How does the circular economy change jobs in Europe?

A transition to a circular economy is taking place in Europe and the speed of this transition is not expected to slow down.

The transition provides an opportunity to build an ecologically sustainable society and create new employment opportunities. Yet the social impacts of a circular transition have received little attention.

On the journey to a circular economy, some jobs will be lost, new jobs will emerge and most jobs will change in one way or another.

This working paper looks into the social impacts of a circular economy in five European countries and four sectors. Special attention is paid to the quality and number of circular jobs, the required skills and the inclusiveness of the transition. These perspectives are crucial for enabling a just transition to a circular economy.