Search Results for: skills

The workplace world responds to the UK Autumn Budget

The workplace world responds to the UK Autumn Budget

Yesterday, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the details of the UK government’s latest budget. While Brexit and austerity inevitably cast their shadows over the whole thing, there were a number of announcements relevant to the workplace, construction, tech and built environment sectors, some of which have been broadly welcomed by commentators, industry bodies and experts. Some are decidedly less popular. Among the announcements in the budget were new plans for infrastructure and property, skills and training, tax regimes for the self-employed, productivity, business rates and mental health.

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The jobs of the future that will survive the AI revolution

The jobs of the future that will survive the AI revolution

While the debate rages on about the exact consequences of the use of automation in the workplace,  IT firm Cognizant has identified what it claims are the jobs of the future. Of the jobs Cognizant tracks, 45 actually exist today, such as data scientist and aerospace engineer. The other five are “proxy” jobs, the key characteristics of which the report sets out to define.

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Female graduates have lower salary expectations than male counterparts

Female graduates have lower salary expectations than male counterparts

Female graduates have lower salary expectations than men

Impostor syndrome is holding female graduates back from earning as much as their male counterparts as new research from Milkround claims that women have lower salary expectations than men, with one third thinking they’ll earn under £20k. Despite a third of graduate’s belief that confidence is the top skill they need to excel in their career, a lack of confidence is holding back more women (41 percent) than men (28 percent). One in three (33 percent) women are worried about low pay and think they’ll earn under £20k in an entry level role, compared to less than a quarter (22 percent) of their male counterparts. (more…)

Cultural attitudes define the race for 5G connectivity as Germany and Holland inch ahead

Cultural attitudes define the race for 5G connectivity as Germany and Holland inch ahead

New research commissioned by international law firm Osborne Clarke claims that businesses in Germany and the Netherlands could be leading the global race to embrace next-generation 5G connectivity. The Next Generation Connectivity research of executives and managers from 11 countries, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, also claims that approaches and attitudes to adopting connectivity vary country to country. This, Osborne Clarke says, could hinder future opportunities.

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Manchester is being chosen over London as location for tech start-ups

Manchester is being chosen over London as location for tech start-ups

Manchester is being chosen over London as location for tech start-upsThe new northern home of the BBC is giving London a run for its money when it comes to siting offices for the UK’s top tech talent, with Manchester leading the way, according to CWJobs. The recruitment firm found that those who consider London to have the best talent, the most likely (75 percent) reason for this being the concentration of tech companies. Of those employers who believe Manchester has the UK’s best tech talent (9 percent), 56 percent believe this is due to better tech-focused educational institutions (vs 43 percent who thought London’s were better). (more…)

The self-employed live day to day but remain worried about plans for the future, claims study

The self-employed live day to day but remain worried about plans for the future, claims study

Self-employed workers are mostly financially secure and happy in the present, but concerned about the future, a new report by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) and Sherpa has found. The report, ‘The Path to Prosperity, claims that although almost three quarters (72 percent) of freelancers are currently enjoying life because of how they are managing their money, 77 per cent are concerned the money they have – or are going to save – will not last. It also found that over half (51 percent) of the self-employed have felt anxious or stressed about their financial situation. This is exacerbated by the lack of tailored money management advice and flexible savings products available for the self-employed.

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World Bank report sets out the challenges of the changing nature of work

World Bank report sets out the challenges of the changing nature of work

Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today.

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Some regions are better prepared for the rise of automation than others

Some regions are better prepared for the rise of automation than others

Concerted action is needed from national and local politicians, businesses and education providers to improve educational opportunities in all cities, from early years to schools and adult learning. This is according to a major report from the think tank Centre for Cities. It examines how automation and globalisation are transforming the skills needed to thrive in the workplace, and the extent to which people in English cities are gaining these skills. The report claimsthat interpersonal and analytical skills – such as negotiation and critical thinking – are increasingly important for current and future workers, as manual and physical jobs are particularly under threat from automation and globalisation.

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Unskilled and low skilled men most at risk from Brexit

Unskilled and low skilled men most at risk from Brexit

Men with GCSE qualifications or below employed in certain manual occupations are more likely than other groups to work in industries at particular risk from new barriers to trade with the EU after Brexit. Historically, those in this group have struggled to find equally well-paid work elsewhere when job losses have occurred. That is one of the key conclusions from detailed new analysis of trade data carried out by researchers at IFS and funded by the ESRC’s UK in a Changing Europe initiative.

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Developing a resilient mindset to cope with stress

Developing a resilient mindset to cope with stress

Earlier this year, The New York times reported on a company in New Zealand that reduced its employee’s work time to four days a week whilst paying them for five. The idea came to the CEO after he read research that showed that employees generally only spend three hours a day on actual productive work. The change was highly successful, employees were as productive over the four days as they were over the five but the wellbeing of employees improved dramatically.

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Learning to learn will be key skill in new world of work

Learning to learn will be key skill in new world of work

A joint report by the Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group on AI, Big Innovation Centre, and professional services firm KPMG has been published, identifying the key skills individuals and organisations will need if they are to survive and thrive in the unfolding future. The report finds that jobs in the labour market of the future will look very different from today and the transformation is likely to be dramatic. It also calls for companies and governments to equip citizens and employees for that future, to help them learn the new skills needed to be relevant in a world of constant transformation.

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A new deal for dads at work is essential in the quest for gender balance

A new deal for dads at work is essential in the quest for gender balance

New research published by consulting firm Talking Talent claims to identify how it is essential for employers to improve support for working fathers in order to achieve equality for working mothers. Organisations need to go further than setting policy to achieve this – they need working practices that make it easier for employees to share parental responsibilities between mum and dad, according to the report (registration required).  Successfully sharing their role as parents is essential for women to continue the progression of their careers and is key to closing the gender pay gap, according to the study of 7,000 people. But it will only succeed if organisations ensure working dads don’t face exactly the same negative experiences which have stopped working mums progressing in the past. The research claims that over half (52 percent) of working parents, including 26 percent men and 30 percent women, think that their career has slowed down compared to their childless colleagues.

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