Work, employment, professions and organisations

The sub-group TEPO – Work, Employment, Professions and Organisations – is part of a larger research group, the Work, Family and Social Policies group.

This research sub-group structures its activities specifically by reference to the issues of Work, of Employment, of Professions and of Organisations. It is therefore aimed at a sociological analysis of these topics in their multiple aspects.

This sub-group is open to the community and the region, conducting works for and with public entities (such as City Councils), but also private entities (such as companies) and non-profit associations.

With respect to actions that reinforce scientific cooperation, the TEPO has been engaged in an increasing work based on partnerships with other research centres, with multiple disciplinary areas, and national and international non-academic institutions.

Its programme is organised around 5 research lines, involving not only basic research but also collaborative and participatory action-research.

The first research line focuses on the reconfiguration process of work and organisations in terms of labour division and organisation, knowledge and competences, labour conditions, unemployment, the meaning of work, and presents a thematic focus on research domains such as corporate entrepreneurship, social responsibility of companies and other organisations, the study of the quality and sustainability of forms of employment, and the promotion of decent work.

The second research line focuses on the links between the world of work and social inclusion, in particular social policies for young people and adults with low educational and professional qualifications.

The third research line addresses entrepreneurship, social innovation, solidarity-based social economy, with a recent thematic focus on agroecology and sustainable development. This research line has consolidated pioneering research on the subject in Portugal, with particular attention to social entrepreneurship, in terms of job and wealth creation, provision of social services, social inclusion and the fight against the poverty of vulnerable populations, including those with a high level of educational qualifications.

The fourth research line studies professions and professional identities in order to identify their configurations within the labour market. The main fields of research include the transformations of socioprofessional structures in the recent past, the professional profiles of managers, scientific researchers, and of facilitators.

The fifth research line addresses the relationships between education, labour market and graduates. It discusses the issues of labour precariousness, the positions and professional trajectories of graduates in the labour market in terms of employment, unemployment, occupations, labour status and professional skills.

Coordination: Ana Isabel Couto