The social shaping of technology in food retail - why context matters for the future of work

Dr Lilith Brouwers asks Dr Abbie Winton about Abbie’s research on the impact of technology on labour in food retail. They discuss how technology is influenced by society, the economy, politics, culture, and pre-existing technologies, and how all these different aspects affect the future of work in retail – not just new technology in isolation. They also discuss how understanding historical context is a useful way to interpret what is happening in the labour market today.  

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in August 2023. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.    

About the speakers: Dr Abbie Winton is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC). Her research explores issues related to sociotechnical change in the retail, warehousing and logistic industries, and the quality of work. Currently, Abbie is working on the HuLog project which investigates how digital technologies shape work and employment conditions in warehouses across Europe. 

Dr Lilith Brouwers is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CERIC. Their research focuses on marginalised workers in informal labour, how hyper-precarious workers use labour mobility, and on the intersection of disability and marginalised forms of work.