The circular economy and the Green Jobs creation

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Feb;29(10):14231-14247. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-16562-y. Epub 2021 Oct 3.

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) is a proposal for a new, more sustainable, and durable economy model. As a consequence, this pro-environmental economic model induces visible changes in the labor market which are Green Jobs (GJs). This paper is focused on the creation of Green Jobs in the CE. The GJs are most visible in the environmental goods and services sector (EGSS). This study aims to investigate EGSS among 28 European Union countries in the years 2009-2019. The adopted method was literature research complemented by the statistical analysis of secondary data from Eurostat in the linear regression method. Then, some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their measure were used as main indicators reflecting changes in the labor market. Results are presented as a model indicating which of the SDGs can support CE and enhance a number of the Green Jobs. Presented results contribute to the science because combine factors influencing GJs creation in EGSS, in a CE perspective. This study underlines a lack of uniform methods for measuring and forecasting the effects of Green Jobs creation and indicates future research directions.

Keywords: Environmental goods and services sector; Green Jobs; Sustainable Development Goals; Sustainable development.

MeSH terms

  • European Union
  • Sustainable Development*