The future of work we should build: Predictions for how AI will change jobs, organizations, and HR
Last year’s predictions were full of provocative takes. What happened, what didn’t, and what's next? Our new report examines how our future of work predictions are playing out, what our new research reveals about how organizations should redesign work to create value with humans and AI, and how HR must transform to lead this next era of work.
Fast facts
Chapter 1: Reality check: How our prior future of work predictions are playing out
An evidence-based look back across our predictions reveals an uneven future of work: some shifts are accelerating while others remain largely unproven. The clearest pattern is that efficiency comes first, but it is rarely enough.
Chapter 2: From predictions to purpose: How work is designed for AI and human benefit
We endorse six shifts in work and organizational design that are both enabled by AI and associated with work-enriching characteristics well established in organizational psychology as leading to increased employee motivation, effort, performance, and retention.
Chapter 3: From purpose to practice: How HR delivers value in an AI-native enterprise
Work transformation requires HR transformation. We explore how HR must evolve beyond automation to redesign work and reinvent talent systems and suggest four plausible futures for HR for how these pillars might come together to shape HR’s strategic contribution.
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Spoiler alert: The future of work is already here
The future of work isn’t coming, it’s already here. See how AI, dynamic roles, and greater autonomy are reshaping the way we work.
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webinar
Autonomous HCM: Delivering the future of work with agentic AI
Join the webinar on November 18 for a sneak peek at predictions on the evolving role of HR and the future of work.
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Register for the full report—and discover how to redesign work and transform HR.
The road ahead: Predictions and possibilities for the future of work (2026)
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. We outline a total of ten predictions across three pillars:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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Infographic
Dig into the findings
View our future of work predictions infographic, which offers HR a view of 10 emerging predictions across three pillars—working, workforce, and work practices.
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Overview of our future of work predictions report
Read a quick summary of our report and if you want to learn more, access the full report.
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VIDEOS
Watch the video series
Watch Dr. Autumn Krauss, Chief Scientist, provide an overview of the predictions report followed by three videos that address each of the pillars—Working, Workforce, and Work Practices.
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QUICK GUIDE
Read the quick guide
Overview of capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors HCM that can help you prepare for the future of work.
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Register for the full report—and guide your company to a future that is more mutually beneficial for your organization and your employees.
Public service, future ready: Reimagining public administration HR leadership in AI transformation (2026)
AI is transforming public sector HR leadership and workforce management. Drawing on the data we collected from our future of work predictions report, this research stream highlights the opportunities and risks of AI adoption in government, outlines five core capabilities CHROs need to lead responsible AI transformation, and examines key governance considerations across seven countries to help public sector leaders navigate evolving regulatory and workforce expectations.
Fast facts
The automation potential in public administration institutions is substantial, but unevenly perceived.
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What happens to productivity gains—and who benefits?
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Dig into the findings
AI success in the public sector hinges less on technology itself and more on how effectively leaders align people, trust, and work design to unlock its full potential.
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Report
Explore the full research report
Register for the full report–and learn how to transform public administration HR leadership.
Future of Work Research Lab
Discover additional research on emerging trends in the future of work and HR