News and Blog

Despite being sizeable in many countries, the disability pay gap (DPG) has attracted limited academic and policy attention internationally, especially in comparison to other protected characteristics, such as gender. The recent draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill announced in the 2024 King’s Speech suggests a major change in the UK in this regard, with the…

Drawing on their written evidence submissions Professors Melanie Jones and Victoria Wass gave oral evidence to the Equality and Social Justice Committee on the barriers to employment for disabled people. During the discussion they highlighted the recommendations in the Disability Employment Charter, called for monitoring and analysis of broader measures of disability inequality in the…

The 7th Foundational Economy Conference, entitled ‘Making things work: social innovation for liveability’ was held at sbarcIspark on the 10th and 11th of September 2024. It brought together researchers and practitioners in themed sessions that explored foundational issues and interventions from Wales, the rest of the UK and all across Europe. Our challenge is making…

The UK’s new government has promised to take action to prevent homes ‘turning into 24/7 offices’.  The risk of ‘always on’ working has grown since the pandemic with the boundaries of home and work blurred for many more working people. Around a quarter of workers, for example, now report working some of the time at…

On the 3rd and 4th July, we held our WISERD Annual Conference 2024 at the University of South Wales and welcomed over 140 delegates from across the UK and beyond. Over 100 excellent posters and presentations come together under this year’s theme of ‘Aspiring to achieve a fairer society’. Professor Martin Steggall, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research)…

The UK’s new government has promised to take action to “promote a positive work-life balance for all workers”, and to prevent homes “turning into 24/7 offices”. The risk of “always on” working has grown since the pandemic, with technology meaning that work is often within easy reach. Legislation allowing workers to disconnect from work has been increasingly adopted around Europe, in…

On the 3rd and 4th July, we held our WISERD Annual Conference 2024 at the University of South Wales. Here are just some of the photographs taken throughout the event by Michael Hall.

New study shows 60% of state school teachers always come home from work exhausted, compared to 37% of teachers at ‘top’ private schools State school teachers more likely to be working at ‘very high speed’ with less autonomy State schools have lost over 15,000 teachers to private schools since 2014 State school teachers in England…

Comments from WISERD Co-Director, Professor Alan Felstead of Cardiff University, about his research on the Skills and Employment Survey, feature in journalist Harry Wallop’s Times column after he recently took the survey. (The Times, p35, 03/05/24; The Times, 03/05/24)   Further reading: Listening to employees’ ideas could solve UK’s productivity slowdown, The Conversation Getting the…

On 2nd March 2024, the 40th anniversary of the coal miners’ strike was marked with a WISERD conference at Cardiff University’s Bute Building, attended by campaigners, trade unionists, researchers and filmmakers. The conference began with a showing of the film, Breaking Point, made and introduced by the acclaimed Swedish director, Kjell-Åke Andersson. The film was made…