Centrifugal circular cities: mapping circular economy employment and accessibility in Melbourne, Australia

This paper examines the geography of circular economy employment, job accessibility, and the implications for future circular workforce development outcomes. This is pertinent given that socially equitable labor market outcomes are critical for circular city transitions. We use an exploratory case study of Greater Melbourne, Australia, a post-industrial metropolis with a growing circular city policy agenda. We create a taxonomy of circular economy employment and use descriptive statistics to compare key characteristics of skill requirements, employment size, and change over time. We then map and analyze transit accessibility for different types of circular economy employment. Our findings demonstrate that jobs in “core” labor-intensive circular economy industries are declining and continue to shift to areas with poor accessibility. Meanwhile we find the inverse to be true of predominately professional “enabling” circular economy jobs, which only partially contribute to circular transitions. In demonstrating and discussing these disparities, we argue for a rethink of urban planning approaches to circular city implementation, to ensure they also facilitate equitable workforce development outcomes.