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FutureworkNZ blog

BlogA blog by Commission staff to generate ideas and promote debate for our Technological change and the future of work inquiry.

We welcome robust, respectful and insightful thoughts and ideas. Please post your comments at the bottom of blog posts. Comments are moderated and won't appear immediately. 

About the blog


The Commission has completed its inquiry into Technological change and the future of work. Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this blog! Read the final inquiry report and recommendations to Government here. 


Chameleon

Can Kiwis be better chameleons?

25 February 2020 | John MacCormick

To succeed in an unpredictable and changing world, adaptability is the key. Let’s be chameleons. Tec…

Mixing

It’s all in the mix

3 February 2020 | Nik Green

In our first four draft reports, the Commission focused on questions like:

Is technology progress a…

Post

Will there still be Santa?

20 December 2019 | Amelia Sharman

I’ve got some bad news about Santa Claus. The North Pole may be far, but it’s not too far to avoid t…

jobs

From sewing machinist to software programmer

16 December 2019 | Amelia Sharman

I’m sure you’ve heard some version of this popular prediction – about two-thirds of children enterin…

Carl Benedikt Frey

Into the Frey

14 October 2019 | Nik Green

If you’ve read anything about technological change and the future of work – or even if you’ve just G…

Ice

How to insure against a workless future

16 September 2019 | Anthony Hall and Dr Nicholas Agar

There are two “expert” messages about the impact of the digital revolution on work that are hard to …

Tech and productivity over time

New Zealand, technology and productivity

12 September 2019 | Judy Kavanagh

The first of the Productivity Commission’s reports on technological change and the future of work is…

Bolt and Nut Australia

The nuts and bolts of automation

9 September 2019 | Judy Kavanagh

Many, many things affect whether a firm will adopt a technology, and whether this adoption will be s…

Aviation

From Richard Pearse to the koru club

26 August 2019 | Judy Kavanagh

There’s a long lag between invention and any labour market effects from the mass adoption of technol…

Robots in Japan

Can robots help fund more attractive places to live?

1 August 2019 | Judy Kavanagh

Robots are going to take our jobs, right?  Well, maybe. The available evidence provides conflicting …

Impossiburger

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

18 July 2019 | Dave Heatley

New tech. A traditional local industry.

What makes a job a good job?

11 July 2019 | John MacCormick

There’s an old joke about an economist searching for their keys under a street lamp.

Houston café

Reading past the job-loss headlines

27 June 2019 | Dave Heatley

“Machines take jobs” cry the headlines. A journalist friend once said the media only publish two sto…

Is the future of work happening now?

20 May 2019 | Nik Green

Many people worry about the impact of new and emerging technologies like robots and artificial intel…

US imports for China

Offshoring US manufacturing to China – it changed politics, …

15 May 2019 | Dave Heatley

The US–China trade war is in the news again.

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