Work

The Evolution of Work and Tasks from 1950 to 2000 in US – A substantial fraction of total changes occurring within narrowly defined job titles

Using the text from job ads, we introduce a new dataset to describe the evolution of work from 1950 to 2000. We show that the transformation of the US labor market away from routine cognitive and manual tasks and toward nonroutine interactive and analytic tasks has been larger than prior research has found, with a … Continue reading →

Working Wives and Husbands in US – Husbands spend about 28 hours per week on leisure

Employed, married Americans spend an average of 27 hours on leisure activities in a typical week. But the amount of time they spend on leisure – and the types of leisure activities they do – differ significantly by gender. Among employed U.S. adults who are ages 25 to 64 and married, husbands spend about 28 … Continue reading →

Future of Work in Canada – 10 Megatrends

A new CERIC-funded report from Creative Futures Studio Inc. sheds light on 10 megatrends that will shape the future of work in Canada. The report, Career Development in 2040, digs into the trends that workers, employers – as well as those who advise them – need to understand to thrive in a labour market facing … Continue reading →

Covid and Meeting for Work – People spent less time in meetings per day (-11.5 percent) in the post-lockdown period research finds

For all the anecdotes and speculation about working from home during the pandemic, there is still little systematic evidence about how employees have changed their day-to-day work activities as a consequence of these unexpected shocks. In particular, how have employees changed their patterns of digital communication — e.g., meetings and emails — to compensate for … Continue reading →

COVID and Work in Mexico- Killing workers at U.S. factories

Throughout March, even as business and manufacturing slowed to a halt across much of the world in an effort to contain the new coronavirus, work in foreign-owned factories in northern Mexico carried on as usual.Hundreds of thousands of workers continued to toil side by side in Juarez, Tijuana and other border cities, churning out electronics, … Continue reading →

COVID and Work in Canada – Half have seen change in the status of their employment

In a random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 1335 Canadian voters, more than eight in 10 (TOP2: 85%) say they’re concerned about COVID-19, with half (52%) saying they’re very concerned. This is up considerably from the beginning of March, where just under two-thirds were concerned (TOP2: 62%, March 6) and … Continue reading →

COVID, Work and families in Canada – What are their employers doing to help?

As COVID-19 continues to shift the daily rhythms of Canadian households, millions of Canadians are feeling the pinch to balance competing demands of work and family. What are their employers doing to help? The Conference Board has asked organizations across Canada how they’re accommodating employees with family responsibilities. Here’s what we found. Chosen excerpts by … Continue reading →

UK – It is massively in the interest of both employers and Government to prioritise and invest far more in improving mental health

This study has led us to conclude that underneath the stigma that surrounds mental health and prevents open discussion on the subject, the UK faces a significant mental health challenge at work. • While there are more people at work with mental health conditions than ever before, 300,000 people with a long term mental health … Continue reading →

The Future of Work – What do we want ? (video)

Highlights from award-winning economic historian Robert Skidelsky giving a keynote address about the future of work with remarks by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

The future of work – The major trends

Gender gap in participation rates is not expected to improve over the coming 15 years Few countries combine an environmentally sustainable footprint with decent work Declining labour force participations rates will exacerbate demographic changes Migration is likely to intensify in the future as decent work deficits remain widespread Global supply chain related jobs go well … Continue reading →

Work – How you feel about your employer’s mission ?

One of the most important dimensions of job satisfaction is how you feel about your employer’s mission. Suppose you’re weighing two offers for jobs writing advertising copy: One is for an American Cancer Society campaign to discourage teenage smoking, the other for a tobacco industry campaign to encourage it. If pay and other working conditions … Continue reading →

Social Media at Work in US – For a wide range of reasons

Workers turn to social media for a range of reasons while at work, with taking a mental break being among the most common Today’s workers incorporate social media into a wide range of activities while on the job. Some of these activities are explicitly professional or job-related, while others are more personal in nature. The … Continue reading →

Smartphones at Work – 65 percent do not have their work emails on their smartphones

While technology helps workers stay connected while away from the office, in many cases it is causing them to disconnect while in the office, leading to a negative impact on productivity. According to new CareerBuilder research, 1 in 5 employers (19 percent) think workers are productive less than five hours a day. When looking for … Continue reading →

Robots and the future of work – Interview with Professor Richard Freeman (video)

Women – Work Trends 2016

Gender gaps in labour force participation and employment rates declined only marginally Between 1995 and 2015, the global female labour force participation rate decreased from 52.4 to 49.6 per cent. The corresponding gures for men are 79.9 and 76.1 per cent, respectively. Worldwide, the chances for women to participate in the labour market remain almost … Continue reading →