FutureworkNZ

Blocking agri-tech doesn’t mean we can block its undesired effects

Dave Heatley • Jul 18, 2019

• agri-tech,
• gene editing,
• Impossible Burger,
• plant-based meat

New tech. A traditional local industry. Who wouldn’t we be concerned about potential negative effects? So why don’t we just stop it at the border? The problem is that price effects can undermine the effect and the intent of banning tech at the border. In this post I explore three ways that could happen with new agri-tech and what lessons … Read More

What to do when forecasts diverge?

Dave Heatley • Jul 17, 2019

• Automation,
• forecasting,
• jobs

The nice thing about forecasts is that you have so many to choose from.1 For the weather, you can choose between MetService, metvuw, yr, the Weather Channel and many others. It’s best if they agree to guarantee a perfect day in the mountains… … Read More

Can tech-enabled flexible work close the gender pay gap?

Guest Author • Jul 16, 2019

• flexible work,
• gender pay gap

Judy Kavanagh The converging roles of men and women are among the grandest advances in society and the economy in the last century. These aspects of the grand gender convergence are figurative chapters in a history of gender roles. But what must the “last” chapter contain for there to be equality in the labor market? The answer may come as … Read More

What makes a job a good job?

Guest Author • Jul 12, 2019

• Employment,
• Labour,
• work

John MacCormick   There’s an old joke about an economist searching for her keys under a street lamp. She lost them somewhere up the street in the dark, but it’s easier to look where the light’s shining.1 John MacCormick If that still has any amusement value, it’s because there’s still some truth in it. When searching for the keys to … Read More

There’s no place like home

Guest Author • Jul 11, 2019

• Employment,
• labour market,
• unemployment,
• work

Tim Maddock    Why don’t people move as often as economists expect? Some regions in New Zealand have much higher rates of unemployment than others. These differences are persistent, with little change over the past thirty years. Why might this be? If workers seek higher pay (and unemployment is painful) then we would expect workers in struggling regions to … Read More

The demand for statisticians and Easter bunnies

Dave Heatley • Jul 08, 2019

• Employment,
• labour market,
• regional employment

The right job in the wrong place. For many, that’s the reality of job search in New Zealand’s less populated regions. And regional employers face the flip side – the right worker in the wrong place. Labour markets are inherently regional because commuting time subtracts from work and leisure time. On average, New Zealander workers spend 40 minutes a day … Read More

Could AI be the answer to our productivity woes?

Guest Author • Jul 04, 2019

• artificial intelligence,
• machine learning,
• productivity,
• R&D,
• robotics

Judy Kavanagh    Regardless of the technology hype, we’re in a productivity slump worldwide. Will it rebound as robotics and AI deliver a boost? A couple of weeks ago I attended the OECD Global Forum on Productivity in Sydney with the not so snappy title “Keeping pace with technological change: The role of capabilities and dynamism”. My … Read More

Reading past the job-loss headlines

Dave Heatley • Jul 01, 2019

• Amazon,
• Automation,
• jobs,
• labour market,
• Technology

“Machines take jobs” cry the headlines. A journalist friend once said the media only publish two stories: “it’s that terrible” and “isn’t that wonderful”. “Machines take jobs” is clearly “terrible”. But its logical opposite, “machines create jobs”, is unlikely to make the grade as “wonderful”. Such selection effects mean that bad news crowds out the good. Today I’m going to … Read More

Is the post-2012 acceleration in automation tech sustainable?

Dave Heatley • Jun 28, 2019

• artificial intelligence,
• Automation,
• technologies

Can automation tech keep improving at the current rate? First, how good is today’s AI-enabled software? There is no question that it is a lot better at specific tasks than its predecessors. These tasks are more than toys – they include classifying photos, language translation, speech recognition and text synthesis. My photo library has lived on … Read More

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Which technologies drive concern over the future of work?

Dave Heatley • Jun 24, 2019

• artificial intelligence,
• Automation,
• deep learning,
• Technology

Biotech. Nanotech. Cleantech. Gene tech. Cloud computing tech. Successive waves of technological change are the norm for those of us in the developed world. These waves typically rise, peak and ebb while barely raising a concern about wider labour market effects. Further, it seems strange to be worrying about unemployment – technologically induced or otherwise – when, according to The … Read More