Future work remains a controversial issue as technology develops in leaps and bounds. Robots in car assembly, AI to process consumer behavior data for more targeted advertising, or a coffee machine available 24 hours a day with a wide choice of options like a famous coffeeshop are some of the advances.

FutureTales Lab explores potential futures and how to deal with them for our well-being through horizon scanning, a foresight research technique with 6 areas of interest: living, working, learning, playing, immigration and sustainability.

FutureTales Lab sees the following “Signals of Change”:

-Artificial Intelligence & Robots Co-Workers

Automation and robots are boosting quality and changing how we work. The amount of work done by humans will alter by 50-70%.

A trend the world is watching today is "Exoskeletons". These machine suits will serve a variety of purposes such as medicine, industry, military, and assistance for disabled and elderly people. The global market was worth $257.9 million in 2021 and is expected to grow 18% each year in 2022-30.

Work systems using artificial intelligence (AI) will help increase efficiency, accuracy, and speed. This trend is especially true in knowledge-intensive professions such as finance, medicine, leadership, and law, where future discussions about moral issues and legislation governing the use of AI will likely arise.

Another indispensable technology is the development of 6G networks. 6G will be an estimated 8,000 times faster than 5G, enabling new applications and revolutionizing the whole industry. to speed up the development of AI and machine learning. Robots and human labor working together can enhance efficiency.

-Flexible work environment & young retirees

Retirement planning at an early age has become the goal of many young people. They downplay career success and focus on trying to accumulate enough to be financially independent quickly.

71% of workers would choose to work from anywhere rather than be promoted. Working people are starting to value their free time over career growth or a higher salary, letting them choose their own way of working and living for a better life balance.

The gig economy with temporary, freelance, or contract-based working will become the norm in the job market. Most employers will also aim to reduce the number of permanent contracts. Employees will be more willing to work on a temporary basis because they can allocate working time as needed.

-Reskill and upskill

As technology and digital worlds evolve and workers adapt, organizations will tend to organize training to add new skills for the future of their employees.

STEM careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are in demand today. They will also play an important role in future work and economic development.

Most organizations are starting to look for workers by focusing on the specific skills and abilities of the job rather than graduation certificates

Multipotentiality people with special abilities in many areas will be able to create a great career for themselves as well. They will have many options but might become stressed about choosing their career.

Implications for the future:

Those with careers in the service, agriculture, and low-skilled sectors will need to start looking for more skills to meet the future of technology.

Self-improvement doesn't have to be based solely on work experience. Ancillary income channels may become the main income with the technology of the future, in both the real and virtual worlds.

Organizations that need motivated and committed employees may need to invest in meaning and flexibility in working within the organization.

Cooperating with foreign companies and using other languages may become easier. Computer language learning may be required for enhanced collaboration between computers and humans. Understanding how to communicate accurately will bring faster success.

Companies with employees near retirement age must hurry to prepare new staff to avoid interrupting work. But the new generation of employees won't look for long-term work but for short-term success. Companies may have to adjust operating procedures for employees who don’t work continuously.

Reference:

• https://www.futuretaleslab.com/.../article/future-of-work

• https://www.ivanti.com/.../the-2022-everywhere-workplace...

• https://www.grandviewresearch.com/indu.../exoskeleton-market

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