Protecting workers in the digital age

Janine Berg

Debates on the future of work have focused far too much attention on possible job losses, ignoring the deterioration in job quality experienced by many of the world’s workers.

In this talk, Janine Berg explains how technological advances are merely facilitating a decades’ long trend of shifting risk onto workers through outsourcing and the use of other non-standard forms of employment. These transformations have also revealed many longstanding shortcomings of the industrial era of labour protection, which excluded workers outside of traditional, industrial employment, and did not sufficiently value the contributions of unpaid care work. As such, it argues that changes in the world of work offer an opportunity to rethink and restructure labour markets to better reflect the needs and realities of 21st century society.

About the speaker

Janine Berg is Senior Economist with the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland.  Since joining the ILO in 2002, she has conducted research on the economic effects of labour laws as well as provided technical assistance to ILO constituents on policies for generating jobs and improving working conditions. 

Janine is the author of several books and numerous articles on employment, labour market institutions and the digital transformation of work and was the lead author of the ILO report, 'Non-standard employment around the world: Understanding challenges, shaping prospects'. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research in New York.

About Digit Debates

This Spring webinar series from the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre presents cutting-edge research from leading thinkers about how digital technologies are changing work.

Our aim is to spark debate, challenge assumptions and become an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand how new technologies will impact employers, employees, job seekers and governments.

Join us on Wednesdays, 1-2pm (GMT)online, from 3rd February – 17th March 2021.

Click here for more information on other events in the series.

About Digit

Digit, the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre aims to advance our understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping work, impacting on employers, employees, job seekers and governments. It is co-led by the University of Sussex Business School and Leeds University Business School with partners from Aberdeen, Cambridge, Manchester and Monash Universities. It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).