Thriving societies do not necessarily depend on high levels of wealth but on equality. First, access to employment is a key driver to create more equal societies; but the world of work is changing, becoming more automated, and less secure. Automation is likely to reduce employment opportunities, raising questions about the meaning of work in people's lives as well as how decent livable incomes can be guaranteed for all. To equip learners to navigate an uncertain and disrupted landscape of work must therefore be a central learning goal if societies are to thrive. Second, in a context where societies are becoming more not less unequal, the health of democracy must be central to education's purpose. Democracy as a driver towards equality is in trouble in many parts of the world. If it is to be renewed, learners need to understand its fundamentals and become committed to its renewal. Therefore a second learning goal in pursuit of thriving societies is to prepare young people to invent and inhabit a democracy which is participative, auhtentic and meaningful. The two levers for thriving societies – good work and democracy – must be nurtured in education's explicit purposes.