WALES ESRC DTP PHD ‘COLLABORATIVE’ STUDENTSHIP - Fair Work: Job Quality and Fairness in UK and Welsh Workplaces (in collaboration with ACAS Wales and South West of England)

UK workplaces are facing a conundrum; despite growing affluence, various workforce surveys (e.g. 2017 UK Skills and Employment Survey) indicate the deleterious effects of work such as growing work intensity, declining task discretion, growing insecurity and a declining fairness of work (Felstead, 2019; Green, 2006; Hassard and Morris, 2018). One of the great challenges of work is how to reconcile growing prosperity and long term falling hours at work with what the Taylor Review argues constitutes ‘fairness‘ in the contemporary workplace (Taylor, 2017).

Working alongside ACAS, this PhD project will evaluate the differences on the major measures of the UK Skills and Employment Survey (work intensity, insecurity at work, job discretion and fairness at work) according to key variables (occupation, age and gender) and examine the extent to which there are major differences of fair work between Wales and the UK. The project will furthermore explore these issues via case studies of major employing organisations to develop evidence-based policy. A mixed-method research design is anticipated including secondary data analysis identifying challenges and successful examples, quantitative data analysis of the 2017 Skills and Employment Survey Study broken down to a sub (UK) national level, as well as qualitative research involving interviews and case studies of Welsh private and public sector organisations.


Applications are invited from exceptional candidates with a first class or strong upper second class honours degree, or appropriate Master’s degree. Both the University and the ESRC Wales DTP value diversity and equality at all levels and we encourage applications from all sections of the community.

We welcome applications for both full and part-time study, and studentships are available as either ‘1+3’ (i.e. one full time year of research training Masters followed by three years of full-time Doctoral study, or the part-time equivalent), or ‘+3’ (i.e. three years of full-time doctoral study or its part-time equivalent), depending on the needs of the applicant.

A completed application form should be submitted no later than 1st June 2020. We anticipate interviews to be held mid-June via Skype.

These studentships are ‘collaborative’ awards. Applicants should take careful consideration of the working title and description of the project and may wish to contact the named member of staff for a discussion prior to applying.

Mae’r rhaglen hon ar gael drwy gyfrwng y Saesneg yn unig. I wneud cais am wybodaeth yn Gymraeg, cysylltwch â’r Tîm Recriwtio Ôl-raddedigion ([Email Address Removed]).

This program is available in English only. To request information in Welsh, please contact the Postgraduate Recruitment Team ([Email Address Removed]).