Global Scans · Decent Work and Growth · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

• [New] S&P Global projects global growth of 2.7% for 2025 and 2.6% for next year, with the outlook for 2026 trimmed slightly from earlier estimates, underscoring that caution and selectivity are essential. Capital Advisors
• [New] Brazil's Supreme Court is expected to decide in 2026 whether an employment relationship exists between drivers and ride-hailing apps, the so-called uberization of work. valorinternational
• [New] Recent strategic initiatives include the establishment of innovation hubs in the UK and South Korea to drive growth in key markets like footwear and advanced foam solutions, though management's limited tenure may pose execution risks. Webull
• [New] Recent federal actions threaten New York's expansive higher education sector's ability to attract and cultivate talent and conduct the cutting-edge research and development that help spur innovation and economic growth. Office of the New York State Comptroller
• [New] South Asia too will experience strong growth, primarily due to India. CEPR
• [New] The optimistic view is that India will achieve double digit growth rates but the pessimistic view is that growth will be derailed by several transformational challenges. CEPR
• [New] The University at Albany's Life Sciences Research Building will get a $50 million state-funded expansion to support the work of the RNA Institute. University at Albany
• [New] The South Wales AI Growth Zone will create more than 5,000 new jobs for local communities over the next decade. GOV.UK
• [New] The BBB will invest £5 billion in growth-stage funds and scale-up companies. / UK GOV.UK
• [New] Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive £783 million through a local growth fund to support regeneration across the UK. GOV.UK
• [New] Media companies' spending on AI will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 37.2% between 2024 and 2029, from $2.6 billion to $12.5 billion. Yahoo Finance Singapore
• [New] Growth of Islamic Financial Assets Khokhar pointed out that Islamic financial assets reached USD 6 trillion in 2024 and are expected to grow to USD 10 trillion by 2029. Taghrib news agency (TNA)
• [New] Workforce Disruption & New Opportunities: AI could disrupt 40% of jobs globally, with 30% of US work hours automated by 2030, but it will also create 97 million new AI-related roles, especially in STEM fields and emerging AI-native careers. Netguru
• [New] Generative AI is rapidly moving from pilot projects to full-scale enterprise deployments, driving global AI spending to a projected compound annual growth rate of 29% from 2024 to 2028. The Chronicle-Journal
• [New] The latest numbers point to rising U.S. electricity demand, with 2.4% electricity sales growth in 2025 and 2.6% in 2026. Rinnovabili
• [New] 2026's growth will be driven by continued momentum in the United States, resilient local demand in Europe and Japan, and progressively improving trends in China. The Business of Fashion
• [New] Unlike emergency cuts to stave off or mitigate recessions, rate cuts anticipated in 2026 will be aimed at normalizing policy to further the Fed's efforts to get inflation down to its 2% target while supporting healthy job growth. Ascendus Financial Advisors
• [New] Expanded pharmaceutical production lines in Ireland, along with strong services exports, are expected to contribute positively to growth. Economy and Finance

Last updated: 30 November 2025