What will the future of work look like? In the new predictions report by the Future of Work Research Lab, we take an in-depth look at how driving forces such as AI and population changes are leading us towards diverse possible futures. Drawing on global surveys, business research, and structured foresight techniques, we derive 10 predictions which we have organised 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 work

AI impact approaches: AI upgrade vs. AI overhaul

To date, AI has mainly provided 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 affect far more than just efficiency. The paths ahead: will AI scale into a future of productivity, where saved time is reinvested 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. Employees already estimate that nearly half (42%) of their jobs could be done by AI. However, coming to terms with this reality can leave employees feeling anxious and uncertain about their future. The paths ahead: will organisations prioritise maximising AI’s ever-expanding capabilities, or will they centre redesign efforts on realising human potential?

Digital hearts, human needs: The synthetic teammate versus The fit-for-purpose tool companion

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, to vent, or even to celebrate successes. The paths ahead: will AI be seen as an anthropomorphised teammate, or a powerful yet fit-for-purpose tool-mate?

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

As AI becomes integrated into work as a collaborative partner, what that collaboration will look like remains an open question. Currently, 60% of employees say they have 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 at risk: Growth through gigs vs. in-house development

Entry-level opportunities are decreasing as AI takes over routine tasks and university curricula fall behind rapidly changing skill requirements. Young workers are worried about being left behind, with 37% expressing concern about how working only contract roles will affect their careers in the long term. Organisations 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 developed 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 completely 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 adviser vs. the organisational memory architect

Due to various factors, many workers—either by choice or necessity—are remaining in the workforce for longer. Today, older workers are 47% less likely to leave their jobs compared to their younger peers. As organisations 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 resemble a fluid and flexible fractional adviser or a stable architect of institutional knowledge?

Pillar III: The future of working practices

Recruitment reinvented: AI arms race vs. predicting potential

Recruitment 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 use of AI to help them secure jobs. Already, 39% of employees say they have used AI to help them apply for jobs. The paths ahead: will recruitment evolve into an efficiency standoff between employers and candidates, or transform into a predictive system designed 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 is measured is a combination of goal achievement, output metrics, and managerial judgement—but rarely the true impact of someone’s contributions. Yet employees indicate that feeling as though their work contributions matter is 2.5 times more predictive of turnover than their satisfaction with pay. Organisations must consider how performance management practices can shift to better recognise and reward impact. The paths ahead: will organisations measure performance using ever-narrower metrics of activity, or elevate it towards broader measures of lasting impact?

Pay reimagined: Rewarding in real time vs investing in impact

Remuneration today is most closely linked to hierarchy and length of service rather than contributions. As employees are 1.2 times more likely to be highly satisfied with their pay when they are rewarded based on their contributions, organisations will need to decide how they will reward their top talent in the future. The paths ahead: will organisations become tied to outputs in real time or will they design systems that recognise and distribute rewards in line with lasting impact?

Conclusion: Navigating many possible futures

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