News and Blog

The Analytical Services division of the Department for the Economy at the Northern Ireland Government will host a launch event for the Northern Ireland findings of the Skills and Employment Survey (SES). Professor Alan Felstead and Rhys Davies from the SES research team will present the results from their forthcoming report, Going Beyond Pay: Job Quality in…

Young men, masculinities, education and employment are gaining increasing societal attention. On 17 October in sbarcIspark, we launched an important new publication in this field of research by Dr Richard Gater, a research assistant at the Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE) and previously a postdoctoral research fellow at WISERD. Dr Gater’s timely new…

As part of my research on the new Building social value and fair work in the construction industry in Wales UKRI ESRC-funded WISERD Project, I’m exploring how the construction sector can create real opportunities for people facing barriers to employment. One powerful example of this in action is SibiNet, an initiative that’s opening doors for people…

In an exciting new collaboration, WISERD’s UnionMaps data has been integrated into Strike Map,  a worker-powered and funded map of industrial action, which has mapped 230,000 strikes since 2020. The combined functionality of both platforms will allow users to see union strength in the areas where industrial action is happening. Rhys Davies, WISERD co-director and…

ADR Wales has been awarded almost £26million to continue its ground-breaking work using administrative data to inform public policy and improve lives across Wales. The funding will run from 2026-2031 and was officially announced today by the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS during his address to delegates at the ADR UK Conference in Cardiff. Following…

On the 30 June and 1 July, the 15th WISERD Annual Conference took place at Aberystwyth University, welcoming over 130 delegates. The agenda comprised 14 paper sessions, two panels, and three symposia and workshops under the theme of ‘Participation and partnership in a time of precarity and polarisation’. For the first time, this year’s agenda…

Research explores how communities can work together to bring about positive change. Academics will investigate how citizens, civil society organisations and policymakers are collaborating to tackle some of society’s most pressing problems. WISERD has secured £1.6m of funding from the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for the three-year research programme, ‘People, Places, and…

“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….