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Articles by Fabian Wallace-Stephens
Committees - UK Parliament
Experts discuss UK economic readjustment and building a sustainable recovery with Committee On Tuesday 10 November at 3pm, the Economic Affairs Committee holds its penultimate evidence session on the Employment and COVID-19 inquiry. The first panel focuses on the nature of the economic readjustment, whilst the second panel focuses on building a sustainable economic recovery.
A blueprint for good work
Eight ideas for a new social contract This report argues that the twin challenges of economic insecurity and labour-market transforming technologies require a new blueprint social contract for good work.
8 ideas for a new social contract for good work
Put alongside the moral urgency of the pandemic, the twin challenges of growing economic insecurity and labour market transforming technologies require a new social contract for work. The RSA Future Work Centre began as an exploration of how technology and public policy could be harnessed towards the pursuit of good work. That remains our mission, but with the arrival of Covid-19 we now find ourselves in the grasp of a social catastrophe.
Low pay, lack of homeworking: why workers are suffering during lockdown
New RSA analysis finds that those least able to work from home are often the lowest paid. While we are moving towards a homeworking economy, some of the fastest-growing key professions are among the least likely to be able to work from home, such as carers, nurses and drivers. In December 2019, the RSA published new analysis of the Labour Force Survey, looking at which jobs have grown most rapidly over the past decade.
Four futures of skills and learning in Scotland
Preparing for the future is no easy task. There is a growing consensus that we need to do more to help workers navigate the shifting sands of the labour market. But what skills will they need in the future? And how should educators, employers and policy makers respond? To help decision makers think more laterally about the future of work, the RSA developed four scenarios for 2035.
Covid-19 and the case for portable benefits
As the coronavirus spreads, trade unions are urging governments to ensure that all workers can access sick pay. But this epidemic has surfaced the need for a more radical reform of the benefits system. Earlier this week the government was accused of failing to grasp the threat of gig economy workers spreading coronavirus, after a minister at the Department of Work and Pensions advised those with no access to sick pay to claim unemployment benefits instead.
Is insecure work on the rise?
Employment rates have again reached record heights. But it seems most of the jobs growth in the last year has been driven by a surge in insecure forms of work. Is this just a blip, or a sign of things to come? Most of the jobs growth in the last decade has been in steady, secure roles. According to the Labour Force Survey, full-time permanent employment has grown by 2.5 million since 2010, accounting for more than two thirds of all jobs growth.
The Future Work Archive: an immersive experience for 2035
Big Tech, Precision, Exodus and Empathy: the RSA’s four scenarios for the future of work offer competing visions for 2035. To bring these scenarios to life, we developed The Future Work Archive: an immersive experience and collection of artefacts. Here we take a look at what the archive offers. Engaging people in the future of work Earlier this year we published a report detailing four different scenarios for the future of work in the UK.
The future of work in Denmark
Collective agreements in the gig economy. A flexible approach to economic security. Trade unions using technology to redesign jobs. What can we learn from the future of work in Denmark? A different approach to the gig economy I get off the plane and to my surprise there is no Uber in Copenhagen. The platform reportedly pulled out of Denmark after failing to persuade the government to change laws to accommodate its business model. Naturally I ask everyone I meet here about the gig economy.
What new jobs will emerge in the 2020s?
As the economy has evolved over the last decade, a perfect storm of austerity, automation and e-commerce has created winners and losers, with women in particular bearing the brunt of job losses in back office and high street roles. But the start of a new decade warrants a healthy dose of optimism. What new jobs will emerge? And how can we support workers to transition into the jobs of the future?
Retail therapy: towards a future of good work in retail
This paper summarises our enquiry into the future of retail. We explore possible future challenges and opportunities for the sector and outline a set of prototype policy and practice interventions, developed in partnership with major retailers, policy makers and wider civil society. The retail sector is at a watershed moment and livelihoods are at stake, with retail employing over 2.8 million workers – one of the largest sectors in the UK economy.
Work in progress
Our working lives seem to be changing faster than ever before; we need to find ways to promote good work and prepare to meet the challenges ahead. By Matthew Taylor and Fabian Wallace-Stephens Matthew Taylor is Chief Executive of the RSA; Fabian Wallace-Stephens is a Researcher in the RSA’s Future Work Centre @RSAMatthew @fabian_ws It is now getting on for two years since Theresa May joined me at the RSA to launch the final report of the inquiry into modern employment practices.
What’s wrong with Uber’s IPO?
If any week could highlight the winners and losers of the gig economy, it’d be this one. While Uber drivers in London are striking in order to earn just £2 a mile, several Silicon Valley billionaires are set to profit when Uber floats on the New York Stock Exchange. Uber’s IPO (initial public offering) will show how much the market values it. But what is creating the value of the company? The real currency of the gig economy is data. That is why we need to give workers control of their data.
The four futures of work: coping with uncertainty in an age of radical technologies
Four Futures of Work, from the RSA Future Work Centre, which follows RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor’s employment review for the Prime Minister, argues that policy-makers should focus more on how automation will transform all work, not just lead to job losses.
Mapping the future of work
Automation and the rise of gig economy platforms get all the airtime when it comes to the future of work in the UK. But context matters. Technological forces can have very different impacts in emerging markets. And these workers face distinct challenges. What did we learn from our 2019 Future Work Awards? Where in the world has the most WorkerTech? Last week we announced the 28 winners from the inaugural future work awards.
4 key takeaways from Future Work Awards 2019 - RSA
The world of work is changing. Gig platforms are atomising labour markets and new technologies are automating jobs. Many fear these trends will deepen economic insecurity. But the Future Work Award winners show that we can work with the grain of these trends, harnessing the benefits of flexibility and technological disruption without forgoing security in the process. After 9 months of research we identified over 400 applicants for our inaugural Future Work Awards. Today we announce our 30 winners.
Good work in the gig economy – showcasing the future work awards - RSA
Gig work is here to stay. But can we strike a better balance between flexibility and security? Our Future Work Awards finalists include a suite of innovations emerging to help secure good work in gig economy. The gig economy – the growing trend of using online platforms to find small tasks that are often completed ‘on demand’ – is nothing if not controversial. To some it promises the freedom to work when they want and flexibility to fit work around caring or study commitments.
A new machine age beckons and we are not remotely ready
Another year, another string of technological breakthroughs. DeepMind’s latest algorithms can detect 50 types of eye disease as accurately as trained doctors. Amazon recently opened several cashier-less grocery stores in the US, with rumours that they will shortly arrive on the UK’s shores. China, meanwhile, just debuted the world’s first simulated news anchor, powered by artificial intelligence. True, the impact of some of these technologies is greatly exaggerated.
Work in an age of radical technologies
2018 has been a year of astounding technological feats. JD.com, a giant Chinese e-commerce platform, recently opened a Shanghai fulfilment centre that can process 200,000 orders a day with just 4 employees. At its annual conference in May, Google introduced an AI virtual assistant called Duplex that can mimic the human voice with uncanny precision.
Future Work Awards - RSA
The Future Work Awards 2018 will recognise the most innovative and inspiring approaches to work from around the globe, from people redesigning how to work with robots, groups of self-employed freelancers sharing their incomes, new approaches to lifelong learning and trade unions which give voice to young workers in the gig economy. The Awards will be given to organisations that are not standing still waiting for jobs to be disrupted by artificial intelligence and gig economy platforms.
Sizing up the good work gap
Employment rates are at a record high. Our economy is good at creating jobs. But what about their quality? Frameworks developed to measure this consist of aspects that include pay, training, working conditions and work-life balance. To what extent are there gaps in good work in the UK? Have these worsened over time? And who faces the greatest challenges? In the years since the recession, workers across the income distribution have seen their earnings decline in real terms.
Good work across the globe - introducing the future work awards
Innovative initiatives are emerging to improve the quality of work across the globe. The recently launched Future Work Awards aims to recognise and champion them. What are we looking for? What do we expect to find? And how can you get involved? A good starting point is the burgeoning WorkerTech scene in the UK. A partnership between The Resolution Trust and Bethnal Green Ventures has spawned initiatives such as Organise, the UK’s first workplace digital campaigning platform.
What does good work look like in the future – and how can we get there? - RSA
Today we launch the Future Work Centre and the Future Work Awards, two initiatives that will deepen our understanding of how policymakers, educators, employers and workers can and are preparing for the challenges of the 21st century. 2018 has been a year of astounding technological feats. JD.com, a giant Chinese e-commerce platform, recently opened a Shanghai fulfilment centre that can process 200,000 orders a day with just 4 employees.
Mapping London’s makers
Once upon a time London was the workshop of the world. Today, there is something of a misconception that not much is made here anymore. Except for sourdough bread and craft beer. We’ve mapped London’s makers and industrial spaces so that you can explore how much manufacturing takes place in your local area. It’s false that manufacturing in London is in perennial decline. Job numbers have actually reached a plateau since the end of the financial crisis.
Think manufacturing in London is no more? Think again. - RSA
How can we support an innovative and resilient manufacturing base in a city? This question is central to a current RSA project, Cities of Making. Together with UCL, we are looking at London, while our European partners will do the same for Brussels and Rotterdam. A crucial first step is to understand what London’s manufacturing looks like. Is there any left? And what challenges does it face? Among London’s rich history of trade and finance it is easy to forget that it was once an industrial city.
The age of automation: Artificial Intelligence, robotics and the future of low-skilled work - RSA
Machines are challenging human supremacy in a growing number of fields. AI can now identify cancers more accurately than trained pathologists, algorithms can detect fraudulent financial transactions in a matter of milliseconds, and robotic systems can pick and pack goods with increasing precision in logistics. Every month brings a new breakthrough. Will these machines lead to the decimation of our labour market?
The human factor: what will really determine the pace of automation? - RSA
How should we predict, and prepare for, the impacts of automation? Should we take a quantitative approach, which uses machine learning and expert opinion to predict what jobs AI and robotics could replace, or should we also try to understand the human systems that surround these technologies? Oxford University, the OECD, PwC and McKinsey have all had a go at predicting how many jobs robots will replace. Their estimates range from a conservative 5% to a daunting 47%.
How many jobs will robots replace? And why does everyone disagree? - RSA
In 2013, Oxford University estimated that 47% of all jobs could be automated by 2030. More recently, OECD researchers have suggested that just 9% of all jobs are at risk. McKinsey Global Institute have estimated 5% and PwC 30%. But why do they get such different results? How do these predictions work? The 2013 Oxford University study provides the blueprint. Other studies either build on this, or replicate its methodology.
Are British workers thriving, striving, or just about surviving? - RSA
We set out to find out how workers are faring both in terms of their experiences of economic security and the quality of work in the UK. In the first report for the RSA’s new Future Work Centre, we reveal seven portraits of modern workers, reflecting on what it’s like to navigate today’s labour market. The rise in atypical work has been followed by fears that the labour market is fragmenting into low paying, poorly protected jobs.
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