Just transition
People and data gathering key to build more circular economies, says ILO
The shift to a circular economy has the potential to create 7 million jobs globally. At the World Circular Economy Forum, the ILO underlined the need to design policies and actions that accelerate the transformation to a circular economy.
15 April 2024
BRUSSELS (ILO News) – “People are at the heart of building cleaner, greener and more circular economies. Be they skilled workers that maintain products to prolong their lifetime, waste pickers, supporting themselves and their families, or entrepreneurs launching new circular designs or business models,” said Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard, Director of the ILO Enterprises department.
The shift to a circular economy benefits both the environment and the economy. The ILO estimates that this shift could create around 7 million jobs globally. However, while a transition to greener economies could create up to some 78 million new jobs, 72 million could be lost. “This is a massive transformation, and we do not really know where jobs will be lost and where they will be created, or how they will change,” said the Director.
She was speaking at a session entitled “The people driving change today” at the World Circular Economy Forum, organized by the ILO’s partners of the Jobs in the Circular Economy initiative, namely the Circle Economy Foundation and the Solutions for Youth Employment Programme of the World Bank.
Today, many circular jobs are in the informal economy, where workers and employers struggle to make a living and reach their potential. More data are needed to ensure that the transition becomes fair and just, and that it delivers on the promise of creating decent jobs and new circular business models.
The ILO, the Circle Economy and the World Bank have joined forces to measure, model and monitor jobs in the circular economy. The first report of the initiative was published in 2023, is entitled Decent Work in the Circular Economy, and provides an overview of the existing evidence base. In 2024, the three organizations will publish a comparative review of definitions, databases and methodologies. This will lead to the publication of the world’s first authoritative estimates of jobs in the circular economy in 2025.
Along with this initiative, we are taking concrete steps to develop the tools and knowledge to ensure a just transition to a circular economy that works for all. “We stand ready to support governments, employers and workers in their efforts to formulate policies, foster an enabling environment and fight for fundamental principles and rights that are key to advancing a just and job-rich transition to the circular economy,” Ms Vejs-Kjeldgaard concluded.
The shift to a circular economy benefits both the environment and the economy. The ILO estimates that this shift could create around 7 million jobs globally. However, while a transition to greener economies could create up to some 78 million new jobs, 72 million could be lost. “This is a massive transformation, and we do not really know where jobs will be lost and where they will be created, or how they will change,” said the Director.
She was speaking at a session entitled “The people driving change today” at the World Circular Economy Forum, organized by the ILO’s partners of the Jobs in the Circular Economy initiative, namely the Circle Economy Foundation and the Solutions for Youth Employment Programme of the World Bank.
Today, many circular jobs are in the informal economy, where workers and employers struggle to make a living and reach their potential. More data are needed to ensure that the transition becomes fair and just, and that it delivers on the promise of creating decent jobs and new circular business models.
The ILO, the Circle Economy and the World Bank have joined forces to measure, model and monitor jobs in the circular economy. The first report of the initiative was published in 2023, is entitled Decent Work in the Circular Economy, and provides an overview of the existing evidence base. In 2024, the three organizations will publish a comparative review of definitions, databases and methodologies. This will lead to the publication of the world’s first authoritative estimates of jobs in the circular economy in 2025.
Along with this initiative, we are taking concrete steps to develop the tools and knowledge to ensure a just transition to a circular economy that works for all. “We stand ready to support governments, employers and workers in their efforts to formulate policies, foster an enabling environment and fight for fundamental principles and rights that are key to advancing a just and job-rich transition to the circular economy,” Ms Vejs-Kjeldgaard concluded.