Institute for the Future of Work

Next month at London Tech Week we’ll be showcasing our Disruption Index, a pioneering piece of research showing how technology is reshaping regional economies. The DI offers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of how technological advancements are affecting different regions, industries, and communities, offering valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders. At a lunch fringe event on 12th June at London Tech Week, we’ll be launching an interactive version of this report, including a dashboard showing data for each region across the dimension of the DI. More details coming soon. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/ejB56N9N

Fantastic workshop yesterday for the CREAATIF project we're running with The Alan Turing Institute and Queen Mary University of London with members of Musicians' Union, Bectu, Equity UK and The Society of Authors exploring #AI impacts on freelancers in creative industries. Thanks to everyone who brought their expertise and insights - hugely valuable as we look to improve policy and protections for this important part of the UK workforce.

Today we are hosting our final BRAID UK CREAATIF in person workshop. CREAATIF is a collaborative research project with Equity, Bectu, Musicians' Union and The Society of Authors in partnership with Queen Mary University of London, The Alan Turing Institute, and the Institute for the Future of Work. CREAATIF is a research project tackling the crucial issue of Generative AI's (GenAI) impact on freelancers in the creative workforce. Hence, this workshop will  focus on self-employed/freelance workers only. Today’s discussion will engage creative workers to assess the impacts of AI on their fundamental rights and working conditions in the face of these new technologies.  Despite the creatives arts sector generating more revenue than cars, oil, and gas combined, arts education in the UK faces budget cuts, highlighting a disconnect between economic value and investment in the sector. The UK Research and Innovation-funded CREAATIF project is aimed at crafting responses to these challenges, especially for creative freelancers. Read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/ekdpsRrB 

This week, Starmer and Sunak are both setting out visions of a better Britain, with technology helping power change. Our ‘Reframing Skills’ uses Sen’s Capability Approach to consider how, in a labour market context, individuals’ can have opportunities to lead fulfilling lives. Challenging our conventional narratives, the Capability Approach offers a fresh perspective on how societies can promote and assess their progress through the new technological revolution. It emphasises people’s potential to shape better work for themselves and others. Increasingly supported by a strong evidence base, the Capability Approach draws our attention to wider impacts of technological transition than job loss by also focusing on the quality of work and the purpose it offers. It offers a wider lens to examine the real barriers that people face on this journey, and forefronts their potential to overcome these barriers, with the right support. Read more on how Sen’s Capability Approach can help us reframe skills in the age of fast automation. https://lnkd.in/eY2Q-MDN

Microsoft's Work Trend Index highlights the increasing presence of AI in the workplace and the challenges associated with its integration. As they note, 'now comes the hard part.' One of the key findings raised is the need for organisations to address the human side of AI implementation, including concerns about job displacement, changes in work roles, and the ethical implications of AI-powered decision-making. It also emphasises the importance of upskilling and reskilling employees to adapt to the evolving demands of AI technology. This resonates very well with our research published last summer - based on a survey of 1000 UK firms - that pointed to how engaging workers is key to technology adoption that creates and sustains good work (link in comments below). There is a 'narrow path to good AI' - as Daron Acemoglu put it in a recent blog post for us - but we have to work hard to walk it!   https://lnkd.in/AIatWork

Our brilliant postdoctoral researcher Magdalena Soffia spoke to HR Reporter about the significant variation in employees’ quality of life caused by technology use in the workplace (£): https://lnkd.in/dHyBS-RY

As councils and regional authorities think about priorities for the coming years, a focus on increasing the amount of 'good work' is an excellent place to start. Our Good Work Time Series offers sharp detail, over time, for each local authority: https://lnkd.in/eVSvuDUG We are also able to provide spotlight reports with expert analysis drawing on research we have on how this technological transformation is impacting local areas. Get in touch via our website to see how we can help with developing a #FutureOfWork strategy.

As councils and regional authorities think about priorities for the coming years, a focus on increasing the amount of 'good work' is an excellent place to start. Our Good Work Time Series offers sharp detail, over time, for each local authority: https://lnkd.in/eVSvuDUG We are also able to provide spotlight reports with expert analysis drawing on research we have on how this technological transformation is impacting local areas. Get in touch via our website to see how we can help with developing a #FutureOfWork strategy.

Our May newsletter is out now - the best digest of all that is important in the #FutureOfWork space, featuring a deep dive into tech transformation as a radical new reframing of #levellingup, commodification of care, and upcoming events:

Our May newsletter is out now - the best digest of all that is important in the #FutureOfWork space, featuring a deep dive into tech transformation as a radical new reframing of #levellingup, commodification of care, and upcoming events: