The road ahead: Predictions and possibilities for the future of work

Our future of work predictions report is intended to provide HR audiences with a set of emerging possibilities about what the future of work could look like and the different paths it might take to get there. These possibilities were developed through a multi-step process combining early signal detection (based on a review of 357 business press and secondary research articles), structured foresight techniques, and empirical validation (global survey of 8,058 employees). We outline a total of ten predictions across three pillars:

1. The future of working explores how AI will reshape the very nature of jobs and tasks, disrupting and redesigning roles while also impacting how humans think and collaborate.
2. The future of the workforce examines who will perform this new work, highlighting the implications of demographic shifts, the evolving profile of a “successful worker,” and specific workforce segments and roles that will be particularly disrupted.
3. The future of work practices considers how HR practices will adapt as AI fundamentally alters how talent is identified, managed, evaluated, and rewarded.

Each prediction is paired with two scenarios (“Future 1” and “Future 2”) that illustrate diverging paths the future might take. Paired with informative data points and strategic recommendations, we call for HR to turn these possible futures from provocation to practice and to shape a future of work where both people and organizations can thrive.

Ten future of work predictions across three pillars

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