Introduction Sustainable development has received extensive academic attention in the last 10 years. However, there has been limited discussion of improving sustainable employment and the influence of digital financial inclusion in recent times. Even though digital finance and financial inclusion have many benefits for consumers and policymakers, and the nation's economic growth, there are still concerns about implementing digital financial inclusion for sustainable employment. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of digital financial inclusion on sustainable employment in Nigeria between 2000 and 2024. Methodology Data on employment from service sectors, ATMS per 1000 adults, domestic credit to private sectors, the number of bank accounts per 1000 adults, bank branches per 1000 adults, and the number of fintech companies and remittances during the year under review. OLS model and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyse the data. Results and discussion The results revealed that digital financial inclusion has a positive influence on sustainable employment; however, ATMS and bank branches were found to be statistically insignificant in influencing Sustainable employment in Nigeria. Conclusions The results showed that by improving access to financial services, encouraging entrepreneurship, and facilitating economic participation, digital financial inclusion had a beneficial effect on sustainable employment. However, it was discovered that standard banking infrastructure elements, such as ATMS and bank branches, had no statistically meaningful impact on sustained employment. This implies that even while digital finance is essential for creating jobs, depending too much on traditional banking systems might not have a major impact on job growth in the current digital era. The further study should look at how digital literacy and financial education interact with financial inclusion to promote long-term employment To target underserved people, the government and financial institutions should increase the availability of digital banking services, such as Internet banking and mobile money platforms. Keywords: Digital Finance, Financial Inclusion, Number of Bank branches, Number of Bank Accounts per 1000 persons, Sustainable Employment
Isiaka Najeem Ayodeji