The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to working towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its governance, teaching and learning, community engagement, partnerships and research. The following initiatives are by UOW staff and students working towards Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Teaching, learning and research in numbers
Across our subjects, courses, research publications and partnerships, UOW staff and students continued working towards the goals in 2025.
*SciVal figures accessed July - October 2026
8,146 students studying subjects about this goal
25.7% of publications related to this goal had international collaboration*
13.7 citations per publication*
36.9% publications in the Top 10% most cited*
Case studies for Goal 8
Other initiatives
- Modern slavery
- iAccelerate
- Equity, diversity and inclusion
- Centre for Contemporary Australasian Business and Economics Studies
- Work integrated learning
Modern slavery affects some 40 million people across the globe, with women and girls disproportionately affected. This grave violation of human rights is unacceptable. UOW is committed to making change that matters to meet this challenge and is committed to combatting modern slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and child labour.
For the past decade, iAccelerate has been dedicated to supporting innovation, job creation and economic impact in the Illawarra region As Australia’s largest university-led incubator, iAccelerate has supported 608 startups and scaleups since its inception, creating more than 1,233 jobs and injecting $186.5 million into the economy. iAccelerate is the only program of its kind that integrates a pre-accelerator, accelerator and incubator under one roof.
As part of iAccelerate’s commitment to the UN SDGs, each startup is introduced to the goals as a foundational subject in the education program, ensuring entrepreneurs are socially conscious and equipped to make a positive impact on the world. In 2025, 86 startups and scaleups were supported by iAccelerate across 16 out of 17 SDGs.
In the same year, in response to industry needs, iAccelerate created and delivered new programs, including an online after-hours pre-accelerator, a business innovation program for larger teams, and a PhD internship, linking research with real-world industry impact.
UOW staff reflect the diversity of our community – in gender, sexuality, disability and cultural diversity. UOW is a place for all genders and UOW is proud of our culture that provides equal opportunity, where people can be their authentic selves and have policies and practices in place to ensure that we provide a fair and equitable campus. We welcome anyone regardless of age, race, disability, colour, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or economic background.
UOW has policies and practices in place to ensure that we provide a fair workplace and campus free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. Our inclusive values empower all staff to achieve their full potential and remove barriers to participation. We are also committed to removing barriers to the selection, advancement, and opportunities for people of all genders in the workplace and have solid training packages in place. UOW’s gender equality website provides further information on specific programs and initiatives to support gender equity.
The Centre for Contemporary Australasian Business and Economics Studies (CCABES) fosters the development and promotion of collaborative research in contemporary Australasian business and economics among countries at different stages of economic development. Researchers have strong international profiles and research is innovative, of high quality research and has broad academic, business and policy impact.
Our vision is to provide opportunity for every UOW student to engage in a variety of scaffolded, purposefully-designed and learner-centred work integrated learning (WIL) experiences within their degree. Work Integrated Learning describes activities that integrate work practices with learning in an academic institution. Through WIL, students undertake authentic, experiential learning relevant to their program of study. WIL may occur in person or remotely, in a physical or simulated workplace, or in the classroom. It includes practicums, placements, internships, service learning, industry projects and experience, workplace simulations and professional activities.
Latest news for Goal 8
Protection of worker rights in outsourced activities
The University of Wollongong (UOW) upholds the rights of third party workers involved in outsourced activities through a framework of policies that promote ethical and fair labour practices. Third parties include suppliers, collaborators and contractors employed by the university.
The Modern Slavery Prevention Policy ensures that all contractors and suppliers uphold ethical employment standards and respect human rights, while the Purchasing and Procurement Policy promotes transparency, accountability, and integrity in supplier engagement. In addition, the University Code of Conduct applies to staff, affiliates, and contractors, outlining expectations for respectful, safe, and equitable workplace behaviour. Collectively, these policies demonstrate UOW’s commitment to protecting the rights and wellbeing of all workers engaged through third parties, not just workers directly employed by the university.
Unions
UOW recognises the rights of its staff to freedom of association. There are two key unions that represent staff at UOW:
- The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), which is the specialist union for Professional Staff in higher education.
- The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), which is the specialist union solely representing staff in tertiary education.
UOW recognises and engages with both key unions as part of the collective bargaining (labour rights) process to renew enterprise agreements for staff. Enterprise agreements apply to all eligible staff, including women and international staff, regardless of whether they are a union member or not. Enterprise agreements at UOW do not discriminate against any staff, and cover a range of employment related topics such as salaries and conditions (e.g. leave), dispute resolution, appeals processes on employee rights and pay, and many more.
Living wage
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to ensuring fair compensation and decent work for all employees. In accordance with this commitment, UOW guarantees to pay all staff, faculty, and contract personnel at least a living wage.
All academic and professional staff in UOW are paid in accordance with Enterprise Agreements approved by the Australian Fair Work Commission. UOW salary scales are publicly available and establish minimum salary levels for all staff. According to the latest Poverty in Australia study using the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) data, the most-widely used benchmark for the poverty line is '50% of median income'; UOW's salary scales exceed this benchmark across all academic and professional classifications, ensuring that staff are paid above a living wage level. In addition to the base salary, staff receive superannuation and other employment benefits under the Enterprise Agreements.
Explore UOW's impact and commitment to each of the SDGs
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