Institute for the Future of Work

phoebevmoore.wordpress.comExperimental AI: The Age of Uncertainty or Labour’s Indeterminacy?Monday 7th December. 10.00 – 15.00 (GMT) Online only. Register HERE Read Andrej Savin’s post: Testbed Europe: The AI Act as Experimental Infrastructure Hosted by the new EBS/EHS AI Hub (…

🗣️ Experimental AI: The Age of Uncertainty or Labour’s Indeterminacy? What happens when human beings, including workers, become the infrastructure through which AI systems learn, adapt, and improve? Find out more at this conference, co-organised by IFOW Senior Fellow: @digigirlz.bsky.social

bloomberg.comHow Will AI Affect Jobs? The UK Finance Industry Is Showing UsFrom back-office hubs to high finance, Britain's banking industry is a case study in the coming age of automation

🗺️ AI-related changes to work will affect sectors and regions across the UK differently. As the below article reports, sectors like the financial services may face particular exposure, with more routine tasks at risk of automation. But exposure is only part of the picture.

Our research for the Mayor of London’s AI & Jobs Taskforce also highlights the importance of workers’ adaptive capacity - their resources, transferable skills, opportunities to navigate change, and access to a diverse labour market - alongside exposure.

ifow.orgMaking Flex Fair: Hybrid Work, Wellbeing and Good Work Design - Working Paper - IFOWHybrid work brings greater autonomy - but also intensification, that leads to impacts of wellbeing. How can good work design make flex fair?

💻 Over 26% of workers surveyed felt that collaborative and video conferencing software (CVCS) forced them to work harder than usual, according to our latest report, drawing on research from the Working@Home Project.

Making flex fair means redesigning work itself. As IFOW Director Anna Thomas explored at FT Live last week, a human-centred approach to value, leadership and decision-making is key to shaping work that supports wellbeing and inclusion, and further principles of good work.

ft.comSilicon Valley thinks AI will kill jobs. Economists are not convincedEconomists do not see a future without jobs, but they do see scope for rapid, disruptive change in the nature of work

'It is very unlikely that strong monopolies lead to more equality.' Speaking to the Financial Times, IFOW Co-Founder Sir Christopher Pissarides warned how AI adoption at work may be worsening existing inequalities.

ifow.orgGoverning the Innovation Ecosystem: How Perceived Rights and Worker Voice Shape the Distribution of Risk and Benefit - IFOWNew research exploring how workers' perceived rights and representation impact automation outcomes.

Our recent research suggests this divide may already be emerging, with negative experiences of automation mapping onto existing inequalities around ethnicity, occupation and more. Read the report here:

eventbrite.co.ukMaking Flex Fair: Hybrid Work, Wellbeing, and Good Work DesignHybrid work can offer autonomy and access to good work, but also longer hours and more intense days. So how can we Make Flex Fair?

Do join us on Tuesday for a webinar launching fantastic new reports on the impacts of #hybrid work on #wellbeing. We know that working hybrid can promote autonomy... but it can also lead to intensification and extensification of work - and do so unequally. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-fle...

📣 Our latest research examines how the benefits and risks of automation are unevenly distributed across demographic groups, occupational grades, firms and sectors.

ifow.orgBuilding good work in the age of AI - IFOWWhy anticipatory governance, rights and worker voice matter

In this blog, IFOW Head of Social Research Dr Magdalena Soffia explores the implications of these findings for how technological change must be anticipated, monitored and managed by our institutions.

eventbrite.co.ukGoverning AI for Good Work: Rights, Worker Voice and Fair Labour MarketsJoin IFOW as we launch new research on how the perceived rights and representation mechanisms of workers impact automation outcomes.

17 Sept

Join IFOW on Tuesday for new research exploring how workers' differing levels of perceived rights and access to representation are impacting automation outcomes - from increased autonomy to greater surveillance and intensification... 📅 Tuesday 22nd September 🕣 12:00-13:00 Sign-up below.

smf.co.ukThe first rung: How the experience of a first job shapes what comes next - Social Market Foundation. The First Rung: How Your First Job Shapes Your Career - Social Market Foundation.SMF research finds first jobs that build confidence boost earnings by 24% by one's mid-30s, but access to the best pathways is far from equal.

9 Sept

Good work matters from the very start of working life. 👇 New research reveals that first jobs that build young people’s confidence and skills to take on greater responsibility can lead to higher earnings later in their careers - but access to those jobs remains sharply unequal.

linkedin.comThe job adverts you don’t get to seeHidden biases, hidden jobs - and what online platforms must do now By Claire Lesko; AI Compliance Lead, Equality and Human Rights Commission Have you ever wondered why the job adverts you see on socia...

9 Sept

What job adverts don't you get to see? New blog from EHRC on hidden biases in job ad recommendations👇

oecd.orgPISA 2025: Students’ reading and mathematics performance declined sharply across the OECDStudent performance across OECD countries has continued to decline, reaching the lowest average ever recorded by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in mathematics and readi...

8 Sept

'We live in a world of AI - and that makes reading more important, not less important.’ This was teacher and principal Emma Butler on R4 today, responding to new OECD research revealing that global literacy levels are declining, amid concerns about the impact of AI on education.

8 Sept

Our research reveals how core skills and capabilities help young people develop the critical thinking, communication and creativity needed to navigate changing labour markets, as our Associate Director Kester Brewin recently emphasised to an evidence session of the Education Select Committee:

resolutionfoundation.orgSecond wind • Resolution FoundationNet zero is touted as a way to regenerate local economies and cushion industrial decline, as well as delivering cheap energy. Aberdeen and Grimsby show that it cannot do all three in every place that ...

3 Sept

Net zero can still feel like “something happening over there” or “beyond the horizon” for people in Grimsby and other coastal regions experiencing a renewable energy transition. This point was made by IFOW Director Oliver Nash and Grimsby MP Melanie Onn at this morning's launch of a new report:

ifow.orgFlourish - Good Green Training and Work in Grimsby - IFOWIncreasing numbers in good green training and jobs in Grimsby

3 Sept

Our research with communities in Grimsby found that the barriers to green work are often practical: understanding what green jobs involve, getting responses from employers, accessing relevant training and information, and knowing how to take that first step without conventional experience.

resolutionfoundation.orgRe-industrialising the North? • Resolution FoundationThe UK’s net zero transition will have a major impact on our industrial mix and labour market. While the majority of new ‘green jobs' are likely to be spread thinly across the UK, some local areas – p...

2 Sept

What does the net zero transition mean for jobs, skills and living standards in the places at the heart of the UK’s green economy? ⏰ Tomorrow, join IFOW Director Oliver Nash, Melanie Onn MP, and the Resolution Foundation, to explore what net zero means for the UK's towns and industrial strategy.

ifow.orgFlourish - Good Green Training and Work in Grimsby - IFOWIncreasing numbers in good green training and jobs in Grimsby

2 Sept

Oliver will draw on in-depth IFOW research in Grimsby, which identified the barriers preventing local people from accessing emerging green opportunities and good work. Read the report here:

resolutionfoundation.orgZero to hero? • Resolution FoundationCharlie McCurdy looks at the Government’s plan to end exploitative zero-hours contracts Right now, workers on variable-hours contracts shoulder the risks of unpredictable hours (and income), even as t...

1 Sept

Fair conditions are at the heart of good work, alongside fair pay, autonomy, dignity and more. See the Good Work Charter here: www.ifow.org/publications... Below, the Resolution Foundation explores what the Government’s planned reforms to zero-hours contracts could mean for millions of workers.

bbc.co.ukGraduate job vacancies drop by almost 50% in a year, survey suggestsJob site Adzuna said the number of graduate vacancies was the lowest since 2016

24 Aug

Graduate vacancies have halved over the past year, according to job website Adzuna, with AI and rising costs cited as potential factors in this decrease.

24 Aug

Our research for the Mayor of London’s AI & Jobs Taskforce highlights the need to look beyond AI exposure alone to understand how technology is changing tasks, skills, transitions and pathways into work.

ifow.orgMaking good work count in public procurement - IFOWIFOW helped put good work at the heart of public procurement. Now, the Social Value Model creates new opportunities for Mayors.

20 Aug

Public procurement is one of government’s most significant economic levers. New Social Value Model reforms put good jobs at the heart of procurement, with a 10% weighting from £1m and 20% from £5m, creating new opportunities for Mayors to connect spending with labour market evidence and good work.

17 Aug

We're delighted that IFOW Founding Director Anna Thomas MBE will be speaking at the Oxford Generative AI Summit again this year. Early bird tickets are almost gone. More details here: www.oxgensummit.org/speakers/ann...

ifow.orgChannelling Motivations - IFOWFind out about the work IFOW has been doing in partnership with the EY Foundation to help young people from low-income backgrounds access good work in this age of technological transformation.

🎉 Congratulations to all young people receiving results today! Our research shows that building better pathways into good work for young people means helping them understand their motivations and values, navigate opportunities, and develop the capabilities to thrive in a changing labour market.

bbc.co.ukSpotify to introduce AI badge after fans make feelings 'clear'The new feature, starting from mid-September, will tell listeners if an artist is AI-generated.

🎵 Spotify is introducing AI Persona labels for AI-generated artist profiles from September and will remove AI Personas from editorial and algorithmic recommendations by default. The move follows the meteoric rise and backlash against the AI-generated ‘band’ The Velvet Sundown.

Greater transparency through labels and AI credits is a positive start. But Spotify’s move also highlights the wider changes GenAI is bringing to creative work, from job displacement to other issues around the unauthorised reproduction of artists’ names, likenesses and styles.

ifow.orgCreative Industries and GenAI: Good Work Research report - IFOW

Our Creative Industries and AI: Good Work Research Report, produced with music and audio industry unions and freelancers’ associations, explores the risks of displacement and financial loss - and also captures the less visible moral, emotional and reputational harms experienced by creative workers.

7 Aug

Around 60% of surveyed London employers report substantial use of approved generative AI tools, while informal "shadow AI" is also widespread. But governance, workforce engagement and training are developing much more slowly than adoption itself.

6 Aug

The strongest evidence is not of jobs disappearing - but of work being redesigned. London's creative industries are seeing changes in demand and production, while professional services are redesigning knowledge work. The strongest evidence is of tasks and roles changing - not widespread job losses.

5 Aug

London is comparatively well placed to adapt to AI - but its resilience is unevenly shared. Around 600,000 Londoners work in occupations with high AI exposure and lower adaptive capacity. This is not a forecast of job losses, but it does identify where targeted support may be most needed.

4 Aug

London has the highest average AI exposure of any UK region - but exposure is not the same as vulnerability. Our evidence introduces a new measure of adaptive capacity, showing that AI risk depends not just on technology, but on workers' ability to adapt.

3 Aug

AI is already reshaping work in London gradually and unevenly. However, the impact will be determined not by technology alone, but by the choices employers, workers and institutions make now.

3 Aug

Following three months of evidence gathering for the Mayor of London’s AI & Jobs Taskforce, we’ll be sharing key findings from IFOW’s research over the next week - moving beyond speculation and headlines to understand how AI is really changing work in the capital.

ifow.orgJuly Newsletter - Devolution and Innovation - IFOWAI Taskforce(s) and IFOW's summer reads

31 July

📣 Our last newsletter before a summer pause is here. Read below for the latest evidence on how AI is reshaping jobs in London, what the new Prime Minister's focus on devolution and innovation could mean for the future of work, and a selection of summer reads for the new government...

bbc.co.ukData centres could pay hundreds of millions in deposits for power demandsThe regulator said a fee of between £237,500 to £712,500 per megawatt should be charged for upcoming projects.

30 July

Good to see the maturing of the conversation around what AI 'means' in terms of deeper infrastructure, impacts on grid load - and local people. Getting AI 'right' isn't just about use, it has to be about the full system architecture being designed for good. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

ofgem.gov.ukProposed data centre connection reformsWe are consulting on our reforms to demand connections to manage the fast growth of data centres and support a more efficient network.

30 July

The Ofgem consultation on reforms to data centre connection demand, and how to support a more efficient grid network, is here: www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation...

ft.comThe new premium product: books written by peopleSome publishers think AI could not only help authors but replace them

"The book trade is deeply split over how to handle a technology that some publishers and authors vow not to touch but which others identify as a huge opportunity that is already changing reading and listening habits." - Very good piece on #AI and #publishing: www.ft.com/content/6b52...

mctd.ac.ukImpact of Generative AI on the NovelA report examining how literary creatives being affected by GenAI and what measures they want see implemented by the government to protect the UK’s literary scene.

So much of this set out brilliantly by @clemicollett.bsky.social in the report we supported, 'Generative AI and the Novel' - which goes far beyond the novel itself to understand the delicate ecosystems of literacy and creativity which we tamper with at our peril: www.mctd.ac.uk/impact-of-ge...

ifow.orgThe Final Report of the Pissarides Review - IFOWThe culmination of three years research, we propose a new model of human-centred automation and a new socio-economic paradigm of Good Work

We are delighted to see the creation of a dedicated Minister of State for the Future of Work - something that we have called for for many years, and recommended in the Final Report of the Pisssarides Review, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org. Read the report here: www.ifow.org/publications...

Wishing @katedeardenmp.bsky.social all success as she begins work, and very much look forward to doing all we can to offer insights and support for this really vital, cross-cutting role.

21 July

Great to hear Baroness Martha Lane Fox on BBC World at One highlighting IFOW's research for the Mayor of London's AI and Jobs Taskforce. Responding to OECD reports that a majority of London jobs face risk, Fox drew on IFOW's Taskforce research to emphasise how AI is changing jobs, tasks and roles.

london.gov.ukMayor backs £30m investment to help London shape the future of work—not wait for itArtificial intelligence (AI) will transform London’s economy. But an AI ‘jobs apocalypse’ is not inevitable, and neither is a future in which technology benefits only a privileged few. That is the con...

21 July

Today, the Mayor of London has accepted all the recommendations of the AI and Jobs Taskforce, following the publication of the Taskforce's report and evidence summary - backed by three months of research and engagement led by IFOW.

21 July

We're really proud to have supported the Taskforce in delivering the largest and most comprehensive evidence-gathering exercise on the impact of AI on employment in London, helping the Mayor better understand how AI is already reshaping work across the capital. Full evidence summary here:

ft.comEmployers pushed staff to use AI more. That has backfiredIncentives to use new tools are changing as costs start to hit home

The conversation around AI adoption may be maturing, the FT reported this week, with organisations beginning to move beyond "tokenmaxxing", or measuring AI success primarily through usage metrics.

ifow.orgGood Work Design and AI Adoption - Action Research in Eight Cross-Sector Case Studies - IFOWEight cross-sector case studies surface how work design is key to responsible AI adoption

As our research indicates, enabling successful and responsible AI adoption requires a greater focus on good work design and a reorientation of how we measure value creation - moving beyond 'efficiency traps' towards more people-centred approaches to adoption at work.

youtube.comMaking the Future Work - The Adoption ChallengeYouTube video by Institute for the Future of Work

This was also central to the AI adoption panel at Making the Future Work. The panel explored not just how to adopt AI, but why, using good work design to consider the wider factors shaping adoption - from leadership and training to autonomy and dignity at work.

AI may become radically more powerful over the next decade, driving major economic transformation with significant risks and opportunities. Economists, policymakers and technology leaders must act now to build the incentives, guardrails and institutions needed to ensure it benefits society.