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We hope you had a restful break and are feeling refreshed for the year ahead. January brings renewed energy to our mission of shaping a fairer future of better work.
The highlight of our new year is undoubtedly the closing conference of the Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing on the 27th of January.
Coinciding with the opening of National Productivity Week, we are delighted to be welcoming Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, to deliver a keynote address. We have a few in-person spaces left – reserve one here.
With panel discussions featuring leading policymakers, academics and civil society voices – as well as interactive contributions from satellite venues across the UK – the conference will explore the implications of our three-year Review, generously funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
In the build-up to that, next week we will be publishing two reports based on research led by our Principal Sociologist, Dr Magdalena Soffia. The first draws on twelve in-person focus groups convened to discuss the impact of new technologies on people’s experience of work, and on their wellbeing. The second is a pioneering study of the distribution of ‘capabilities’ in the UK workforce. Look out for both coming on 14th January.
We look forward to engaging with you throughout 2025 as we continue to champion good work and innovation.
Anna and the IFOW team
Looking back to just before Christmas, we published a Spotlight Report focusing on Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, based the work of our national Disruption Index, which sheds light on the unique challenges and opportunities for technological transformation in that area.
Cornwall’s distinct cultural and historical identity as a Celtic nation and its geographic resources have shaped its industrial evolution. Historically a leader in mining and engineering, Cornwall faced premature deindustrialisation and economic stagnation – but this picture is now changing.
The region’s economy has traditionally leaned on tourism and seasonal services, which, while significant, struggle to provide stable, high-quality employment. A historic lack of scalable industrial activity, coupled with housing pressures and a limited skilled labour pool, has exacerbated economic inequality.
However, as our report unearths, automation and AI technologies are offering new opportunities in the region. Even though Cornwall ranked poorly in our Disruption Index, there are a variety of opportunities available that Cornwall can harness in several emerging sectors like green technologies, renewable energy, digital and tech industries and space and marine sectors.
Read the full report here.
IFOW will again be involved in hosting an event at the AI Fringe, which is taking place at the British Library to coincide with the latest AI Safety Summit in ParisYou can register here.
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Anna Thomas MBE
