News release

From Work Futures Research Centre

16 October 2009

Research into the future of work is to be pioneered by the University of Southampton

On Thursday, 15th October 2009, the University of Southampton will launch the Work Futures Research Centre (WFRC). The centre aims to explore the changing world of work and organization with a focus on current challenges especially the economic recession, the emergent digital economy, environmental pressures, public sector restructuring, the ageing workforce and shifting patterns of economic migration.

These challenges raise important questions for academic, public and policy debate and demand innovative multi-disciplinary and multi-method projects involving partnerships between researchers, employers, trade unions and policy makers.

“The Work Futures Research Centre will allow us to address critical questions about the changing nature of work and organization with joined up research across varying disciplines. This research is important for academics, policy makers, employers and all those concerned with the future of work and employment.” comments Professor Linda McDowell FBA, University of Oxford.

The Work Futures Research Centre will bring together specialists and researchers from across the University of Southampton.  Due to its research capabilities and leading reputation, the University is well placed to address the Work Futures agenda, which will be steered by top academics from the School of Education, Social Sciences and Health Sciences.

For further information:

The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.  

With over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover of more than £370 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.

The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres, including the National Centre for Research Methods, the Centre for Research on Population Change, the Third Sector Research Centre, the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Web Science Research Initiative, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute.

To find out more please visit the Work Futures Research Centre.