Gamagori City launches dashboard to track circular economy employment

Gamagori City in Aichi Prefecture, in partnership with Harch Inc. and Circle Economy, has launched a new dashboard to track progress in transitioning to a circular economy. The dashboard, called the “Gamagori Data Explorer,” aims to analyze the city’s employment data related to circular economy practices.

The project is based on the “Circular Jobs Methodology” developed through collaboration between Circle Economy, a global impact organization based in the Netherlands, and the United Nations Environment Programme. This methodology assesses the proportion of “Circular Jobs,” or employment connected to circular economy activities, and highlights areas where policy efforts can further boost sustainable employment. Gamagori is the first city in Japan to use such a tool, according to Harch.

In 2021, Gamagori declared itself a “Circular City” and, the following year, prioritized seven areas of focus: education, consumption, health, food, tourism, transportation, and manufacturing. Since then, the city has launched initiatives including the “Circular City Gamagori Challenge Festival” and the “Circular City Gamagori Demonstration Project.” However, measuring progress and setting policy priorities based on data remained a challenge, prompting the creation of the “Gamagori Data Explorer.”

The dashboard classifies circular jobs into two categories: “Direct Circular Jobs,” which contribute to the circular economy, and “Indirect Circular Jobs,” which contribute indirectly. The circular employment rate is calculated by dividing the number of direct and indirect circular jobs by the city’s total number of jobs.

The initial analysis of Gamagori found that its circular employment rate stands at 1.7%. The service sector has the highest number of circular jobs, followed by retail and real estate services. Utilities, including electricity, gas, heat, and water supply, have the highest percentage of circular employment, followed by construction and service industries. The healthcare, hospitality, and transportation sectors, while employing large numbers of people, showed low circular employment rates, highlighting growth potential for these areas.

Looking ahead, Gamagori plans to introduce policies to support reskilling, vocational training, and circular education, aiming to boost circular job opportunities. The city will also focus on expanding circular employment in the service and manufacturing sectors. The “Gamagori Data Explorer” relies on census and open data, and officials hope the model will serve as an example for other municipalities.