CLUJ FUTURE OF WORK IN REVIEW
Cluj Future of Work explored and tested methods through which the city can prepare for the challenges the future will bring to the labor market.
What we aimed for
During the implementation phase, we approached different cultural and social aspects such as the types of jobs that can be developed in the cultural and creative industries (CCI), the risks of automation, and the challenges certain sectors face regarding integration in the labor market.
The project was officially launched on May 31, 2019, and in 2020 we began implementing various mechanisms within Cluj Future of Work.
Smart Specialization
Promoting “smart specialization”, in order to make creative-based industries and related Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) more competitive and engaged in societal change.
Work 4.0
Enabling the transition to work 4.0, by providing training and skills development for the work of today and tomorrow, especially for work cycles under high risk of automation.
Re-imagining work
Re-imagining work in relation to both social values and technical potential.
Improve local economy
Acting as an instrument to improve the spatial conditions of the local economy.
Systematic changes for local value-added chains
Introducing experimentations for systematic changes for local value-added chains and the new social contract governing the future of work
200+
media
appearances
appearances
680k+
total reach on
social media
social media
60k+
total engagement
on social media
on social media
1.193
participants at
our activities
our activities
7
main
activities
activities
3
innovative labs
open to the audience
open to the audience
1
international exhibition
on the future of work
on the future of work
85k+
euros granted to cultural
and artistic projects
and artistic projects
How we made it happen
We navigated the possibilities of the future of work through a series of pilot projects, focusing on creative and cultural industries (CCIs), automation, and informal work.
Creative industries
Introducing experimentations for systematic changes for local value-added chains and the new social contract governing the future of work
Pilot projects:
Automation
This segment of the Cluj Future of Work project was meant to work with people whose jobs are the most vulnerable to automation. We tried to find ways to organically integrate automatized processes in the dynamics of certain workplaces, without putting workers at risk of unemployment.
Pilot projects:
Work 4.0
Informal work
The conversation about the future of work offered us an opportunity to engage with the underprivileged communities and to understand what actions should be taken in order to facilitate the access of such communities on the labor market.
Pilot projects:
Informal Work
Re-imagining work
We used speculation and prototyping strategies to turn the future into something more approachable and more tangible. We worked on several layers to test out solutions that can be used in the future for a better working environment and for functional work dynamics between sectors.
Pilot projects:
Re:form
Future Scenarios
The CREIC Labs
Within the Cluj Future of Work project, which aimed to build a bridge between the present times and the working conditions of the future, three laboratories designed to support innovation and technology have been equipped within the Regional Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries (CREIC) at Cluj Innovation Park. They are meant to become an open place for innovation, research, product development, and prototyping.
Research
Throughout the project, we conducted research exploring three different aspects of the future of work: the changes that are going to affect the dynamics within the cultural and creative industries, the impact of automation and digitalization on the work-life in Cluj-Napoca and the metropolitan area, and the shifts that already started taking place in the regarding work practices regarding informal work and work within the cultural sector.
The research documents are currently in Romanian, and they can be fully read below.
Cluj Future of Work is an initiative of the Urban Innovation Unit in Cluj-Napoca, created by the Cluj Cultural Centre in partnership with the Center for Innovation and Civic Imagination of the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca.
The project is co-managed by the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca and Cluj Cultural Centre in a consortium with eight other local organizations: Art and Design University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj IT Cluster, Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area (ADI ZMC), Transylvania Creative Industries Cluster, Transylvanian Furniture Cluster, Transilvania International Film Festival, Transylvania IT Cluster, ZAIN Transylvanian Creativity Festival.
