The Labour in History & Economics Conference is an interdisciplinary meeting of labour historians, economic historians, and labour economists focused on discussions of migration, labour markets, and the work environment. Recent developments in all three disciplines have brought issues of work and labour to the forefront of scholarship. The empirical turn in economics has led to new research related to labour and work including the use of historical case studies. At the same time, the high-wage economy interpretation of the Industrial Revolution has put workers and wages at the forefront of economic history, and historians of capitalism have advanced the importance of labour repression, especially slavery, as a cause of modern economic growth. This conference will bring together scholars from these disciplines to share research, perspectives, and methodologies. We will also provide a platform for research that will stimulate public engagement on contemporary debates about migration and the impacts of technology on jobs.

Prof. Sir David Hendry and Dr. Jennifor Castle will be presenting on Modelling UK Real Wages and Unemployment, 1860-2014