Presented by the School of Social Science and School of Political Science and International Studies, UQ and the QUT Work/Industry Futures Research Program, 19-20 June, 2018.
Convened by Dr Michelle Brady (UQ), Professor Gillian Whitehouse (UQ), Professor Paula McDonald (QUT) and Professor Greg Marston (UQ).
The impact of changing technology on employment is one of the biggest challenges societies will face in the 21st Century. While technological change is not new and there is no consensus among analysts about the ways in which current developments will impact on particular jobs and occupations, there is general agreement that robots, advanced AI and new employment platforms are significantly changing the nature of work and will continue to do so into the future. These major transformations offer opportunities for individuals and companies but also pose major social risks, including increased precarity, unequal wealth distribution and associated economic insecurity. Such risks need to be appropriately governed. Current social divisions and trends, including changing gender roles and demographic shifts such as an aging population, will also shape the patterns of risks and benefits. This symposium brings together major national and international social researchers (UK, USA, Sweden) to systematically examine how employment rights, risks and rewards are being redistributed and to reflect on the most appropriate systems of social support to protect against new and emerging risks.
2. Public lecture: Winners and losers and the future of work
Synopsis
This public lecture was hosted by the Queensland Government's Office of Industrial Relations. Professor Milkman was introduced by the Queensland Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations, the Hon. Grace Grace MP.
In this public lecture Professor Ruth Milkman argued that the key threat on the horizon is not the “end of work” or mass unemployment, but rather the degradation of work and the disempowerment of workers.
Following the lecture there was a panel discussion with The Hon. Grace Grace MP Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations; Beth Mohle (Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union), Dr Liz Hill (University of Sydney), Associate Professor Dan Woodman (University of Melbourne), and Professor Ruth Milkman (City University).
Speaker
Winners and losers and the future of work
Professor Ruth Milkman (City University, New York)
Recent academic and public discussions about “the future of work” have identified a variety of threats to traditional forms of employment that have been unleashed by new technology. One key concern is the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on work and workers, which many commentators warn could lead to mass unemployment. Another focus is the rise of the platform-based “gig” economy, which undermines traditional employment security and other labor protections even as it offers workers more autonomy in some respects.
These are certainly important developments, but their impact is often exaggerated, and the disproportionate attention they attract has helped to obscure less dramatic but equally significant workplace transformations. Those include the effects of subcontracting and other forms of risk-shifting, the rollback of traditional forms of state regulation and worker protections, the decline of trade unions, and the rise of “surveillance capitalism.”
This presentation argues that the key threat on the horizon is not the “end of work” or mass unemployment, but rather the degradation of work and the disempowerment of workers. While AI and robotics will inevitably disrupt labor markets and destroy many jobs, in much the same way as earlier waves of technological change and automation did in earlier periods, other jobs will replace them. The more critical issue is how the emerging shifts in labor markets (only some of which are the result of technological change) will affect various groups of workers. Who will be the winners and losers as the labor market is transformed?
That is not only a question of how workers with varying levels of educational attainment and skills training will fare, but also how workers of different genders, race/ethnicity and nativity will fare. Many commentators assume that college-educated workers will be best situated to negotiate future labor markets, because they believe unskilled jobs are being killed off by AI and other new technologies faster than new unskilled jobs are being created. This is far from obvious, however, if we consider the explosive growth of carework, to name just one example.
The employment options for workers of different ages and generations are another key concern. Young workers just entering the labor market are especially affected by the transformation of employment; at the same time older workers confront new challenges as life expectancy continues to grow even as pension systems are eroding or disappearing. There is already evidence of a strong age gradient in the “gig” economy, where older workers are overrepresented, probably reflecting widespread age discrimination in traditional employment.
Drawing on the case of the United States, this talk will analyze recent trends as well as labor market projections to explore the future prospects for working people generally as well as the likely trajectories of distinct demographic groups, focusing especially on gender and age.
Presentation notes (PDF, 1.4MB)
Panellists
Panellists: Professor Ruth Milkman (City University, New York), The Hon. Grace Grace MP Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations, Beth Mohle (Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union), Dr Liz Hill (University of Sydney), Associate Professor Dan Woodman (University of Melbourne)