The circular economy will cause major changes in the labor market and lead to changes in employment – but the effects of this are still unknown and must be considered in detail. The above represents one aspect of the project and the exchange of experiences with participants around the world is of particular interest.

The workshop was attended by 54 participants from all continents, including a representative of the OECD.

Speakers:

Dr. Martin Kuhlmann, Sociological Research Institute, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. The numerous opportunities that the circular economy offers in the form of new job openings, especially in the waste management sector and saving energy and materials, were pointed out. We should also take into account the opening of small start-up companies that will offer new jobs, but only the state can provide financial support for their establishment. New jobs are expected to be created for people with lower qualifications and shift work.

Dr. Frithjof Laubinger, OECD Environment Directorate pointed out that economic sectors that consume the most energy and materials employ only 20% of the total workforce. Attention was drawn to the fact that we must not only talk about the opening of new jobs, but also about their quality, gender equality during employment and changes in education that should provide workers with certain qualifications. You should certainly take into account the issue of the geographical location where the new jobs will be opened – because it can be in another country.

Mrs Warimu Mwangi, Loopworks Ventures from Kenya introduced the participants to the economy, opportunities for circular transition and the labor market in Kenya, where most workers are employed in the tourism and agriculture sectors. A large amount of waste is created. The transition to circularity requires the networking of government agencies, industry, academia and consumers – which is in its early stages in this African country. The importance of supporting innovation and the development of education, as well as informing consumers, was especially pointed out, because research shows a low degree of their familiarity with the concept of circular economy and the importance of buying products that are produced in this way.

Prof. Mirjana Radovanović introduced the participants to the project and pointed out the need for adequate assessment of many factors that will affect employment in sectors that are environmentally acceptable, especially in the sector of agriculture and exploitation of land resources.