Labour market inequalities and workforce health and wellbeing

This workshop aims to explore some of the key labour market inequalities and workforce health and well-being challenges, particularly in the health sector, presenting ongoing research into the state-of-the-art and setting future research agendas.

The health sector has a diverse workforce with more than a quarter of non-white ethnicity, and one-in-five being migrants to the UK. Despite the large representation of ethnic minorities, this group of workers often experience challenges in the workplace including career progression. These challenges can sometimes have an impact on the ability of the sector to attract and retain workers, while the nature of the sector also has specific implications for experiences of work.

Workforce health and well-being remains a wider concern as the changing nature of work including the impact of technology is creating a unique set of opportunities, challenges, and risks for the future of work. At the same time workers are facing additional pressures including financial pressures associated with the cost-of-living crisis that have important implications for workforce health and well-being.

Agenda

10.15 – 10.30: Arrival and welcome 

10.30 – 12: Panel 1 - Labour market inequalities and wellbeing in the health sector

• Chris Darko, University of Birmingham: “How far can you go? Ethnic minority doctors’ choice of specialty in medicine”.
• Ashok Patnaik, University of Birmingham: “Choosing to study medicine: How minority ethnic 6th Form students make that choice”.
• Donald Houston, Ross Millar and Daniel Wheatley, University of Birmingham, and Preeti Sud and Charlotte Williams, NHS Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation: “Workforce health and well-being in the NHS”.

Q&A 

12-12.45: Lunch 

12.45-1.50pm: Panel 2 - New challenges in the labour market

• Mengyi Xu, University of Birmingham: “Control or Out of Control? Navigating Work-Life Boundary Management in the Context of Hybrid Working.”
• Maria del Mar Grandio and Rocio Zamora Medina, University of Mercia, Silvio De Magistris, University of Florence and Daniel Wheatley, University of Birmingham: “Understanding digital well-being at individual, workplace and societal levels”.
• Camille Allard, University of Birmingham: “Whose idea? Using (or not) evidence in workplaces to invest in mental health and wellbeing initiatives”

Q & A

1.50-2pm: Discussion and closing