Institute for the Future of Work
An independent research and development institute exploring how new technologies are transforming work and working lives. http://www.ifow.org
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- New research from the Pissarides Review is out today! Across three publications, one message is clear: institutions - from HR policies and training systems to worker voice structures - determine whether technology enables good work or deepens inequality. Read our blog here:
- Key findings: - Workers face everyday barriers to labour market mobility - HR policies play a crucial role in determining whether technology harms or helps - AI can raise pay for lower-skilled workers, but only when worker voices are involved (produced with @digitcentre.bsky.social)
- Join us at midday for a webinar where we'll discuss the implications of these findings:
- What role do organisations play in shaping the outcomes of technological transformation? Come along to our webinar tomorrow at midday, where we'll be launching three new publications that tackle this question head-on, considering pay, job opportunities, worker participation and more...
- We’d like to take a moment today to warmly thank Naomi Climer CBE, Co-Founder of the Institute of the Future of Work and a dedicated Trustee, who is stepping down from her role here at IFOW.
- Naomi's vision and commitment as a Founder and Trustee have been fundamental in building and shaping IFOW right from the start, and we all offer our enormous gratitude for the time and energy that Naomi has given to IFOW over the years, and we all wish her every happiness in the next chapter.
- In light of this, we're recruiting for a new IFOW Trustee Board Treasurer! Do you, or anyone you know, want to make a meaningful impact on the future of work? For more information on the role, key responsibilities, and how to apply, please see our website here.
- What makes work meaningful? What role do organisations have in shaping the impacts of technology adoption at work? Our February newsletter is out now, bringing together interesting reads and upcoming events across the hashtag#FutureOfWork - plus a few dates we’re excited to share...
- Great to be at @bloomberg.com today to hear DSIT Secretary of State, Liz Kendall announce a new cross-government AI and the Future of Work Unit. We are particularly thrilled that our Co-Director, Dr Abby Gilbert has been invited to sit on the Unit's Expert Panel: www.ifow.org/news-article...
- As this FoW Unit signifies, we're going beyond theory to real shifts in workplaces. Just us for an expert webinar on 6th Feb to discuss new research from our Pissarides Review, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org, on the importance of institutions in AI adoption: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981744998...
- And we are delighted that the Secretary of State, Liz Kendall will be delivering a keynote address at our major Making the Future Work conference on 18th May - exploring how we can couple the power of AI with human capability to turn the future to good. Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-the...
- As the technological transformation of the labour market continues, we are moving swiftly from theoretical impacts to seeing shifts in the real world of work. Join us as we launch three extension reports based on the Pissarides Review, exploring how workers are experiencing change.
- Earlier this month, IFOW and @clemicollett.bsky.social hosted an exciting, high-level roundtable of writers, publishers, parliamentarians, policymakers, lawyers, and trade unionists - to discuss AI, copyright, and the future of the novel. A full summary of the roundtable can be found here:
- Here's some of what the expert roundtable discussed: - Principle solutions around copyright - The importance and nature of transparency - Opportunities to address the impacts on children - The productivity narrative and frictions Dr Clementine's report can be found here:
- The roundtable also drew on IFOW's research report, ‘Creative Industries and GenAI’, which can be found here:
- Last week's new offshore wind farm announcements are good news for the vital renewable energy transition that the UK continues to show leadership on. But what about for the #FutureofWork?
- The government expects 7,000 skilled jobs from new wind farm contracts. But work must be done to ensure that renewable energy investment also strengthens pathways into secure, skilled employment for UK workers - particularly those living and working in the coastal regions preparing for wind farms.
- Join us in Cornwall next week where we will showcase Flourish, an innovative platform supported by Ufi VocTech Trust, designed to help local workers and young people in the UK successfully reap the rewards of the growing green economy.
- Are you interested in Cornwall's green future, and in creating pathways into quality green jobs? Come and join us for an exciting showcase event on Tuesday, 27th January at New County Hall in Truro.
- Our research with @ufitrust.bsky.social has revealed Cornwall's many regional strengths in the green industries - but also the skills gaps, low innovation readiness, and low uptake of vocational qualifications that act as barriers to local workers and young people transitioning into green jobs.
- Flourish is designed to: - Help young people understand and map their existing skills & capabilities - Connect them with relevant training and work opportunities - Make pathways into green jobs clearer and more accessible - Bridge the gap between education, employers, and career support
- A reminder to navigate to our starter pack below to find our offering of journalists, professors, technologists, policymakers, economists, researchers, and other selected leading voices on the #FutureofWork.
- As the year presses on, we'd like to welcome anyone new to IFOW's work by pointing you to our Starter Pack. Here you'll find a selection of individuals and organisations sharing research, opinions, and the latest news from all across the #FutureofWork space, specifically curated by IFOW. Enjoy!at://did:plc:bntpkteoee2wdi4o2gfvobsm/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3l2rmmsfjl22j
- It's no secret that new technologies are changing skills demands. Last week, the @financialtimes.com carried a graph reinforcing the dual importance of both mathematical and social skills - but emphasising that social skills are driving higher wage roles.
- Our research supports this. By analysing millions of job ads, we found that the skills most resilient in a technologising labour market are increasingly human-centric - critical thinking, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration all display enduring importance.
- With the @eyfoundation.bsky.social , we've been exploring how motivation is key to improving receptivity to these kinds of skills, helping them to access good work in a rapidly changing labour market. Look out for a report of our full findings, to be published shortly.
- As the year presses on, we'd like to welcome anyone new to IFOW's work by pointing you to our Starter Pack. Here you'll find a selection of individuals and organisations sharing research, opinions, and the latest news from all across the #FutureofWork space, specifically curated by IFOW. Enjoy!at://did:plc:bntpkteoee2wdi4o2gfvobsm/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3l2rmmsfjl22j
- Fantastic to see IFOW research featured in this UK Parliament POSTNote on AI and Employment - including our survey of 5000 employees highlighting a correlation between increasing work intensification and a high frequency of employee interaction with new workplace technologies like AI.
- The note also uses automation archetypes to help classify AI use in the workplace, as well as considering levels of regional 'readiness' in relation to job creation and automation.
- As the note points out, there is still a great deal we do not know about the true impact of AI on work and the labour market - pointing to the need for more of the kind of high-quality research that IFOW publishes, exploring how technologies are impacting work and working lives.
- Fantastic to host an expert roundtable this morning focused on reseasrch by @clemicollett.bsky.social on the impacts of GenAI on the novel, with high-level representation from parliament, policymaking and publishing.
- The mood music was clear: if 2025 was about clarifying what the challenges are, 2026 has to be about action - on trust and transparency, on remuneration and licensing models, and international interoperability. For a summary of Dr Clementine's research and findings, see here:
- We're back - and a Happy New Year to all! We're excited to welcome 2026 and continue all our work in the #FutureofWork space. Sign up for our newsletter below to stay up-to-date with upcoming reports, events and other news.
- Following a talk at the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) Annual Conference 2025, IFOW Senior Research Fellow Prof Phoebe Moore @digigirlz.bsky.social explores how the production of AI, as well as its impact on social relations, can help identify new OSH risks for workers in the age of AI.
- How are AI technologies shaping pay in the UK? New research, co-authored by Dr Magdalena Soffia, Associate Head of Social Research at IFOW, provides the first nationally representative evidence on how AI is affecting employee pay across skill levels and the country.
- Traditional economic theories suggest that digital technologies favour high-skilled workers. Our findings reveal that AI adoption disproportionately benefits lower-skilled workers, especially when paired with mechanisms of employee voice and participation. Read more about the findings in this blog:
- Thanks to all who attended the APPG on the Future of Work yesterday, focused on good jobs and regional growth, with particular thanks to our panel - Lord Jim Knight, Josie Crescent-Moon, Prof @vdanat.bsky.social, Georgina Maratheftis, Eve Navias, and Prof Chris Warhurst.
- The panel discussed how local employees, employers, communities, and regional leaders must be empowered to shape the future of work and sustained economic growth through technological transformation.
- Thanks to @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social for hosting us at the Shard, as well as our other APPG partners - @communityunion.bsky.social, @prospectunion.bsky.social, Simmons & Simmons and Pearson.
- The Government's announcement of a £725 million package of reforms to the apprenticeship system is exciting news. Regional inequalities are a crucial feature of the UK labour market, so we're pleased to see skills training matched with local job opportunities as part of a wider regional framing.
- The Pissarides Review highlighted the importance of place when managing good transitions, starting with Combined and Strategic Authorities. We therefore particularly welcome the £140 million pilot where Mayors can connect young people, especially those who find themselves NEET, with local employers.
- As the Government looks to support young people into work, a continued focus on the creation of good jobs across the UK is essential. The Good Work Monitor tracks trends in access to good work across all 203 UK local authorities, offering regional insights to local and national policymakers.
- We're excited for the next session of the APPG on the Future of Work on Tuesday, which will focus on good jobs and regional growth. Sign up below to join us online:
- AI is not just a tool - it is a structural force remodelling how people connect, how organisations function and how inequalities evolve. In a new blog for us, IFOW Research Fellow Canhui Liu looks at how AI intervenes in social ties to form human-machine networks.
- On human-machine networks, Algorithmic Affect Management (AAM) - the use of workers' affect and emotion data to feed into algorithmic management systems - also asks how close and sustained exposure to affective technologies could be changing how we see ourselves and our relationships to one another.
- Our December newsletter is here! This month features comment on last week's Budget, focusing on measures around the Youth Guarantee. Also featured is an excellent new blog from IFOW Research Fellow Canhui Liu - on how AI is reshaping social structures...
- We're #hiring! IFOW is looking for a Head of Programmes and Partnerships to build strong programmes of activity and deliver impact in the service of our charitable mission, through strategic partnerships with academia, industry and policymakers. More info on the role and how to apply here:
- We're excited to announce the next APPG on the #FutureofWork. As powers are devolved to local leaders, how can we build inclusive innovation systems that support good jobs and regional growth?
- This session convenes parliamentarians, regional leaders and policy experts to examine the renewal of regional innovation, and expansion of access to #goodwork. The panel will consider what safeguards fair standards are needed, and how local leaders can work together to deliver inclusive growth.
- Reposted by Institute for the Future of WorkThis research from @clemicollett.bsky.social was made possible by funding from @braiduk.bsky.social and is published in association with @mctd.bsky.social and @ifow.org. Read more at @cam.ac.uk ➡️ www.cam.ac.uk/stories/gene...
