Trends, Future Signals and Occupational Scenarios

The objective is to deliver anticipatory insights into changing labour market dynamics, helping policymakers, educators, industry, and social partners prepare for disruptive changes and support a just transition. The scope is pan-European, with a focus on sectors such as bio-based materials and industrial symbiosis, where circularity and employment intersect most prominently.

The research follows a structured, multi-phase methodology, beginning with the identification of emerging socio-technical trends using the STEEPV framework (Societal, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Values). An expert-driven horizon scanning survey collects qualitative input on key trends and early signals, while bibliometric, patent, job advertisement, and media analyses provide additional data-driven insights into innovation pathways and evolving skills.

These findings will feed into regional foresight workshops, co-creating future occupational scenarios tailored to specific industrial and socio-economic contexts. This participatory approach ensures that the resulting narratives are grounded, actionable, and foster stakeholder ownership. Together, these methods aim to shape forward-looking skills strategies and policies aligned with Europe’s circular bioeconomy ambitions.

This is a live deliverable of the Wood2Wood project, which will evolve over time as the research progresses. Incremental additions will be made to reflect ongoing data collection, expert input, and analytical refinement. As new phases of the foresight exercise are completed – including future signal analysis, regional workshops, and scenario development – new full reports and updates will be added. Below are links to the detailed reporting of findings to date, which will be regularly expanded to capture emerging insights, maintain transparency, and support informed decision-making across stakeholder groups.