The Sustainable Development Goal 8. The fetishization of employment and the oxymoron of sustainable and inclusive growth

This article focuses on analyzing the challenges of Sustainable Development Goal 8 on economic growth and decent work. It describes the SDG 8 and reflects on the concepts of growth and its limits, as well as on work and its characteristics. The implications in terms of social inclusion are also addressed. The challenges of inclusive growth are highlighted, as well as the limitations of its measurement. Thus, it is necessary to delve into other indicators that measure social welfare and environmental protection. Therefore, SDG 8 is approached from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective. The neoliberal productivist paradigm collides with environmental and social sustainability. Progress on SDG 8 requires a "de-fetishization" of economic productivity, the slowing down of the time machine from an ecological point of view and the consideration of social aspects.