Research interests

Sally's research interests focus around the following topics: job quality, working conditions, new forms of work, workplace innovation, the impact of technology on work, labour market programmes, intersectionality and work, work-life balance, workplace restructuring and wellbeing at work. Sally would be interested in supervising research students in these or related fields.

Academic profile

Sally is a Senior Research Fellow at IER. She is an experienced mixed methods researcher with an established track record in managing large-scale research projects. She completed her doctoral studies in the field of job quality. She has published over 50 reports, book chapters, journal articles and working papers in her field. In October 2022, Sally became IER's Director of Graduate Studies.

She is currently a member of the large-scale European Horizon 2020 research project examining the impact of technology on the future of work. She is also involved in GIG-OSH, a CHANSE-funded project on challenges for occupational safety and health (OSH) for digital labour platform workers.

Sally was recently involved in commissioned research for the UK Department for Education (DfE) on horizon scanning around future labour market and skills. She was engaged as an expert advisor to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre research activity on digital labour platforms, platform work and the ‘platformisation’ of regular work. She has also undertaken research on employment models for Northern Ireland’s Labour Relations Agency (LRA), research for Eurofound on convergence of working conditions in the European Union, for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on a tasks-based analysis of jobs, and for the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and JP Morgan Chase Foundation on the role of parents in providing career guidance to their children. She was also involved in a pan-European Horizon 2020 research project examining job quality, innovation and employment outcomes.

Immediately prior to joining IER in 2014, Sally was at the Workplace Research Centre (WRC) at the University of Sydney Business School. She was the project manager and lead researcher for a number of large research projects, including the Australia at Work project, a longitudinal study of over 8,000 Australian workers, and the Award Reliance project, a study on pay-setting arrangements in over 12,000 employers. Before entering academia, Sally worked for the public service in industrial relations and employment policy, a national industry skills council and in the national campaigning and bargaining unit of the Finance Sector Union of Australia.

Current projects

• New challenges for occupational safety and health in times of the digital transformation in Europe: the role of digital labour platforms, with Chris Warhurst and Beate Baldauf, Funded by CHANSE; Project duration: November 2022 - October 2025
• Understanding work, wages and employment in key sectors post Covid - ReWAGE subgroup; with Beate Baldauf; Funded by the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust; Project duration: July 2021 - June 2022
• Labour market and skills demand horizon scanning and qualitative scenariosLink opens in a new window, with Terence Hogarth and Chris Warhurst; Funded by the Department for Education; Project Duration: March 2021 - July 2021

• COLLEEM 3 Survey Design and Analysis, Funded by the European Commission, Project Duration: February - October 2021
• The role of parents in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supportedLink opens in a new window. With Sally-Anne Barnes, Michael Orton, Jenny Bimrose, Alan Brown, John Gough (Centre for Lifelong Learning). Funded by The Gatsby Foundation. Project Start Date 01/08/2019 - Project End Date: 31/12/2020
• BEYOND 4.0 - Inclusive Futures for Europe BEYOND the impacts of Industrie 4.0 and Digital Disruption. Link opens in a new windowWith Chris Warhurst, Katharina Sarter and Chris Mathieu (Lund University), led by Steven Dhondt (TNO).Funded by European Commission. Project Start Date: 01/01/2019 - Project End Date: 30/06/2023 [details]

• Evaluation of the Founders4Schools careers programme for teachers. With Dr Sally-Anne Barnes, Stef Poole and Gaby Atfield, Founded by Founders4Schools. Project Start Date: December 2019 - Project End Date: July 2022

All projects

Selected publications

• Behrend, C. R., Götting, A., Kohlgrüber, M., Pomares, E. and Wright, S. (2022). Understanding future skills and enriching the skills debate. BEYOND4.0 project. Deliverable D6.1.
• Kohlgrüber, M., and Wright., S (2022). Skills for the Future of Work - Insights from the Beyond 4.0 project.
  Future of Work project
• Warhurst, C., Wright, S. and Mathieu, C (2022). Job Quality: A family affair? In: Warhurst, C., Mathieu, C. and Dwyer, R. (2022). The Oxford Handbook of Job Quality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp, 63-84.
• Knox, A. and Wright, S. (2022). Understanding Job Quality Using Qualitative Research. In: Warhurst, C., Mathieu, C. and Dwyer, R. (2022). The Oxford Handbook of Job Quality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp, 107-125
• Barnes, S-A., Hogarth, T., Cárdenas-Rubio, J., Wright, S., Hawthorne, M., Bosworth, D., & Bosworth, L. (2021). Strategic, Accessible Labour Market Intelligence: Labour market demand and supply of skills (Report 1). IER
  University of Warwick/Skills Development Scotland.
• Bosworth, D. with Hogarth, T., Cárdenas-Rubio, J., Barnes, S-A., Wright, S., & Bosworth, L. (2021). Strategic, Accessible Labour Market Intelligence: Performance of the labour market (Report 2). IER University of Warwick/Skills Development Scotland.
• Barnes, S-A., Bosworth, L., Wright, S., Hawthorne, M., Hogarth, T., Cárdenas Rubio, J. & Bosworth, D. (2021). Strategic, Accessible Labour Market Intelligence: Digital platform (Report 3). IER University of Warwick/Skills Development Scotland.
• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Gough, J. & Wright, S. (2020). The role of parents and carers in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supported: International evidence report. Coventry: University of Warwick.
• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Gough, J. & Wright, S. (2020). The role of parents and carers in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supported: Practice reportLink opens in a new window. Coventry: University of Warwick.
• Barnes, S-A. and Wright, S.A. (2019). The feasibility of developing a methodology for measuring the distance travelled and soft outcomes for long-term unemployed people participating in Active Labour Market Programmes. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
• Barnes, S-A., Wright, S., Irving, P. and Deganis, I. (2015). Identification of latest trends and current developments in methods to profile jobseekers in European public employment services: final reportLink opens in a new window. Brussels: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission.
• Bryan, D., Rafferty, M., Toner, P. and Wright, S. (2017). Financialisation and labour in the Australian commercial construction industry. The Economic and Labour Relations Review.Found at Online first: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1035304617739504
• Dunkerley, F., Bruckmayer, M., Flemons, L., Hofman, J., Virdee, M., Wright, S. and Hogarth, T. (2022). Labour market and skills demand horizon scanning and future scenarios. Research Report. London: Department for Education. May 2022.
• Gautié, J., Ahlstrand, R., Green, A. and Wright, S. (2017). ‘Innovation, Job Quality and Employment Outcomes in the Aerospace Industry: Evidence from France, Sweden and the UK’, in K. Jaehrling (ed) Virtuous circles between innovations, job quality and employment in Europe? Case study evidence from the manufacturing sector, private and public service sector, Chapter 2, pp35-87. QuInnE Work Package 6, Deliverable D6.3. Found at: http://www.quinne.eu/
• Green, A., Illéssy, M., Koene, B., Makó, C. and Wright, S. (2017). ‘Innovation, Job Quality and Employment Outcomes in Care: Evidence from Hungary, the Netherlands and the UK’ in K. Jaehrling (ed) Virtuous circles between innovations, job quality and employment in Europe? Case study evidence from the manufacturing sector, private and public service sector, Chapter 8, pp333-386. QuInnE Work Package 6, Deliverable D6.3. Found at: http://www.quinne.eu/
• Keune, M., Payton, N., Been, W., Green, A., Mathieu, C., Postels, D., Rehnström, F., Warhurst, C. and Wright, S. (2017). ‘Innovation and Job Quality in the Games Industry in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK’ in K. Jaehrling (ed) Virtuous circles between innovations, job quality and employment in Europe? Case study evidence from the manufacturing sector, private and public service sector, Chapter 6, pp234-279. QuInnE Work Package 6, Deliverable D6.3. Found at: http://www.quinne.eu/

• Knox, A. and Wright, S. (2022). ‘Understanding job quality using qualitative research’. In C. Warhurst, C., Mathieu, and R. Dwyer, R. (eds) Oxford Handbook of Job Quality, Oxford: Oxford University Press (Chapter 5: 107-125).

• Mathieu, C., Warhurst, C. and Wright, S. (2016) ‘Jakość pracy jako dźwignia innowacji organizacyjnych oraz rola zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi’ (‘Job Quality as a Lever for Organizational Innovation’ and the Role of Human Resource Management’) in Strumińska-Kutra, M.; Rok, B. (eds) Innowacje w miejscu pracy. Pomiędzy efektywnością a jakością życia społecznego (Workplace innovations: Between efficiency and quality of work life), pp 51-74, Warszawa: Poltext Publishing House

• Mathieu, C., Wright, S., Boethius, S. and Green, A. (2020). 'Innovations on a shoestring: Consequences for job quality of public service innovations in health and social careLink opens in a new window', European Journal of Workplace Innovation, 5(2): 4-30.
• Stuart, F., Pautz, H., Crimin, S. and Wright, S. (2016). What makes for decent work? A Study with low paid workers in Scotland (Initial Findings)Link opens in a new window. A UWS-Oxfam Partnership report with the support of Warwick Institute for Employment Research. Glasgow: Oxfam Scotland.
• Stuart, F., Pautz, H., and Wright, S. (2016). Decent Work for Scotland's Low-Paid Workers: A Job to be done. A UWS-Oxfam Partnership report with the support of Warwick Institute for Employment Research. Glasgow: Oxfam Scotland.
• Warhurst, C., Mathieu, C. and Wright, S. (2017). ‘Workplace Innovation and the Quality of Working Life in an Age of Uberisation’, chapter in P. Oeij, D. Rus and F. Pot (editors) Workplace Innovation: Theory, Research and Practice, Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being series, Springer Publishing Company.
• Warhurst, C., Mathieu, C., and Wright, S. (2021). Vorsprung durch Technik: the future of work, digital technology and the politics of the platform economy. In: P.A. Creticos, L. Bennett, L. Owen, C. Spirou and M. Morphis-Reibeck (eds) The Many Futures of Work: Chicago: Temple University Press, pp 179-195.
• Warhurst, C; Muñoz de Bustillo, L. R.; Antón Pérez, J-I.; Grande Martín, R.; Pinto, H. F.; Wright, S. (2019). Upward convergence in working conditions, Eurofound, ISBN: 978-92-897-1997-1.
• Warhurst, C. and Wright, S. (2014). If it's innovation you want, think about job quality. In: BBVA (eds) Reinventing the Company in the Digital Age, Madrid: BBVA, pp. 157-174.
• Warhurst, C. and S. Wright (2020) ‘What makes a good job for low-waged workers?’ in T. Dundon and A. Wilkinson (eds) Case Studies in Work, Employment and Human Resource Management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
• Warhurst, C., Wright, S. and Lyonette, C. (2017) Understanding and measuring job qualityLink opens in a new window, CIPD Research Services Job Quality Study, Report 1. London: CIPD.
• Wright, S., Warhurst, C., Lyonette, C. and Sarkar, S. (2018) Understanding and measuring job quality, CIPD Research Services Job Quality Study, Report 2. London: CIPD.

All publications

All conference presentations