10 key trends
change the w
As a decade closes, it’s
natural to look ahead to
what the next one might
hold. What will the world of
work look like in the coming
decade?
The 2020s will be an era of enormous technological change and
nowhere will this be clearer than in the workplace. We can expect
the nature of companies to change, as well as the make-up of the
workforce and even the types of jobs that are required.
The 2010s saw the progression of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
– an era of digitisation that began at the turn of the century. The
First Industrial Revolution was an era of mechanisation, powered
by water and steam, and reshaped the world of the late 18th and
early 19th Centuries. The Second, in the late 19th and early 20th
Centuries, was the era of mass production, made possible by
electrification. And the Third, which dominated the second half of
the 20th Century, was a digital revolution, powered by information
technology.
Sustainable
Development Goals
Climate change is arguably the greatest
challenge of the modern age. The
behaviour of companies and governments
will increasingly be shaped by a need
for adaptation and mitigation of the
effects of climate change. Companies are
already considering the United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goals when they
consider their impact and strategy.
Society
Here are 10 trends,
The Tech
Revol
The Fourth Indust
driven by digitisatio
Things is turning mo
data – from machine
even people thems
to 50 billion device
electronically connec
analysed with artificia
machine learning, wh
insights, drive efficie
opportunities for per
companies are shiftin
experiences for custo
experiences fo
Techn
The Fourth Industrial Revolution sees a fusion of technologies that
blur physical, digital and biological spheres. In the world of work, it
marks a shift in power, with employees gaining autonomy through
freelancing, the gig economy and increased demand for scarce
talent. But the change is not a simple one and it is likely to require
a new social contract.
A lot can happen in a decade. With the pace of change as it is
today, there’s every chance that by the end of the 2020s we
will be on the brink of the Fifth Industrial Revolution. To make
the most of these developments, individuals, companies, and
governments will need to face up to the challenges head-on and
as soon as possible.
Government
While business can do a lot, governments
will need policies to support the new
world of work. Education, for example,
will need to emphasize soft skills, such as
problem solving and independent thinking,
over memorizing facts and processes.
Regulations will need to account for a shift
in working habits, with more freelancers
and gig economy employees.
5G
Linking this technol
generation of mobile
It allows the sharing
quickly, so that areas
wired or Wi-Fi inte
fully connected. Ent
connected with 5G, al
the performance of
process. Self-driving
cities will be connecte
and operate m