What will the future of work look like? In the new predictions report by the Future of Work Research Lab, we deep dive into how driving forces such as AI and population shifts are leading us towards diverse possible tomorrows. Drawing on global surveys, business research, and structured foresight techniques, we derive 10 predictions which we’ve organized into three pillars: The Future of Working, The Future of the Workforce, and The Future of Work Practices. For each prediction, we explore two possible futures. Let’s dive in.

Pillar I: The future of working

AI impact approaches: AI upgrade vs. AI overhaul

To date, AI has mainly delivered time savings and greater efficiency for businesses. Employees now save an average of 75 minutes per day, up 23 minutes since the start of 2025. Yet AI has the potential to impact far more than just efficiency. The paths ahead: will AI scale into a future of productivity, where saved time is re-invested into producing more, or shift towards a future of expanded outcomes?

Work redesigned: AI maximalist vs. symbiotic strategist

Work redesign is inevitable as AI fundamentally changes how employees spend their time. Already employees estimate that nearly half (42%) of their jobs could be done by AI. But coming to terms with this reality can leave employees anxious and uncertain about their future. The paths ahead: will organizations prioritize maximizing AI’s ever-expanding capabilities, or will they center redesign efforts on realizing human potential?

Digital hearts, human needs: The synthetic teammate vs. The fit-for-purpose tool-mate

The collaboration model between humans and AI is becoming more interpersonal as AI capabilities advance. Today, 40% of employees turn to AI for emotional support, and many prefer AI for advice, venting, or even celebrating successes. The paths ahead: will AI be seen as an anthropomorphized teammate, or a powerful yet fit-for-purpose tool-mate?

The great cognitive shift: The offload effect vs. the amplification effect

As AI becomes embedded into work as a collaboration partner, what that collaboration looks like remains an open question. Currently, 60% of employees say they’ve already used AI to help them think through problems in new ways; yet 90% of employees admit to having submitted entirely AI-generated content without making edits or revisions. The paths ahead: will reliance on AI cause employees to offload critical thinking or will AI be used to fuel deep reflection and amplify human cognition?

Pillar II: The future of the workforce

Early talent in peril: Growth through gigs vs. home-grown development

Entry-level opportunities are declining as AI absorbs routine tasks and university curricula lag behind fast-changing skill demands. Young workers are worried about being left behind, with 37% expressing concern about how working only contract-roles will impact their careers long term. Organizations must grapple with how to ensure the bench strength of their future talent. The paths ahead: will early talent build their own portfolios through gig work, or will they be strategically cultivated internally as the next generation of the workforce?

People leaders at a crossroads: AI as coach vs. manager as mentor

Managers today are overwhelmed and burnt out by widening spans of control and high administrative burdens. Many are questioning the role of the manager altogether—with 57% of employees indicating they would be just as successful if they had an AI manager instead of a human manager. The paths ahead: will AI fully overtake the role of the manager or will the role be redefined around the distinctly human elements of leadership?

The third career act: The fractional advisor vs. the organizational memory architect

Due to various factors, many workers—either by choice or necessity—are staying in the workforce longer. Today, older workers are 47% less likely to turnover compared to their younger peers. As organizations re-design both career entry points (i.e., early talent), and mid-career inflection points (i.e., people managers), they must also re-design the third career act. The paths ahead: will the third act of a career look like a fluid and flexible fractional advisor or a stable architect of institutional knowledge?

Pillar III: The future of work practices

Recruiting reinvented: AI arms race vs. predicting potential

Recruiting is undoubtedly the most mature human resource management practice when it comes to AI adoption, but in turn candidates are also experimenting with their own AI use to help them land jobs. Already, 39% of employees say they’ve used AI to help them apply for jobs. The paths ahead: will recruiting evolve into an efficiency standoff between employers and candidates, or transform into a predictive system built to match talent with greater accuracy and intent?

Performance redefined: Measured by the minute vs. measured by magnitude

Today, performance management remains anchored in rigid annual cycles. What gets measured is a mix of goal attainment, output metrics, and manager judgement—but rarely the true impact of someone’s contributions. Yet employees indicate that feeling like their work contributions matter is 2.5x more predictive of turnover than their pay satisfaction. Organizations must consider how performance management practices can shift to better recognize and reward impact. The paths ahead: will organizations measure performance in ever-narrower metrics of activity, or elevate it towards broader measures of lasting impact?

Pay reimagined: Rewarding in real time vs. investing in impact

Compensation today is most closely tied to hierarchy and tenure rather than contributions. With employees being 1.2X more likely to be highly satisfied with pay when they are rewarded based on their contributions, organizations will need to decide how they will reward their top talent in the future. The paths ahead: will organizations become tied to outputs in real-time or will they design systems that recognize and distribute rewards in line with enduring impact?

Conclusion: Navigating many possible futures

The overarching theme that emerges from this research is variability: organizations are at different starting points, moving toward diverse futures at different speeds. This creates space—and responsibility—for HR to step up as architects of possibility. The future of work isn’t just something that happens; it’s something for us to build, intentionally and collaboratively. Download the full report.