UK. New £8 million research centre to explore how digital technology will impact future of work

A major new research centre exploring how digital technologies are changing the world of work is to launch at the start of 2020.

The Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit Centre) will operate from the business schools of the universities of Sussex and Leeds and aim to provide a compelling empirical base for policy makers beyond current levels of speculation as to the impact of new technologies on jobs and workers.

The centre, which includes Eversheds Sutherland, Marks and Spencer, Ernst and Young, Walmart US and the Department of Work and Pensions among its knowledge exchange partners and advisory board members, has secured £8 million in Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding over a five year period.

Centre co-director Jacqueline O’Reilly, Professor of Comparative Human Resource Management at the University of Sussex Business School, said: “We know that some firms are at the forefront of digital transformations, whilst others are lagging behind. We know that we have some of the best qualified STEM graduates in the UK, while other lack basic digital skills. And we know that countries vary in their ability to effectively take up some of these challenges.

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