Decent Work in the Circular Economy: An Overview of the Existing Evidence Base

This report is the first output of the broader ‘Jobs in the Circular Economy’ initiative of the ILO, Circle Economy, and S4YE.

The initiative aims to identify multiple gaps in the evidence base for circular jobs through collaboration with an international community of research institutions, industry representatives, social partners, governments and public bodies.

The report explores research gaps and five key themes that summarise the focus of the current evidence base. These themes represent crucial opportunities and challenges regarding the circular economy’s ability to create a more just and inclusive society—including labour market and sectoral transformation, informality and the circular economy, work reallocation and skills development, working conditions and social protection, and gender discrimination and social equity.