The devil is in the details: considering labour in the paradigms for a socioecological transformation

The climate crisis constitutes a profound and pressing challenge, with substantial evidence indicating that current strategies to mitigate climate change are insufficient. A central question within contemporary policy discourse concerns the compatibility of climate objectives with continued economic growth. Divergent perspectives on this issue have given rise to three principal paradigms: green growth, post-growth, and degrowth. Each of these frameworks carries significant implications for employment levels and the qualitative nature of work. Nonetheless, these issues have not been considered in detail in this discussion. Our article seeks to address this gap by looking at how paid work is being considered in the three paradigms. As these often point to skills and training and working time reduction, the contribution puts special emphasis on these topics and deals with their intricacies. Overall, our contribution shows that more detail and context is needed when work and labour processes are addressed in sustainability research.