Twenty five years ago the first Human Development Report in 1990 began with a simple
notion: that development is about enlarging people’s choices—focusing broadly on the richness of
human lives rather than narrowly on the richness of economies. Work is a major foundation for
both the richness of economies and the richness of human lives but has tended to be conceptualized
in economic terms rather than in human development terms. The 2015 Human Development Report
goes beyond that convention in directly linking work to the richness of human lives. This Report
starts with a fundamental question—how can work enhance human development? The Report takes
a broad view of work, going beyond jobs and taking into account such activities as unpaid care
work, voluntary work and creative work—all of which contribute to the richness of human lives.
The Report highlights impressive progress on human development over the past quarter century.
Today people are living longer, more children are in school and more people have access to clean
water and basic sanitation. Per capita income in the world has gone up, and poverty has gone down,
resulting in a better standard of living for many people. The digital revolution has connected people
across countries and societies. Work has contributed to this progress by building people’s
capabilities. Decent work has provided people with a sense of dignity and an opportunity to engage
fully in society. Considerable challenges remain, from persistent poverty and grinding inequalities
to climate change and environmental sustainability in general, and to conflict and instability. These
all create barriers to people fully engaging in decent work, and as a result huge amounts of human
potential remain untapped. This is of particular concern for young people, women, people with
disabilities and others who may be marginalized. The Report argues that if the potential of all
people is harnessed through appropriate strategies and proper policies, human progress would be
accelerated and human development deficits would be reduced.