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The heterogeneous skill-base of circular economy employment

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  • Burger, Martijn
  • Stavropoulos, Spyridon
  • Ramkumar, Shyaam
  • Dufourmont, Joke
  • van Oort, Frank

Abstract

This paper examines the opportunities and risks of employment, skills and education that are related to a circular economy (CE) in the United States. Combining occupational skills and education data with a newly introduced definition of CE employment, we compare circular- and non-circular-oriented occupations in terms of skills and abilities. Building on the seminal paper by Consoli et al. (2016) and looking at all occupations within a broad range of CE-related industries, we detect and address heterogeneity in job requirements within the CE. We distinguish core activities within CE employment – focusing on renewable energy, repair, re-use of materials and the sharing economy – from enabling activities, which are focused on management, design, and ICT-applicability of the CE. While core CE-activities generally require more manual and technological skills, enabling activities, in contrast, require more complex cognitive skills. Neither core nor enabling CE sectors, however, are entirely cohesive in terms of skill requirements. Part of the education and skills demand is identifiably driven by ‘circularity’, particularly with regard to technical skills for the core of the CE. This may require specific education and training programs for future development of the CE.

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  • Burger, Martijn & Stavropoulos, Spyridon & Ramkumar, Shyaam & Dufourmont, Joke & van Oort, Frank, 2019. "The heterogeneous skill-base of circular economy employment," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 248-261.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:48:y:2019:i:1:p:248-261
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2018.08.015
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    4. Vona, Francesco, 2023. "Skills and human capital for the low-carbon transition in developing and emerging economies," FEEM Working Papers 338778, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    5. Ilaria Giannoccaro & Gaia Ceccarelli & Luca Fraccascia, 2021. "Features of the Higher Education for the Circular Economy: The Case of Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-25, October.
    6. Stavropoulos, S. & Burger, M.J., 2020. "Modelling strategy and net employment effects of renewable energy and energy efficiency: A meta-regression," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    7. Marco Capasso & Michael Spjelkavik Mark, 2019. "Visualizing the Evolving Fit of Education and Economy: The Case of ICT Education in Norway," LEM Papers Series 2019/40, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    8. Francesco Vona, 2023. "Skills and human capital for the low-carbon transition in developing and emerging economies," Working Papers 2023.19, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    9. Johan Niskanen & Duncan McLaren & Jonas Anshelm, 2021. "Repair for a Broken Economy: Lessons for Circular Economy from an International Interview Study of Repairers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    10. Guia Bianchi, 2020. "Sustainability competences: A systematic literature review," JRC Research Reports JRC123624, Joint Research Centre.
    11. Jo Williams, 2021. "Circular Cities: What Are the Benefits of Circular Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-27, May.
    12. Fernández, Sara & Torrecillas, Celia & Díaz, Guillermo Arenas, 2024. "Does eco-innovation stimulate employment? The case of Spanish manufacturing firms," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 571-585.
    13. Elvira Haezendonck & Karel Van den Berghe, 2020. "Patterns of Circular Transition: What Is the Circular Economy Maturity of Belgian Ports?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-15, November.
    14. Karel Van den Berghe & Felipe Bucci Ancapi & Ellen van Bueren, 2020. "When a Fire Starts to Burn. The Relation Between an (Inter)nationally Oriented Incinerator Capacity and the Port Cities’ Local Circular Ambitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, June.
    15. Karel Van den Berghe & Martijn Vos, 2019. "Circular Area Design or Circular Area Functioning? A Discourse-Institutional Analysis of Circular Area Developments in Amsterdam and Utrecht, The Netherlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    16. Horbach, Jens & Rammer, Christian, 2019. "Employment and performance effects of circular economy innovations," ZEW Discussion Papers 19-016, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    17. Zheng, Guomeng & Ul Haq, Muhammad Zia & Huo, Baofeng & Zhang, Yanming & Yue, Xiaochen, 2024. "Leveraging intellectual capital for building a supply chain circular economy system: A knowledge-based view," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    18. Cricelli, Livio & Greco, Marco & Grimaldi, Michele, 2021. "An investigation on the effect of inter-organizational collaboration on reverse logistics," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    19. Li, Huilong & Wei, Xinyuan & Gao, Xinyu, 2021. "Objectives setting and instruments selection of circular economy policy in China's mining industry: A textual analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    20. J. Brusselaers & K. Breemersch & T. Geerken & M. Christis & B. Lahcen & Y. Dams, 2022. "Macroeconomic and environmental consequences of circular economy measures in a small open economy," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 68(2), pages 283-306, April.
    21. Francesca Bassi & Mariangela Guidolin, 2021. "Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in European SMEs: Investigating the Role of Green Jobs and Skills," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    22. Zafar Husain & Annayath Maqbool & Abid Haleem & R. D. Pathak & Danny Samson, 2021. "Analyzing the business models for circular economy implementation: a fuzzy TOPSIS approach," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 256-271, December.
    23. Noelia Araújo & Lucília Cardoso & Jose Antonio Fraiz Brea & Arthur Filipe De Araújo, 2018. "Green Jobs: The Present and Future of the Building Industry. Evolution Analysis," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(12), pages 1-17, December.
    24. Chedrak Chembessi & Christophe Beaurain & Geneviève Cloutier, 2022. "Analyzing Technical and Organizational Changes in Circular Economy (CE) Implementation with a TOE Framework: Insights from a CE Project of Kamouraska (Quebec)," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 2(3), pages 915-936, September.

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