The circular economy is increasingly recognised as essential to achieving both environmental and socio-economic objectives, yet little is known about how many people work in circular economy activities and under what conditions. Circular economy employment spans all countries and sectors and includes both formal and informal settings. However, definitions, classifications and methodologies for measuring such employment remain unaligned.

This report addresses these gaps by developing and applying an internationally applicable methodology for measuring circular economy employment. The approach builds on existing labour and environmental frameworks and expert consultations, providing the first global baseline covering 177 of 187 ILO Member States.