Dr Calum Carson
@drcalumcarson.bsky.social
Senior Policy Adviser at Acas, leading on flexible working and zero-hours contracts. Wider research interests include Decent Work/Future of Work/Living Wages. Photographer. Forever looking for a dog to pet.
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Today’s stats paint a picture of a weakening labour market. Unemployment is rising (4.6%), vacancies are falling, and more people are returning to the labour market—often out of necessity, not opportunity. This should be a red flag ahead of tomorrow’s Spending Review. 🧵(1/6)
June 10, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Today’s stats paint a picture of a weakening labour market. Unemployment is rising (4.6%), vacancies are falling, and more people are returning to the labour market—often out of necessity, not opportunity. This should be a red flag ahead of tomorrow’s Spending Review. 🧵(1/6)
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Spread the word! Exciting new fully funded PhD opportunity to research disabled people's lived experiences of benefit reform and the costs of disability.
Deadline: 10 April
@uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgussp.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social @sgsss.bsky.social @clemmiehilloconnor.bsky.social
Deadline: 10 April
@uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgussp.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social @sgsss.bsky.social @clemmiehilloconnor.bsky.social
March 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Spread the word! Exciting new fully funded PhD opportunity to research disabled people's lived experiences of benefit reform and the costs of disability.
Deadline: 10 April
@uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgussp.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social @sgsss.bsky.social @clemmiehilloconnor.bsky.social
Deadline: 10 April
@uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgussp.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social @sgsss.bsky.social @clemmiehilloconnor.bsky.social
Great to see our @irhws.bsky.social findings covered in @thetimes.com over the weekend, in this article exploring five years of remote and hybrid working since the pandemic (well worth a full read, despite the depressingly cynical picture accompanying it).
Five years of the WFH experiment: is it working?
After half a decade of ‘you’re on mute’, are we all about to be hauled back to our office desks full-time? Matt Rudd reports
www.thetimes.com
March 17, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Great to see our @irhws.bsky.social findings covered in @thetimes.com over the weekend, in this article exploring five years of remote and hybrid working since the pandemic (well worth a full read, despite the depressingly cynical picture accompanying it).
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Great to see the @bigissue.com pick up on our policy paper today on disabled workers' experiences of remote and hybrid working @irhws.bsky.social with @lancasteruni.bsky.social @manmetuni.bsky.social & Universal Inclusion, supported by the @nuffieldfoundation.org
www.bigissue.com/news/employm...
www.bigissue.com/news/employm...
Working from home vital for disabled people to keep a job, DWP told
A staggering 80% of disabled people in fully remote jobs told researchers that WFH had a “positive impact” on managing their health.
www.bigissue.com
March 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Great to see the @bigissue.com pick up on our policy paper today on disabled workers' experiences of remote and hybrid working @irhws.bsky.social with @lancasteruni.bsky.social @manmetuni.bsky.social & Universal Inclusion, supported by the @nuffieldfoundation.org
www.bigissue.com/news/employm...
www.bigissue.com/news/employm...
Pleased to see the launch of the first output from our @irhws.bsky.social project today, exploring disabled workers' experiences of remote & hybrid working and putting forward a number of policy recommendations for the government. Thread below on some of our key findings 👇
Beyond the Office? How remote and hybrid working can help close the disability employment gap - Lancaster University
New interim report from Lancaster University, the Work Foundation, Manchester Metropolitan University and Universal Inclusion - funded by the Nuffield Foundation - reveals that five years on from the ...
www.lancaster.ac.uk
March 13, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Pleased to see the launch of the first output from our @irhws.bsky.social project today, exploring disabled workers' experiences of remote & hybrid working and putting forward a number of policy recommendations for the government. Thread below on some of our key findings 👇
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Great to see support for the proposed Employment Rights Bill across the political spectrum, with nearly 3 in 4 in support of banning zero hours contracts, widening access to Statutory Sick Pay and granting employment rights from day one.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Labour urged to defend workers’ rights bill as poll shows huge public support
Exclusive: Poll reveals 72% of UK voters favour ban on zero-hours contracts, including majority of Tory and Reform supporters
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Great to see support for the proposed Employment Rights Bill across the political spectrum, with nearly 3 in 4 in support of banning zero hours contracts, widening access to Statutory Sick Pay and granting employment rights from day one.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Shows that zero-hours can be a very permanent state, with some people stuck in this for years not knowing how many hours/wages they'll get week to week.
Research finds majority of zero-hours contract workers have been with their employer for more than 12 months and one in eight for over a decade, while only seven zero-hours contract workers say they are happy not to have regular working hours www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Most zero-hours workers ‘with same employer for more than a year’
TUC says 1m people are on the insecure contracts – with 130,000 still not having full rights after 10 years
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Shows that zero-hours can be a very permanent state, with some people stuck in this for years not knowing how many hours/wages they'll get week to week.
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Costly sticking plaster with ONS hiring temp staff to try and improve reliability of Labour Force Survey.
For a longer term fix, why not make responding to the survey mandatory, like in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany etc.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
For a longer term fix, why not make responding to the survey mandatory, like in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany etc.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
ONS to spend millions on temp workers to fix ‘unusable’ UK employment data
Exclusive: Office for National Statistics to spend £8m in deal with employment agency Randstad to recruit hires
www.theguardian.com
January 23, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Costly sticking plaster with ONS hiring temp staff to try and improve reliability of Labour Force Survey.
For a longer term fix, why not make responding to the survey mandatory, like in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany etc.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
For a longer term fix, why not make responding to the survey mandatory, like in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany etc.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Good to see @timewise.bsky.social in the news today highlighting flexible working inequalities. A key takeaway for me is the business case for supporting workers to find a better work-life balance, particularly when it comes to recruitment and retention.
See below for a link to the full report 👇
See below for a link to the full report 👇
Inequality in flexible working dividing Britain into ‘two-tier workforce’
Exclusive: Office workers have more flexibility than frontline staff such as nurses and shop workers, report says
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Good to see @timewise.bsky.social in the news today highlighting flexible working inequalities. A key takeaway for me is the business case for supporting workers to find a better work-life balance, particularly when it comes to recruitment and retention.
See below for a link to the full report 👇
See below for a link to the full report 👇
A great 🧵here from @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social on the need for more actual evidence and research across the back-to-office debate, rather than the "gut feelings" of individuals 👇
This morning the BBC reported that Lord Rose stated that working from home is 'not proper work'. https://buff.ly/3E40aDl
Our Principal Analyst, @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social commented:
“The recent push-back from some employers to roll back on hybrid and remote work is unhelpful...
Our Principal Analyst, @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social commented:
“The recent push-back from some employers to roll back on hybrid and remote work is unhelpful...
Working from home is 'not proper work', says ex-Asda boss
Lord Rose says it harms productivity but expert says hybrid work can be as good as full-time in the office.
buff.ly
January 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
A great 🧵here from @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social on the need for more actual evidence and research across the back-to-office debate, rather than the "gut feelings" of individuals 👇
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
A great read showing how difficult it is for workers on UC to take on more hours. "The reality is that most low-paid workers are within the scope of Income Tax and National Insurance and so their effective deduction rate is 68 per cent." On min wage, this means people are left with £3.71 per hour.
Overlapping tax and benefit withdrawal means two-fifths of Universal Credit claimants will face effective deduction rates of more than 55%
See my blog from new @mmuperu.bsky.social research funded by @financialfairness.bsky.social
www.financialfairness.org.uk/en-gb/what-w...
See my blog from new @mmuperu.bsky.social research funded by @financialfairness.bsky.social
www.financialfairness.org.uk/en-gb/what-w...
The messy reality of work incentives
The messy reality of work incentives. Universal Credit problems.
www.financialfairness.org.uk
January 8, 2025 at 9:11 AM
A great read showing how difficult it is for workers on UC to take on more hours. "The reality is that most low-paid workers are within the scope of Income Tax and National Insurance and so their effective deduction rate is 68 per cent." On min wage, this means people are left with £3.71 per hour.
Now that the @irhws.bsky.social is coming to an end, I'm happy to say that from next week I'll be beginning a new role as a Senior Policy Adviser at Acas: exciting times! I'll miss academia, but also looking forward to the chance to enact positive change from the inside, for a change 👀
January 6, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Now that the @irhws.bsky.social is coming to an end, I'm happy to say that from next week I'll be beginning a new role as a Senior Policy Adviser at Acas: exciting times! I'll miss academia, but also looking forward to the chance to enact positive change from the inside, for a change 👀
Important New Year reading here, with this final report of a project exploring regional differences in the disability employment gap. Results show strong correlation between the size of the DEG and levels of economic deprivation across an area: well worth a deep dive into the data (see👇for more).
New research reveals where in Great Britain people with a disability find it hardest to be in employment
The five areas in Great Britain where disabled people are least likely to be in employment compared with non-disabled people have been revealed in a new report from the University of Sheffield.
www.sheffield.ac.uk
January 3, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Important New Year reading here, with this final report of a project exploring regional differences in the disability employment gap. Results show strong correlation between the size of the DEG and levels of economic deprivation across an area: well worth a deep dive into the data (see👇for more).
Had a great time on Friday filming for the first stage of production on our @irhws.bsky.social film 📽️ The idea is to give disabled workers a chance to talk about their remote & hybrid working experiences in their own words. Watch this space for the final product in the spring!
December 17, 2024 at 10:05 AM
Had a great time on Friday filming for the first stage of production on our @irhws.bsky.social film 📽️ The idea is to give disabled workers a chance to talk about their remote & hybrid working experiences in their own words. Watch this space for the final product in the spring!
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Two new research jobs with a health inequalities focus currently being advertised at Strathclyde @centrehealthpolicy.bsky.social - both would suit qualitative researchers who like working in large, cross-disciplinary teams, who also enjoy community engagement and policy engagement. Thread 1/3
December 16, 2024 at 5:38 PM
Two new research jobs with a health inequalities focus currently being advertised at Strathclyde @centrehealthpolicy.bsky.social - both would suit qualitative researchers who like working in large, cross-disciplinary teams, who also enjoy community engagement and policy engagement. Thread 1/3
A number of issues at play here, from the penalising nature of the current benefits system (e.g. suspending payments for anyone suspected of fraud), to the adoption of AI without a clear understanding of issues of bias, and to the need for greater oversight for how AI is used for policy more widely.
Revealed: bias found in AI system used to detect UK benefits fraud
Exclusive: Age, disability, marital status and nationality influence decisions to investigate claims, prompting fears of ‘hurt first, fix later’ approach
www.theguardian.com
December 6, 2024 at 11:00 AM
A number of issues at play here, from the penalising nature of the current benefits system (e.g. suspending payments for anyone suspected of fraud), to the adoption of AI without a clear understanding of issues of bias, and to the need for greater oversight for how AI is used for policy more widely.
This speaks to today's report from the Work Foundation exploring the linkages between job quality and ill health (link below), as well as our findings for the @irhws.bsky.social project about the need for inclusive flexible working models to retain people with disabilities/ill health in employment.
Stephen Phipson also talks about how the most important thing employers are worried about is recruitment/retention of skilled staff& skill shortages are one of the key challenges. In addition to training/upskilling we need to address workers leaving the labour market due to bad working conditions
Stephen Phipson, of manufacturers' trade body Make UK, tells #TUCdecentwork event 85 per cent of members fully support government employment rights changes. Big challenge for them is shortage of skilled workers. "We are seeing lots of big projects disappearing from this country because of that."
December 5, 2024 at 3:55 PM
This speaks to today's report from the Work Foundation exploring the linkages between job quality and ill health (link below), as well as our findings for the @irhws.bsky.social project about the need for inclusive flexible working models to retain people with disabilities/ill health in employment.
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Our Trustee, Kate Bell, says when considering trade offs between improving employment rights and costs to employers, we can’t just focus on short term adjustment costs. We need to take a long view of how we want our labour market to grow and evolve.
December 5, 2024 at 12:28 PM
Our Trustee, Kate Bell, says when considering trade offs between improving employment rights and costs to employers, we can’t just focus on short term adjustment costs. We need to take a long view of how we want our labour market to grow and evolve.
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
So how did the Plan for Change do?
Good news is it contains plausible theories of change for how the targets will be met and, in some cases, how these will contribute towards overall missons. BUT the targets are v ambitious given tight budgets and will inevitably mean loss of focus on wider goals
Good news is it contains plausible theories of change for how the targets will be met and, in some cases, how these will contribute towards overall missons. BUT the targets are v ambitious given tight budgets and will inevitably mean loss of focus on wider goals
On Thursday, the govt will publish its Plan for Change. This will include key 'milestones' for each of the govt's five missions. Targets such as these have been used extensively by previous govts trying to improve public service performance. But how effective are targets?
A short🧵on the evidence:
A short🧵on the evidence:
December 5, 2024 at 12:35 PM
So how did the Plan for Change do?
Good news is it contains plausible theories of change for how the targets will be met and, in some cases, how these will contribute towards overall missons. BUT the targets are v ambitious given tight budgets and will inevitably mean loss of focus on wider goals
Good news is it contains plausible theories of change for how the targets will be met and, in some cases, how these will contribute towards overall missons. BUT the targets are v ambitious given tight budgets and will inevitably mean loss of focus on wider goals
Great to see this report published today by my project colleagues at the Work Foundation on the need to improve job quality to more effectively tackle economic inactivity across the UK. Access to flexible working models and concerted employer support at the onset of ill health considered crucial 👀
Stemming the tide: Healthier jobs to tackle economic inactivity - Lancaster University
New Work Foundation research aims to provide new evidence, insights and policy direction for how Government and employers can work together to retain more people who experience health issues in employ...
www.lancaster.ac.uk
December 5, 2024 at 11:20 AM
Great to see this report published today by my project colleagues at the Work Foundation on the need to improve job quality to more effectively tackle economic inactivity across the UK. Access to flexible working models and concerted employer support at the onset of ill health considered crucial 👀
Great to be in London yesterday for the 2024 Early Career Network Day at @nuffieldfoundation.org HQ: as a funder they are putting a lot of effort into helping to support ECRs looking to pursue academic careers within an extremely precarious sector, so great to see these efforts continue.
November 27, 2024 at 12:35 PM
Great to be in London yesterday for the 2024 Early Career Network Day at @nuffieldfoundation.org HQ: as a funder they are putting a lot of effort into helping to support ECRs looking to pursue academic careers within an extremely precarious sector, so great to see these efforts continue.
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Future of Work starter pack is live! Filled with people who are active on Bluesky and have enough expertise in the field that I personally want to read their posts 😎
go.bsky.app/4nEu3PY
I surely missed people. Please tag anyone who belongs here!
#futureofwork #remotework
go.bsky.app/4nEu3PY
I surely missed people. Please tag anyone who belongs here!
#futureofwork #remotework
November 26, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Future of Work starter pack is live! Filled with people who are active on Bluesky and have enough expertise in the field that I personally want to read their posts 😎
go.bsky.app/4nEu3PY
I surely missed people. Please tag anyone who belongs here!
#futureofwork #remotework
go.bsky.app/4nEu3PY
I surely missed people. Please tag anyone who belongs here!
#futureofwork #remotework
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Had a first go at creating a starter pack for social policy research. I’m new here and have surely missed lots so please say if you’d like added or removed!
November 22, 2024 at 8:30 AM
Had a first go at creating a starter pack for social policy research. I’m new here and have surely missed lots so please say if you’d like added or removed!
Reposted by Dr Calum Carson
Lots of helpful detail here on the Get Britain Working white paper: youth guarantee, localised employment support pilots, less of the tick box in jobcentres and more personalised focus. 🧵 1/3 www.personneltoday.com/hr/get-brita...
Get Britain Working: DWP unveils employment support reforms
Government unveils biggest reforms to employment support for a generation with the publication of its Get Britain Working white paper.
www.personneltoday.com
November 26, 2024 at 9:06 AM
Lots of helpful detail here on the Get Britain Working white paper: youth guarantee, localised employment support pilots, less of the tick box in jobcentres and more personalised focus. 🧵 1/3 www.personneltoday.com/hr/get-brita...
A brilliant exploration here from my colleague @asliatay.bsky.social on the inequalities concerning who has access to flexible working models in 2024, and the need for bolder action in expanding the right to flexibility to millions more workers across the UK: well worth a read.
Working From Home Was Supposed to Be the Big Revolution. The numbers tell a different story
The hybrid work dream and who gets to live it
asliatay.substack.com
November 26, 2024 at 7:24 AM
A brilliant exploration here from my colleague @asliatay.bsky.social on the inequalities concerning who has access to flexible working models in 2024, and the need for bolder action in expanding the right to flexibility to millions more workers across the UK: well worth a read.