New technology enables tasks to be performed more efficiently or better than before. It also alters value chains, business models, skill requirements, and power dynamics in the workplace. Artificial intelligence and digitalisation are transforming how we work and what we work on.

One concern is whether these developments might lead to job losses. More certain, the content of many jobs will change through the rationalisation and automation of tasks, as well as the introduction of new ways of working. Technology also influences how work processes are organised, executed, and managed. Platform work is one example. Algorithmic management and enhanced opportunities for control and surveillance are also affecting more traditional parts of the labour market.

Climate change affects the environmental conditions for work and industry, for instance in the form of extreme weather events. To limit climate change and meet future market demands, a green transition is necessary. This includes reducing carbon emissions and developing new, green industries. These changes impact the entire economy and affect both the public and private sectors, with particular relevance in the energy sector: petroleum activities account for a quarter of Norway's emissions, and we need more energy.

Calls for a "just transition" come from both the labour and environmental movements, emphasising the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the green transition. Workers and local communities are differently positioned to meet climate change and decarbonisation.

Fafo studies the consequences of these trends for the labour market and working life. We are interested in how the social partners engage with and are affected by these trends, both nationally, regionally and at the enterprise level. We also study how different workers experience these changes and what expectations they have for green transition and digitalisation to be just. We examine how these processes influence occupational structures, wages, and competence requirements, and we ask how the workforce can be adapted and transformed to meet future demands, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable occupational groups.