IER Newsletter - Current Issue

Question time: the future of work

Join us for a Question Time-style event to explore the future of work on Wednesday, 05 November, 3.30 - 5.00 pm. Our experts from the Faculty of Social Sciences, including the IER, will answer your questions on all things work: What will be the impact of AI and digitalisation on the future of work? Will that future be one of good and healthy jobs for everyone? And will the future of work deliver greater productivity? We invite you to bring your questions on the future of work and be prepared to ask them, but of course you’re also welcome to join the event to listen only. Our panellists come from a background of employment research, business studies, economics and political theory, and look forward to engaging with your questions. Read MoreLink opens in a new window 

Please register here for this free in-person panel discussion with Q&A at the Helen Martin Studio, Arts Centre, University of Warwick campus. This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2025, organised by the University of Warwick’s Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute for Employment Research, and the Big Questions initiative, managed by the Social Sciences Connect Programme, and shared by Resonate.

Exploring colonial legacies in Caribbean labour markets: IER research presented in Barbados

IER's Dr Jamelia HarrisLink opens in a new window, together with Dexnell Peter's of the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, presented some of the main ideas and early findings from the research project "Colonial Legacies and the Labour Market in the English-speaking Caribbean.Link opens in a new window" The project, funded by the British Academy, explores how institutions, laws (written/unwritten) and general structures of governance in the colonial period in the English-speaking Caribbean can still shape present day institutions like the labour market. Read MoreLink opens in a new window 

Early findings from the research highlight that some underlying differences in labour market outcomes between men and women in Trinidad and Tobago (such as wages and occupational groups engaged in) can be traced to structures first established in the colonial period. The seminar was hosted by the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, and was live-streamed regionally.

What university degrees don't buy

A pioneering study published in Studies in Higher Education provides the first comprehensive examination of multidimensional job quality premiums for university graduates across European labour markets, challenging long-held assumptions about the returns to higher education. Drawing on data from 26 European countries collected between 2005 and 2015, IER’s Dr Link opens in a new windowSangwoo Lee and Cesar Burga Idrogo (University College London) examined six non-monetary job quality dimensions beyond conventional earnings measures.Their analysis reveals that graduate advantages are highly selective rather than universally distributed across all aspects of work. Read MoreLink opens in a new window 

The research found that university graduates enjoy substantial premiums in Skills and Discretion (5.99 points on a 100-point scale), representing significantly greater autonomy, task complexity, and skill utilisation. Moderate advantages also appear in Physical Environment (3.64 points) and Prospects (2.64 points), indicating better working conditions and career opportunities. However—and this is the study's most striking finding—graduates experience no significant advantages in Social Environment, Work Intensity, or Working Time Quality.

The study also reveals that educational expansion matters. In countries with higher tertiary attainment rates, graduate premiums diminish significantly in Skills and Discretion and Physical Environment, though other dimensions remain stable. This pattern indicates that mass expansion reshapes, rather than reduces, the value of university credentials.

The findings carry important implications for how we evaluate higher education outcomes and may help explain why objective graduate advantages don't always translate into higher subjective wellbeing—the so-called "paradox of the dissatisfied graduate."

Lee, S., & Burga Idrogo, C. (2025). Beyond earnings: The multidimensional job quality premiums for university graduates in European labour markets. Link opens in a new windowStudies in Higher Education.

Creating Healthy Jobs project (NIHR): opprtunities for a quantitative researcher

As part of the NIHR - Creating Healthy JobsLink opens in a new window project, led by the IER, the Cardiff University Business School is recruiting a Research Associate. The role will involve the analysis of microdata to explore the relationship between job quality and health in the UK, leading to high quality academic publications and dissemination to inform policy and employer practice. It would ideally suit someone with expertise in health and/or labour economics. Closing date for the application is Monday, 3 November 2025. Further details please are available hereLink opens in a new window.