References
This database has been compiled to provide a searchable repository on published research addressing “future skills” that will be a useful tool for researchers and individuals interested in the future of work and the future of skills.
The database integrates existing bibliographies focused on future skills and the future of work as well as the results of new ProQuest and Google Scholar searches. The process of building the database also involved consultations with experts and the identification of key research organizations publishing in this area, as well as searches of those organizations’ websites. For a more detailed explanation of how the database was assembled, please read the Future Skills Reference Database Technical Note.
The current database, assembled by future skills researchers at the Diversity Institute, is not exhaustive but represents a first step in building a more comprehensive database. It will be regularly updated and expanded as new material is published and identified. In that vein, we encourage those with suggestions for improvements to this database to connect with us directly at di.fsc@ryerson.ca.
From this database, we also selected 39 key publications and created an Annotated Bibliography. It is designed to serve as a useful tool for researchers, especially Canadian researchers, who may need some initial guidance in terms of the key references in this area.
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Reference
À quoi l'usine du futur ressemblera-t-elle ?
The factory of the future is part of a dynamic developments made economic, social and environmental, that define the outlines and objectives. It will notably meet strong challenges in terms of economic competitiveness of organizations and territories in terms of changing consumption patterns, as well as societal issues in terms of attractiveness and integration in its environment. This development is running in all industrial sectors (traditional or not), but is currently amplified by the accelerated development of many technologies, including digital. Beyond technology and equipment, this change affects the business models, work and organizations. Fives, as industrial bicentennial group registered its activities in this evolution and thus participates fully with current thinking on this topic. [googletranslate_en]
Reference
Explaining job polarization: Routine-biased technological change and offshoring
This paper documents the pervasiveness of job polarization in 16 Western European countries over the period 1993-2010. It then develops and estimates a framework to explain job polarization using routine-biased technological change and offshoring. This model can explain much of both total job polarization and the split into within-industry and between-industry components.
Reference
Explaining job polarisation: Routine-biased technological change and offshoring
This paper documents the pervasiveness of job polarization in 16 Western European countries over the period 1993-2010. It then develops and estimates a framework to explain job polarization using routine-biased technological change and offshoring. This model can explain much of both total job polarization and the split into within-industry and between-industry components.
Reference
What do consumers appreciate about on-demand economy workers?
The sharing economy is generating different kinds of debates. One of them refers to the labor facet of this digital-based economy, usually known as the on-demand economy, gig economy, or digital labor market. Media and relevant institutions have published different news articles and reports describing this new form of work. Working in the on-demand economy is considered to have both negative and positive features. The latter contemplate the on-demand economy as an opportunity for anyone who wants to earn income. Nevertheless, the literature in this field has been criticized for its high rhetoric, and more empirical evidence is required. Based on more than 6,000 consumer comments, this study analyzes what consumers value about the work provided through two gig economy platforms. Results show that being successful in the on-demand economy is not as easy as commonly stated because consumers clearly value professionalism and excellent services. This information can help workers and institutions to understand what kind of performance is expected in order to be successful in this new labor market.
Reference
Job polarization in Europe
This paper shows the employment structure of 16 European countries has been polarizing in recent years with the employment shares of managers, professionals and low-paid personal services workers increasing at the expense of the employment shares of middling manufacturing and routine office workers. To explain this job polarization, the paper develops and estimates a simple model to capture the effects of technology, globalization, institutions and product demand effects on the demand for different occupations. The results suggest that the routinization hypothesis of Autor, Levy and Murnane (2003) is the single most important factor behind the observed shifts in employment structure. We find some evidence for offshoring to explain job polarization although its impact is much smaller. We also find that shifts in product demand are acting to attenuate the polarizing impact of routinization and that differences or changes in wage-setting institutions play little role in explaining job polarization in Europe.
Reference
The datification of human resources
Project Oxygen, which analyzed internal data to identify the key characteristics of effective leaders; a permanent group that conducts ongoing research into the most effective approaches to creating a productive environment; predictive modeling to forecast potential problems and identify opportunities; and a program to apply analytics to improve diversity. Specifically, the notion that employer demand exceeds the supply of talent and that talent is highly portable is emphasized several times in the book; that particular circumstance is not likely to apply for many R&D managers, especially those in specialty disciplines with limited options-the range of options software developers and marketing professionals in Silicon Valley have simply isn't available to a material scientist working in the US Midwest. [...]research managers may not find the principles to be as radical as the name (and its usage throughout the book) imply. [...]Knott's calculations show that RQ is positively correlated with incremental innovation and negatively correlated with radical innovation.
Reference
News and analysis of the global innovation scene
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, drawing from the ocean might be the only viable way to supply people, their animals, and crops with sufficient quantities of fresh water, particularly in parched regions like the Middle East. [...]a 2015 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences blamed water scarcity and water insecurity for the explosion of the Syrian civil war. [...]the country was pumping water from the (freshwater) Sea of Galilee at an unsustainable rate. In 2017, when a fifth plant goes online, desalination will provide an estimated two-thirds of Israel's domestic water needs. Besides alleviating the effects of the drought, the plant has allowed the country to cede some of its water allocations from the Jordan River, reducing conflict with the Palestinians.
Reference
Breadth of vocational interests: The role of career adaptability and future orientation
The authors examined the relationship between career adaptability, future orientation, and vocational interests. Specifically, they tested the role of career adaptability and future orientation in promoting a broader range of vocational interests, based on the principle that experiencing more interests can be useful in giving one's best in multiple occupations and in planning a broad range of career goals. A total of 762 Italian adolescents (383 males, 379 females) participated in the study. Results highlight the mediating role of future orientation in the relationship between 4 career adaptability resources and breadth of vocational interests. These results underscore that specific interventions in career adaptability and future orientation may foster a broader range of vocational interests, providing more opportunity for adolescents to respond to the demands of the current job market.
Reference
Alternative mentoring: An HRD key for a rapid changing work environment
Purpose - The changing nature of work dynamics demands that managers keep up to date in skills, knowledge, and competencies. Besides, nowadays these professionals need to understand the business beyond the frontiers of their own organizations. This phenomenon has led to new forms of alternative mentoring for managers and entrepreneurs, as companies battle for talent in a globalized way. Professional associations, consultancy firms, and other agents are starting to offer mentoring programs in which the mentor and mentee often belong to different organizations or take place within a group. Design/methodology/approach - The purpose of this study is to present a conceptual model for alternative mentoring for managers. This model is a new approach to mentoring, and it will try to clarify some of the bases of a phenomenon that is increasingly present in the managerial field. Findings - The paper also suggests some advantages of alternative mentoring when compared to traditional mentoring. Originality/value - This paper contributes to a better understanding of new forms of alternative mentoring while providing practitioners in the field with a better understanding of key issues for alternative mentoring.