Institute for the Future of Work
banner
ifow.org
Institute for the Future of Work
@ifow.org
An independent research and development institute exploring how new technologies are transforming work and working lives. http://www.ifow.org

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.ifow.org/newsletter
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.
Green Skills & Good Work in Cornwall
Are you interested in Cornwall's green future and creating pathways into quality green jobs?
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 3:49 PM
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!
January 14, 2026 at 3:43 PM
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.
January 13, 2026 at 4:26 PM
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!
January 12, 2026 at 4:33 PM
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.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and employment
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in UK workplaces. How is it being used, and what are the impacts on job opportunities and working conditions?
post.parliament.uk
January 9, 2026 at 3:10 PM
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.
January 7, 2026 at 4:08 PM
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.
Newsletter
We develop practical ways to improve the value, shape and experience of work. As the world and work change, we ensure people are put first.
www.ifow.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:18 PM
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.
OSH in the Age of AI
European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) Brussels, 2025 Annual Conference I presented next to Antonio Aloisi and Vincent Mandinaud, before ETUC Deputy General Secretary Isabelle Schömann’s closi…
phoebevmoore.wordpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:05 AM
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.
Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Employee Pay in the United Kingdom: Evidence From Matched Employer–Employee Data
This paper examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies on employee pay in the United Kingdom. We use matched nationally representative data from the Employers’ Digital Pr...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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.
December 10, 2025 at 4:23 PM
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.
50,000 more young people to benefit from apprenticeships as Government unveils new skills reforms to get Britain working
The £725 million package of reforms to the apprenticeship system will help to tackle youth unemployment and drive economic growth, with thousands more young people expected to benefit over the next th...
www.gov.uk
December 8, 2025 at 2:14 PM
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:
APPG on the Future of Work: Good Jobs and Regional Growth
As powers are devolved to local leaders, how can we build inclusive innovation systems that support good jobs and regional growth?
www.eventbrite.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 8:56 AM
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.
From human networks to human–machine networks: How AI is reshaping social structures - IFOW
New workflows and forms of work are emerging from human–machine interaction
www.ifow.org
December 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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...
December Newsletter - The Youth Guarantee and how AI is reshaping social structures - IFOW
A welcome investment in young people in the UK
www.ifow.org
December 3, 2025 at 12:09 PM
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 hiring - Head of Programmes & Partnerships - IFOW
We're hiring - Head of Programmes & Partnerships
www.ifow.org
November 28, 2025 at 9:59 AM
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?
APPG on the Future of Work: Good Jobs and Regional Growth
As powers are devolved to local leaders, how can we build inclusive innovation systems that support good jobs and regional growth?
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Exciting to have IFOW Research Fellow Dr @clemicollett.bsky.social on BBC's Today programme this morning, discussing her new report 'The Impact of Generative AI on the Novel'. The research, co-published with IFOW, reveals wide concern among novelists on #copyright, GenAI book imitations and more.
November 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
A new report by Deel examines global policy debates on AI and the future of work, and how to create practical solutions to empower workers, companies and governments alike. On regulation, IFOW Founding Director Anna Thomas MBE is quoted in the report saying this:

www.deel.com/blog/ai-work...
November 17, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Great to have IFOW trustee Professor Gina Neff on the BBC this Sunday, speaking to the increasingly urgent need for strong regulation and trusted AI systems as more and more digital products and platforms are embedded with AI explainers, assistants and chatbots.
November 13, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Great to see IFOW Research Fellow Shuting Xia contribute to this LSE blog on good work questions around digital work in developing economies.
#Digital livelihoods are hailed as a borderless opportunity for #refugees.

But searching online doesn't easily translate into paid work, new research shows. Connections with real people matter.

Lorraine Charles @cam.ac.uk, Marie Godin and Shuting Xia @ifow.org for @lseinequalities.bsky.social.
It’s not digital platforms that hire refugees – it’s people
Is digital work a borderless opportunity for refugees? Evidence from Kenya - in camp and urban settings - reveals the importance of a web of human relationships
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 10, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The Keep Britain Working Review published this week highlighted the significant challenges in supporting people in work amidst growing health struggles. At an expert roundtable in March, we met with Sir Charlie Mayfield to underscore the impact of workplace technologies on health and wellbeing.
Keep Britain Working Review: Final report
Keep Britain Working is an independent review of the role of employers in tackling health based economic inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces.
www.gov.uk
November 7, 2025 at 11:51 AM
How much uncertainty can be tolerated when it comes to regulating AI? In a new blog piece, Professor Moore
@digigirlz.bsky.social explores the autonomy and unpredictability that creates artificial intelligence - and what this means for risk and regulation. Read below:
Inside the Black Box: Risk and uncertainty for AI in EU law - IFOW
How much uncertainty should be tolerated in the legal making and compliance space when it comes to AI?
www.ifow.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Our November newsletter is here! Read below for the comment on recent regulatory developments in the UK and EU, and to catch up on curated reads and events from the #FutureofWork space.

If you're not subscribed, sign up here to get next month's newsletter in full: www.ifow.org/newsletter
November Newsletter - Sandboxing and the EU AI Act - IFOW
Comment on the Government's AI Growth Labs and a new blog asking - Is EU AI regulation happening inside a black box?
www.ifow.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The labour market can seem a little spooky at the moment. Talk of a gloomy graduate 'jobpocalypse' and predictions of AI taking jobs can loom large. But unmask these narratives and a more nuanced picture appears...
October 31, 2025 at 2:33 PM