Expansion of the circular economy could create three million additional jobs across the EU by 2030, according to a new study published by the British Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
At present, an estimated 3.4 million people are employed in circular economy jobs. On the current development path, expansion in this sector could create 1.2 million jobs and reduce structural unemployment by around 250,000 in the EU, reports WRAP. A “transformational expansion” in circular economy involving high levels of recycling and “substantial advancement in remanufacturing and servitisation activity” has the potential to create an extra three million jobs and to reduce structural unemployment by 520,000.