News and Blog

“Working from home? It’s so much nicer if you’re a man” writes Emma Beddington in a column for The Guardian, which mentions that “60% of men had a dedicated room for work at home and only 40% of women”, according to the latest findings from the Skills and Employment Survey 2024. (The Guardian, 01/06/25)

“Professionals are losing control of their work,” writes Sarah O’Connor in a column for the Financial Times, which explores the findings of the Skills and Employment Survey led by WISERD’s Professor Alan Felstead of Cardiff University. (Financial Times, 27/05/25)

Based on his previous research on working at home – some of which has been published by WISERD – Professor Alan Felstead has submitted written evidence to the House of Lords  Committee on Home Based Working. This follows Professor Felstead’s invitation to give oral evidence to the first session of the Committee in early March….

For many people in the UK work is changing: how we work, what we do and where we do it. The change is faster for some than it is for others – and it’s not always changing for the better. A new national survey — organised and managed by my colleagues and I — paints…

Half of people working at home are doing so in the kitchen, on a dining table or in the corner of a room used for other purposes. This is one of the results from the Skills and Employment Survey 2024, the longest-running and most detailed academic study exploring UK workers’ experiences. Bringing together academics from Cardiff…

On Monday 10 March, Professor Alan Felstead – Emeritus Professor and former WISERD co-director – gave oral evidence to the Home-Based Working Committee in the House of Lords. His evidence was broadcast live on parliamentlive.tv. The House of Lords Select Committee on Home-Based Working was appointed on 30 January 2025 and is chaired by Baroness…

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…