The future world of work is digital, specialised and highly competitive

The world of work is in for major industry-shaking, disruptive changes in the next decade, according to PwC Global’s report Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030, published last year. These changes will bring about socioeconomic shifts on such a scale and at such a pace that some of the scenarios seem like excerpts from a futuristic dystopian sci-fi novel (cognitive performance-enhancing drugs rolled out at an organisational level, anyone?)
The report draws on research begun in 2007 by a team from PwC and the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilisation at the Said Business School in Oxford, and a specially commissioned survey of 10,000 people of working age in China, India, Germany, the UK and the US [view PDF]. It sketches four potential scenarios for 2030, called the ‘Four Worlds of Work’. The year 2030 most likely won’t be characterized by only one of these ‘worlds’, but a combination of the four as the diverse scenarios and forces underlying them create a ‘push and pull’ effect. But elements of all these worlds are already apparent and necessitate a response by those who want to remain active and relevant in the world of work.
The four worlds of work share some common characteristics:
· Lean workforces increasingly rely on contract workers.
· Digital platforms connect employees with employers.
· Specialism is highly prized.
· Technology is increasingly used to assist, augment and replace human work. As a result problem-solving, innovation, leadership, creativity, emotional intelligence and empathy — tasks which automation can’t yet replace — become sought-after skills.
In the Yellow World humans come first.
Artisans, community businesses and organisations that place high importance on ethics and fairness thrive in a bustling and creative market. Workers form communities around their particular skill sets, rather than identifying with an employer.
PwC’s fictional forecast: By 2030 the ‘Made by Me’ quality mark — indicating that no machines have been involved in production — achieves worldwide recognition.
In the Red World innovation rules
Work is a race to give consumers what they want, and innovation often outpaces regulation. A university degree is seen as less valuable than specific and relevant skills or experience. Workforces are lean but there’s still intense competition for critical skills.
PwC’s fictional forecast: By 2030 the number of US workers in full-time ‘permanent’ employment drops to 9% of the workforce.
In the Green World companies care
Concerns about demographic changes, environmental impact and sustainability becoming key drivers of business. Employees enjoy family-friendly, flexible hours and are encouraged to take part in socially useful projects.
PwC’s fictional forecast: By 2030 companies are no longer allowed to use petrol and diesel vehicles.
In the Blue World corporate is king
Big company capitalism rules as organisations continue to grow to such a scale, and exert such influence, that some become more powerful than nation states. Organisations invest in augmentation technology, medication and implants to give rise to a new breed of “elite super-workers”, some of whom need an agent to negotiate and manage their career.
In PwC’s survey a mammoth 70% of respondents said they would consider using treatments to enhance their brain and body if this improved employment prospects in the future.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE REPORT
Digital platforms will be used to connect employees to employers
In all four scenarios, employers will rely on digital platforms to find and secure talent. The traditional HR process will therefore be at least partially automated by technology.
These platforms help match worker with employer and skills and attributes with demand. This is already happening with platforms such as OfferZen, Upwork and SuitUP. The report predicts it will become commonplace in the near future.
In the Red World larger organisations scour the world to ‘acqui‐hire’ talent using specialist talent strategists in combination with artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the specialists they want.
Many other spheres of work will also be digitalised. In the Green World communications technology is used extensively to replace the need for, for instance, travel and thereby reduce its associated carbon footprint.
Doing a job that ‘makes a difference’ will become increasingly important to workers
In the PwC survey, 23% of respondents indicated that ‘doing a job that makes a difference’ is most important to their career.
Organisations’ social responsibility and trustworthiness are at the top of the agenda, as in the Green World. Work becomes a fluid concept and a regimented 9 to 5, Monday to Friday working week is rare; the borders between home and work are blurred as workers find fulfilment in working for ethical and blameless organisations, as in the Yellow World.
Workers will still be loyal… but not to a single employer
According to the report, the workers of the future will be much more loyal to social causes, a trade or global community of likeminded professionals than a company or employer.
As flexibility and autonomy become increasingly important, and specialists move rapidly between projects and employers, workers will rather find identity in structures like the Yellow World’s workers’ guilds — similar to the craft associations and trade fraternities of the Middle Ages, but supported by digital technology. The guilds protect, support and connect independent workers and often provide training and other benefits that have traditionally been supplied by employers.
In the Red World like‐minded workers gravitate towards each other, aided by technology, sparking bubbles of innovation. In the Green World workers and consumers show loyalty towards organisations that do right by their employees and the wider world.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE WORLD OF WORK NOW?
Workforces will continue shrinking, with digital platforms becoming all the more important to not only secure sought-after high-performers, but also contract flexible talent and skills as and when they’re needed.
Digital technology is levelling the playing field, with big businesses and smaller entrepreneurial companies having access to the same scope of talent. Millennials and subsequent generations, being digital natives, will naturally gravitate to this vibrant online marketplace. Will your organisation be ready to not only attract these workers, but also keep and motivate them?
