Which labour for the CE? An exploration of narratives on labour and circularity in Flanders

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) and its impact on the labour market has received increasing attention in both academic and practitioner circles over the past decade. The CE aims to close material and energy loops through various transition pathways or strategies, which are often ranked in a waste hierarchy based on their contribution to the CE. Using discourse analysis, this paper examines how labour market actors in Flanders understand the role of labour in the transition to the CE. We find three distinct future-visions of labour in a CE, closely related to which circular strategies are imagined to become dominant. The findings show that specific storylines shape incremental change through engendering low-ranked strategies which do not require significant shifts in worker skills or policies. On the other hand, alternative discourses show that more radical changes require new or marginalised skills and more fundamental changes in policies and systems.