The State of Social Justice 2025

This ILO flagship report positions social justice not as a luxury but as a foundational pillar for peace, stability, cohesion, and sustainable development, grounded in the universal recognition of human and labour rights as essential to dignity and fairness. 

It emphasizes that justice does not flow automatically from economic growth but must be actively pursued through political will, institutional reform, and inclusive governance, with policy choices shaping whether transitions lead to opportunity or exclusion. 

Drawing on interviews from 17 countries, it reveals a widespread crisis of institutional trust: despite strong legal frameworks, many workers report exclusion, mistreatment, and neglect, underscoring the gap between formal protections and lived realities of justice.