IER News & blogs

It’s been a good year for good jobs policy

IER was established 45 years ago with funding from the UK Government and what is now the European Commission. Its task then was to provide labour market forecasts to support policymaking. Although government emphasis on skills has remained constant, government interest in employment policy more broadly has waxed and waned over the years.

Dr Katharina Sarter presented key findings from a project that investigated how public procurement professionals navigate the challenges of an everchanging environment at Procurex Wales, a key event for public procurement professionals in Wales.

Professor Phillip Taylor was invited to take part in an event exploring what it means to get older, organised by the Resonate programme at the University of Warwick. Speaking alongside academics from other faculties, he emphasized ‘the importance and challenges of redesigning work for an ageing society’.

Professor Chris Warhurst, Director of IER, was invited to speak at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Future of Work: AI, good jobs and regional growth. Along with a panel consisting of tech trade bodies, trade unions and community activists, he outlined the opportunities and challenges for employers and English Metropolitan Combined Authorities in boosting productivity through good work and digital technology in regional economies.

As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences, a panel of experts, including IER’s Prof Gill Dix, Dr Emily Erickson, Prof Trine Pernille Larsen and Dr Katharina Sarter, discussed the future of work. The panel shared thoughts on the present and potential futures of work in the face of digital technologies and AI, which have the potential to create and reinforce inequalities or reduce them. Creating and maintaining good, secure, and healthy work will remain a priority, given the rapidly changing context and the inevitable uncertainty that the future holds.

Image Credit: Social Sciences Connect Programme