News & Events | 16 Jun, 2022

Reimagining Human Capital in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Research Seminar, 19 May 2022

Professor Phillip Brown discussed the different interpretations of the fourth industrial revolution and the role of digital technologies in (re)shaping the future of work, education, and labour markets.  The research seminar was organised on 19th May 2022  by the International Labour organisation.</span >
The human capital story is one of false promise: investing in learning isn’t the road to higher earnings and national prosperity. But rather than abandoning the idea of ‘human capital’ it needs to be redefined in an age of smart machines. This talk will consider different interpretations of the fourth industrial revolution and the role of digital technologies in (re)shaping the future of work, education, and labour markets. It will present a theory of ‘job scarcity’ rather than ‘labour scarcity’, which does not signal the end of work, but the need for a new theory of human capital where the fundamental problem is a lack of quality jobs offering interesting, worthwhile, and rewarding opportunities.

Visit the conference webpage for more information on the conference and conference materials.