In our first research paper we investigated the discourse and solutions proposed in response to the ‘Great Resignation’ and identified a market disconnect. While employers were struggling to gain and retain top talent, vulnerable groups including young people, low and medium-skilled workers in hard-hit industries, and parents and carers were struggling to find opportunities.

Women are disproportionately represented across all these vulnerable groups and, despite labour shortages and new ways of working, still find themselves in sub-optimal working conditions, underemployed or struggling to re-enter the job market at all.We sought avenues to reconcile this challenge. How can we reconnect employers with this valuable workforce, and support these under-served women in reaping the benefits of the ‘Great Reset’?

Our research moves beyond the global level to test the applicability of our findings and potential solutions on the ground. We dig deeper into the benefits and challenges of flexibility for medium skilled women in a diverse set of labour markets: India, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, and the UK. In addition, we focus on three industries that have been at the front-line during the pandemic: healthcare, hospitality and logistics.

An advance copy of the second report was shared at the third Jeffersonian dinner held in Tokyo on 7 September 2022. The associated Monocle / Konfekt article was published on 10 November 2022. These early insights into the challenges and aspirations of mid-skilled women workers will fuel the next steps of the Innovation Foundation's Scan (research), Build, and Scale approach.

The positive experience of collaborating on this project has led to the development and signature of a Framework Agreement between Adecco and the TASC Platform for ongoing collaboration on research and innovation.