In a pre-Covid survey, conducted by the International Organization of Employers (IOE) together with the International Labour Organization (ILO), of about 500 companies in all regions, it found that companies across the board felt the challenge of hiring and retaining skilled workers--it's getting more difficult to find people with the rights and new graduates are not prepared for the current jobs. In fact, the skills employers needed four years ago are very much different to the skills they need now. In many countries, the education system is 10 years behind.

On the other hand, achieving sustainable development among big and small businesses globally can sometimes be seen as slow. Some companies jump into the sustainability train and introduce new ways of thinking and operating for a sustainable future. Others are still operating 'business as usual' in an old-fashioned way or operating in the margins that make them vulnerable, especially during crises.

In this episode, we hear valuable insights from Robert Marinkovich, adviser on sustainable development and climate policy portfolio, and Akustina Morni, senior adviser for the Asia employers group, at the International Organization of Employers on what can be done to address the skills gap and sustainability gap. IOE has more than 150 employer and business organization members, which have an impact on more than 50 million employees across the world.

Want to learn more about sustainable development and learning? Subscribe to SDG Learncast. Visit UN SDG:Learn website at www.unsdglearn.org to get the latest learning offers on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. The transcript of the podcast is available at https://www.unsdglearn.org/podcast/.

The opinions expressed in the SDG Learncast podcasts are solely those of the authors. They do not reflect the opinions or views of UN SDG:Learn, its Joint Secretariat, and partners.

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