Circular Economy

This paper focuses on key sectors across 21 emerging markets that can be prioritized in post-COVID green recovery efforts. These sectors are grouped around greening existing and future energy infrastructure, building climate-smart cities, and helping speed the transition of key industries to green production practices. Concerted actions by public and private players across these areas can deliver economic recovery in the short and medium term and can deliver long-term sustainable and low-carbon growth.

This brief elaborates on national employment policies as viable entry points for policymakers in designing effective green jobs for youth. It considers relevant approaches, instruments, and examples of good practice by using different employment policy frameworks.

Through the lens of three focus areas—skills, quality of work and inclusivity—this report provides an overview of how current labour market issues apply to the circular economy transition, the opportunities that circularity presents for the labour market and the challenges that need to be overcome to achieve a future labour market that enables people and the planet to thrive.

The thematic plan of Decent Jobs for Youth talks about creating job opportunities in the green economy with a balanced set of support services that will make the sector attractive to young people and be productive while adapting to climate change.

This document shows that skills development is critical to unlocking the employment potential of green growth, yet skills shortages are becoming an obstacle in realizing this potential. The report recommends that countries devise strategies based on well-informed policy decisions, social dialogue, and coordination among ministries and between employers and training providers.

The report recommends improving the coherence between national sustainability strategies and policies and TVET by developing green vocational training strategies and increasing the private sector's participation within this process. Furthermore, environmental protection, resource efficiency, and renewable energies should be anchored in curricula on the level of vocational training and continuing education, supporting the process with human resource measurements and greening TVET institutions.