7 Predictions For The Future Of Work

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The way we work has changed forever; yet the places (in particular, office buildings) we work haven’t changed much at all in the past 50 years. 

With more than 70 percent of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2030, major policy shifts and corporate incentives increasingly favor urbanization, becoming the catalysts to a global urban renaissance. 

Global market forces, giant leaps forward in technology, and unprecedented climatic shifts are defining the 21st century.



1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics will create more jobs, not mass unemployment — as long as we responsibly guide innovation

Whether artificial intelligence will rise up and take over is the subject of growing debate. AI is “our biggest existential threat” to mankind, claims tech leader Elon Musk. But science fiction is full of stories about machines usurping humans. It's not a notion supported by history or data.

The impact of AI on the future does not spell doomsday for jobs. After all, machines don’t create themselves. Rather, it’s up to us to guide innovation responsibly. This means opening up new windows of opportunity, not eliminating them.

Elon Musk is not the first to subscribe to a fear of the “rise of the machines”. Every generation before ours has feared massive technological change. 
Ultimately, automation has created more jobs—not fewer—and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. 

That said, it’s true that some jobs will go away, and it’s easy to conclude which ones those will be. But it’s much more difficult to know what jobs will be in demand in 30 years.

As such, I predict that there will not be a shortage of jobs in the future, but rather a shortage of skills to fill the jobs. 

In 2018, we must finally realize that it’s no longer a matter of human versus machine, but rather human and machine working in tandem to solve the world’s problems. It is humans who ultimately decide the next course of action.

                
2. Cities will compete against other cities in the war for top talent

When Amazon unveiled plans in October to invest over $5 billion in constructing a second HQ, it received more than 200 proposals from different cities. 

Metropoles across the US went to great lengths to capture the attention of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. 

They made makeshift Amazon headquarters out of cardboard boxes, they bought 1,000 random products on Amazon and wrote five-star reviews for each, and they lit up landmarks such as the Empire State Building in “Amazon orange,” to name a few.

The talent war of the future will no longer be between companies, it will be between cities. As technology untethers society, and remote work becomes the norm, people will live in the cities of their choosing, rather than the ones that are nearest to where they work. 

The cities of their choosing will have a certain “vibe” by offering attractive living options in tech-friendly environments.

                
3. The majority of the US workforce will freelance by 2027

Today, more than 57 million workers - about 36% of the US workforce - freelances. Based on current workforce growth rates found in Freelancing in America: 2017, the majority of the US workforce will freelance by 2027. The youngest workforce generation is leading the way, with almost half of millennials freelancing already.

Simultaneously, there will be large-scale adoption of freelance talent by companies looking to fill talent gaps. In fact, according to a report by the Oxford Internet Institute, talent platform use among large enterprises increased 26% in 2017. Companies like Pfizer and Samsung are part of this rising breed of enterprises that have turned online to find freelancers.

More than 55 million Americans are freelancers. Known as the “creative class,” this emerging group of nomadic workers currently makes up 35 percent of U.S. workers and is projected to comprise 40 percent of the workforce by 2030.

Today, 65 percent of office workers believe they would be more productive if they could telecommute or work anywhere except in a traditional office environment.


4. Education breaks out of the silo

Our education system is broken. The way we educate future generations no longer prepares them adequately for the skills and jobs of today. 

The idea that you study math and science and art in your youth as separate disciplines, and then work to solve real world problems in today’s economy, does not add up. 

Preparing students for tomorrow’s jobs requires breaking down the silos within education.

5. By 2030, the world’s largest commercial landlord will “own” no assets.

6.  All office buildings will be “smart buildings.”

A recent study by Deloitte confirmed that sensory deployment in the commercial real estate industry is likely to grow at a compound annual rate of 78.8 percent between 2015 and 2020, growing to nearly 1.3 billion sensors. By 2020, nearly 50 billion connected devices will have the capability of plugging into an office building.

Sensory deployment in the commercial real estate industry will grow 78.8% annually between 2015-2020.

By 2020, nearly 50 billion connected devices will have the capability of plugging into an office building.


7. Collaboration Will Be The Norm

The type of company–and people–that will thrive in this new environment will embrace collaboration and teamwork. I call them the Betas. The old-fashioned Alpha way of doing business–top-down, command-and-control–will no longer be viable.

As Alpha methods die out, employers will be looking for innovators, technologists, and big thinkers. Data managers will remain in high demand as will people with the skills to manage a diverse workforce.



REFERENCES:
1. World Economic Forum

2. Five Predictions for the Future of Work BY RYAN SIMONETTI & HILARY BRASETH.

3. https://www.fastcompany.com/3026345/7-predictions-for-the-future-of-work