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Professor Jacqueline O'Reilly at the launch of Digit's new report

The ESRC Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit) has published a new report ‘’, outlining key findings from the Centre's five-year programme of research.

Digit is jointly led by the ºìÐÓÊÓƵ Business School and Leeds University Business School, where it is co-directed by Jacqueline O'Reilly, Professor of Comparative Human Resource Management (Sussex) and Mark Stuart, Montague Burton Professor of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations (Leeds).

Five key challenges

The report focuses on three central facets of the digital transformation of work: the nature and extent of digital adoption by firms; changes to employment contracts and ways of working; and digital inclusion.

It points to five key challenges:

1. Digital adoption is still patchy
2. Investment in tackling digital skills and literacy gaps is low
3. Experimental employment contracts are disrupting established business models
4. Many people are excluded by the digitalisation of work and employment services due to lack of resources, capacity or knowledge
5. Workers are not being systematically consulted on the use of new technologies, but consultation can benefit firms

The report argues that more inclusive ‘digital dialogues’ are needed between policymakers, organisations, workers, unions and civil society on all of these issues in order to steer towards a better future of work. 

Launch event

The report was officially launched at an event on Thursday 16 January 2025 hosted by . Professors O'Reilly and Stuart presented key findings from the report ahead of a panel discussion chaired by Sarah O’Connor (Associate Editor, Financial Times).

The panel, chaired by Sarah O’Connor (Financial Times) and comprising Peter Cheese (CIPD); Liz Williams MBE (FutureDotNow); Emma Stone (Good Things Foundation); Mary Towers (TUC); and Carl Clarke (Vodafone), welcomed the report and discussed how we can ensure productive and inclusive ‘digital dialogues’ about key challenges in the ongoing digital transformation.

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