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ECO-20065 - Module Specification
Keele Business School
Faculty of Business, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

ECO-20065 - Labour Economics and The Future of Work
Coordinator: Shiva Sikdar Tel: +44 1782 7 34372
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733094

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2026/27

This module provides an overview of the labour market and labour market policies. The economic underpinnings of demand and supply in the labour market will be discussed. The decisions behind human capital investment, effects of discrimination and immigration will be analysed. The effects of IT revolution on labour markets, and how automation shapes labour markets will be discussed. Students will also understand the effects of new technologies such as AI.  

Aims
This module provides an understanding of the labour market and labour market policies. The module considers factors underlying firms’ labour demand and workers’ labour supply. Issues related to human capital investment, discrimination and immigration are analyzed. It explores the effect of the IT revolution on labour markets, including implications for wage inequality and the distribution of rewards between labour and capital. It evaluates how automation has shaped labour markets over time, providing students with tools to understand the current and future impacts of new technologies such as AI.

Intended Learning Outcomes

explain individuals’ labour supply decisions, over their lifecycle.
: 1
describe firms’ decision-making when hiring and firing workers, and the wider factors influencing these decisions.: 1
explain the effect of different policies on labour supply/demand using economic theory
: 1
document the core ideas and mechanisms contained in formal academic economic texts
: 2
infer the potential impacts of technological innovation on labour market outcomes using economic theory.
: 2

Study hours

24 × 2-hour interactive workshops – 48 hours
Preparatory reading and workshop follow-up – 70 hours
Engagement with asynchronous materials – 30 hours
Mid-term test preparation and completion – 30 hours
Research and writing for final report – 90 hours
Extended independent study – 32 hours

School Rules

Both ECO20065 and ECO30069 cannot be taken

Description of Module Assessment

1: Open Book Examination weighted 50%
Midterm Open-Book Test
The open book test will consist of questions requiring written explanations, aided by graphs and equations, to e.g. explain what is happening in a graph, explain how a particular policy intervention will change outcomes, etc. 2 hour test within a 28 hour window.

2: Research Report weighted 50%
Research Report
Students will be required to summarise a series of academic articles on the impacts of automation on labour markets, wage levels and capital-labour shares, using this information to express an informed view of possible future implications of technological change. The word count is 2000 words.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026