IER News & blogs
Measuring 'Bad Jobs' Through Worker Wellbeing: New Evidence from South Korea
How do we define a 'bad job'? Moving beyond arbitrary thresholds, a new study published in The Economic and Labour Relations Review applies a novel wellbeing-based methodology to identify bad jobs in South Korea's labour market. Using Korean Working Conditions Survey data (2014-2023), IER's Dr Sangwoo Lee and Emeritus Professor Francis Green (UCL Institute of Education) demonstrate that workers in the bottom decile of job quality experience distinctly larger wellbeing gains when moving above this threshold – providing empirical justification for defining these as 'bad jobs'.
Launching a new MAIJobCare project: exploring the impacts of AI and algorithmic management on the long-term care sector
IER is pleased to announce the launch of MAIJobCareLink opens in a new window, an international research project led by IER, examining how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Algorithmic Management (AM) are reshaping job quality and workforce dynamics in long-term care (LTC).
As LTC systems across Europe face mounting pressures from ageing populations and persistent staffing shortages, MAIJobCare investigates whether digital tools, such as automated rostering, recruitment platforms, and performance monitoring, can support better care outcomes and working conditions, or whether they risk intensifying work and surveillance.
IER researcher on the Economics of Trust
IER's Dr Jamelia HarrisLink opens in a new window was an invited panellist for the Institute of Chartered Accountant's of Trinidad and Tobago's 16th annual conference. The conference was held on November 20th and 21st in Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Harris contributed to the panel "The Economics of Trust", where she highlighted the importance of trust in various segments of the economy, including the labour market.
Prof Taylor at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, USA
Professor Philip Taylor attended the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) event in Boston on 12-15 November 2025. He co-chaired sessions on job quality and social care and spoke about early findings from a UK project — Just Systems — where he talked about decarbonising domiciliary adult social care. Added to this, he chaired a meeting of the Aging Workforce Interest Group of GSA, of which he is the convener.