Ventures WorkerTech newsletter: August 2023 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 31 August 2023 by Emma Selinger Emma Selinger Last month I announced the date for our first-ever WorkerTech Conference on 21st November, and over 100 of you have registered to attend in person already. We now have even more brilliant speakers confirmed, including Claudine Adeyemi, CEO of Earlybird, Emma Back, Founder of Equal Care Coop, and Jeegar Kakkad, Director of Future of Britain Policy at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. If you haven’t already registered, get your ticket now. As always, if you’re working on a WorkerTech idea or want to know more about our work, please get in touch. Emma Ventures Manager Resolution Ventures In 2020 the Resolution Foundation brought together leading foundations and social investors to launch the Workertech Partnership — the UK’s first-ever worker-focused innovation fund — backed by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Ufi VocTech Trust, Friends Provident Foundation, Accenture UK, Trust for London, and Bethnal Green Ventures. The Foundation is building on this partnership to host its first ever WorkerTech Conference in central London. We are bringing together over 100 founders, innovators, researchers, funders and investors to share learning and identify new paths to achieving better work in the UK. We’re excited to have some brilliant speakers confirmed, including Sherry Coutu CBE, Chair of Workfinder and Sarah O’Connor, employment columnist at the Financial Times. Register here to attend in-person or online. Latest insights from the Resolution Foundation Labour Market Outlook Q2 2023 – This analysis shows a promising employment rebound following the pandemic-induced challenges, with employment rates increasing and wage growth picking up. However, we still need to address skills mismatches to sustain this trajectory. Short-term pay pain eases, but long-term legacy leaves scars – Real wages in June were higher than a year ago for the first time in 18 months, offering a welcome respite for workers in Britain. But this welcome news for workers puts further pressure on efforts to curb inflation. What lies ahead? – What is the role of declining real-term pay in the public sector as a driving factor behind recent strikes? This paper looks at the historical context of pay freezes, the disparity between public and private sector wages, and potential future challenges for public sector pay growth. WorkerTech stories A team at the University of Oxford has been granted over $700k for a research project aimed at enhancing working lives. The project focuses on investigating how improvements in management practices can lead to better job quality, productivity, and employee well-being across various industries, including sectors with high concentrations of low pay such as logistics. The Learning and Work Institute published a report on the future of work and protected characteristics. Commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the research finds that the uptake of atypical and AI-managed work is growing faster for individuals with protected characteristics, putting them more at risk of insecure work and low pay. Making all jobs good jobs is the topic of this episode of Eat Sleep Work Repeat. Bruce Daisley talks to Zeynep Ton, Founder of the Good Jobs Institute, about why every job should be a good quality job not just for moral reasons, but also for business growth. Get involved Apply for direct investment from Resolution Ventures. We accept applications from WorkerTech ventures on a rolling basis. Or you can book a slot in our office hours for an initial conversation. Ufi VocTech Trust has launched a new competition to share and celebrate big, tech-enabled ideas for transforming adult skills in the UK. Winning ideas of the VocTech Future of Skills Award will receive a £5,000 cash prize. Apply by 26th September. i3 investing is launching their Queer Founders Forum with a networking event on 5th September bringing together LGBTQ+ founders to network and learn more about i3’s investment approach. Reserve your free spot. The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) is accepting applications for their Ideas into Action programme, supporting people from refugee backgrounds to develop their own social enterprises. Successful applicants will receive business coaching and fundraising support. Apply by 20th September. Leeds Digital Festival will be running from 18th to 29th September, showcasing tech and innovation in the city, as well as its influence on a regional and national level.
