ReWAGE is fortunate in having some of the UK’s foremost thinkers on its Expert Group, drawn from leading universities and research organisations across the UK. Between them they have a huge breadth of knowledge, covering such subjects as the labour market, job quality, employment relations and the changing nature of work.

This week we are pointing the spotlight onto Damian Grimshaw, Professor of Employment Studies at King’s College London and ReWAGE’s expert on international comparisons of low-wage labour markets, outsourcing and precarious work.

Background:

Damian is Professor of Employment Studies and Associate Dean for Research Impact at King’s College London. He was previously Director of the Research Department at a major United Nations agency, the International Labour Organisation, for two years (Geneva, 2018-19). Prior to that Damian was Professor at the University of Manchester, Head of the HR and Employment Relations and Law group and Director of the European Work and Employment Research Centre.

Area of expertise:

Damian’s published work covers international comparisons of low-wage labour markets, minimum wage policy, outsourcing and HRM, technology and the future of work, precarious work, collective bargaining and gender inequality. His research outlook crosses multiple disciplines, including labour market analysis, comparative employment relations, feminist economics, sociology of work and management.

Why Damian became a ReWAGE expert:

ReWAGE is a great initiative - the kind of institution that ought to have been invented years ago. So it’s a pleasure to work with employment scholars committed to improving the world of work through proactive engagement with policy-makers, trade unions and HR practitioners, among others.

What achievement makes Damian most proud:

Leading the Research department at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was a fantastic experience and opened my eyes to the challenges facing workers in low and middle income countries, not least informal work, weak/absent employment rights and social protection. I co-ordinated a number of impressive reports which have impacted policies around the world, including on the Future of Work, Digital platforms, Green jobs, Inequalities, and SDG 8.

Recent achievements:

At King’s Business School I co-ordinate our research impact agenda and it’s great to see so many wonderful examples among younger colleagues of research impact at a leading business school that address the grand challenges of inclusivity (e.g. exploring the role of social impact bonds for HIV testing), sustainability (e.g. understanding the development of local renewable energy schemes in London) and decent work (e.g. contributing to the BSI’s new Modern Slavery standard).

Current projects:

Examples of current lines of research enquiry include:

• What are the characteristics of the emerging market for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and how does it contribute to green transition/ green productivity growth? (ESRC, Productivity Institute, with Prof Marcela Miozzo, Prof Jonatan Pinkse and Dr Britt Regal)

• How does social dialogue shape the form of economic development (including innovation, competitiveness and resilience) and how does this shape social progress? (ILO)
• How are frontier firms in the UK adapting their skill and innovation strategies to harness digital technologies for productivity growth? (ESRC, Productivity Institute, with Prof Marcela Miozzo and Nadine Scholz)

Other interests:

Playing the piano, advancing my Spanish and sketching …

Recent publications:

• City regions and decent work: Politics, pluralism and policy making in Greater ManchesterLink opens in a new window
• Swimming against the tide? Street-level bureaucrats and the limits to inclusive active labour market programmes in the UKLink opens in a new window
• Minimum Wage Regimes: Statutory Regulation, Collective Bargaining and Adequate LevelsLink opens in a new window
• International organisations and the future of work: How new technologies and inequality shaped the narratives in 2019Link opens in a new window
• Minimum Wages and Collective Bargaining: What Types of Pay Bargaining Can Foster Positive Pay Equity Outcomes?Link opens in a new window
• Tackling Precarious Work in Public Supply Chains: A Comparison of Local Government Procurement Policies in Denmark, Germany and the ULink opens in a new window