial institutions in closing the financing gap for women-owned SMEs and assesses the effectiveness of various financing mechanisms, including traditional banking, micro-finance, fintech innovations, and government-backed credit schemes. Adopting a quantitative approach, this study utilises structured surveys with women SME owners across multiple SSA countries.
https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15080323
Now you see them, now you don’t: Will technological advancement erode the gains made by women entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Irene, B., Onoshakpor, C., Lockyer, J. et al. (2025)
AS GLOBAL economic activity gains momentum post-COVID-19, assessing local economic recovery remains essential for shaping policies that foster inclusive growth.
In countries such as South Africa, which contends with enduring unemployment and significant inequality, cultivating economic resilience—particularly among Previously Disadvantaged Individuals (PDIs) and female entrepreneurs—is essential.
The pandemic highlighted the crucial importance of digital technology in business resilience, as digitally equipped enterprises adapted more efficiently.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-025-00392-x
Formalization as a strategy of ASM “sanitization”: So far, how far?
Ofosu, G., Siaw, D., Asante, S. and Adusei Peasah, K. (2025)
FOR decades, a significant number of studies have examined the agenda of the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operations.
There is now enough anecdotal evidence that formalization of ASM operations can help promote safe working conditions.
However, very few studies have examined the internal dynamics and outcomes once ASM operations become formalized.
https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-12-2024-0133
A Review on Achieving Sustainability in the Petroleum Industry Through the Integration of Lean and Green
Dibia, F., Dibia, C., Dhakal, H.N., Okpako, O., Radulovic, J. and Isike, A. (2025)
THE petroleum industry has been a key driver in the development of the world economy yet continues to attract increasing criticism due to its negative environmental impact via greenhouse gas emissions, resource inefficiency, and waste.
Integrating lean and green practices is fast becoming a transformative approach to tackling these issues as it integrates process optimization with sustainability principles.
This review paper examined the existing literature on lean and green integration, highlighting its benefits, models, critical success factors, and a roadmap for its implementation.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app15052333
A behavioural risk perspective to plastic waste management: insights from Nigerian SMEs
Tyllianakis, E., Kolade, O., Ambituuni, A., Ogunde, O., Oyinlola, M. and Abolfathi, S. (2025)
A TRANSITION to a Circular Economy (CE) is intrinsically connected to the perceived risk of moving away from the status quo of the extract-use-discard model.
This study examines how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) perceive and respond the multi-dimensional risk from plastic waste mismanagement (PWM).
Such risk is approximated and analysed using two different behaviour theories, the Expected Utility Theory and Protection Motivation Theory in a survey amongst 242 managers in Nigerian SMEs examining the endogenous relationship between perceived impact of PWM and perceived effectiveness in addressing it.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.147086
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth