Futures of Work ~ Posts

How Big Tech threatens European capitalism and what Europe and unions can do about it

By Andreas Kornelakis

Issue 35 // 20th April 2026

European labour market liberalisation and financialisation have weakened job quality and fuelled crises, while the rise of Big Tech and digitalisation now threatens workers’ rights further, highlighting the need for stronger, coordinated EU regulation and industrial policy. Read more of the article

Invested, not employed: Assetisation and the reconfiguration of work

By Pau López-Gaitán

Issue 35 // 20th April 2026

Assetization transforms workers into income-generating assets, reshaping employment, shifting financial risks onto labour, and blurring the boundary between people and the value extracted from them. Read more of the article

Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: the ‘Friend Yet Foe’ Paradox

By Xiaoting Luo and Christopher Pesterfield

Issue 35 // 20th April 2026

Students use AI as both a helpful tool and a questionable shortcut, valuing its efficiency while risking the erosion of critical skills they need for future work. Read more of the article

Everything Everywhere All at Once: Where is the “Modern Slavery” Agenda Heading?

By Pankhuri Agarwal and Sharmila Parmanand

Issue 33 // 13th October 2025

The modern slavery agenda has shifted from protecting workers’ rights to serving political and corporate interests through surveillance, border control, and spectacle, while ignoring the structural causes of exploitation. Read more of the article

Implications of AI for the Future of Work for people with Serious Mental Illness

By Kendall Atterbury

Issue 29 // 16th October 2024

People with serious mental illnesses (SMI) face unemployment rates of 75-85% and rely on inadequate benefits. Kendall Atterbury argues that as automation reduces job opportunities, stigma against those with psychiatric disabilities increases, highlighting the need to address the structural barriers they face in employment. Read more of the article