Ten questions about the future of work

1. How will work evolve over the next decade?

Development depends to a large extent on what kind of work and work tasks we are talking about and in which sectors, societies, and economies. For example, work that is directly related to the human body is unlikely to be subject to rapid change in its essential elements anywhere. Hairdressers, massage therapists, cosmetologists, tattooists, and gym instructors will continue to do the same work as before, and the role of smart digital systems will remain supportive, unless they start working at platforms and become social media influencers. While technological opportunities are advancing, people are unlikely to crave the "robot touch". There will most likely still be a need for human presence in aircraft, buses, and other systems under close-range control, even if full automation is possible and could be more economically viable. 

In the public sector, cost pressures in many countries may lead to talk of, for example, transferring basic care work to robots, but in terms of overall costs, these visions are rather utopian – even after purchase, robots need to be remotely monitored, maintained, repaired, recharged, medical robots filled, and so on. The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence is unlikely to reduce the use of smart digital systems for the tasks they are suited to, however, technology alone will not drive the development and execution of work.

2. How did the pandemic permanently change our understanding of work and workplaces?

One change that seems quite permanent is related to our perceptions of the ways in which remote work is possible, the extent to which different types of work can or should be shifted to remote working, and the effects of the shift on productivity, efficiency, and also well-being at work, among other things. Indirect issues are linked, for example, to the need for commuting, the required virtual tools, and the occupancy rates of office and other dedicated workspaces. The pandemic raised many new questions related to work and entrepreneurship.

3. How did the rise of hybrid and remote working change work monitoring and the role of trust?

Our extensive survey of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland found that the rapid and forced shift to remote working did little to change the monitoring of work or confidence in completing work tasks remotely. In our interpretation, this was an indication of the strength and resilience of the Finnish contract society. In weaker contract societies, the rise of remote working has often meant a rise in various forms of control and monitoring. Further research on this topic would be useful, as the views that people should return to the office from remote working in order to work more efficiently are gaining ground in the Finnish public debate as well.

4. What opportunities will new technologies and the platform economy offer for the future of work?

Firstly, new technologies offer possibilities and a wide range of opportunities also for increasing efficiency, but this does not necessarily mean that the amount of human work would decrease as such as a result. The creation, maintenance, monitoring, and servicing of new smart technological systems, platforms, apps, and the like have also given rise to new professions and even more new work tasks.

Second, the rapidly evolving capabilities of intelligent systems, for example, in data collection, analysis and processing, offer new efficient and useful applications in many areas of business and research, among others. To manage these, we need human input that can evolve flexibly.

The "platform economy" in its established sense has become almost an "air" that everyone is forced to breathe, therefore it has become difficult to see the platform economy as a source of real new opportunities.       

5. How is entrepreneurialism evolving and what new forms will it take?

If data is the "new oil", as we hear from a number of authoritative sources, then there should be increasing opportunities for new and specialised forms of entrepreneurship in the collection, analysis, and processing of various data. We are particularly interested in influencers as entrepreneurs – a form of entrepreneurship that would not exist without the advanced internet with its many platforms and applications. The core product of an influencer is themselves as an identity publicly produced on social media platforms, with various product and service connections. It is also almost essential for other entrepreneurs and professionals to be present on social media platforms – you do not exist if Google cannot find you. Platforms have also changed the role of consumers as business evaluators. On a platform, the entrepreneur is the target of rapid public feedback due to star ratings with various consequences.       

6. Will the changing nature of work bring new demands on well-being at work?

The constant changes related to work pose challenges for individuals, organisations, and institutions. Change can also lead to new ideas about what constitutes well-being at work. Today, occupational safety and well-being includes objective physical safety, good working conditions, and subjective sense of safety.

7. What changes should political decision-makers make to enable future forms of work?

Future forms of work will be possible without decision-makers suddenly having to do something radical. In a democratic society, it is a question of constantly seeking a balance: how to reconcile, for example, freedom and support for entrepreneurship and the development of new technologies with reasonable rights for employees, information security for citizens, and so on.

8. Which professions and areas of expertise will be central in the future?

What makes forecasting difficult is the ambiguity and value-laden nature of "centrality". For example, it is easy to argue that every profession and area of expertise involved in climate disaster prevention will be central in the future, but from the perspective of strong economic and political interests, the "centrality" may clearly lie elsewhere.

9. What are the most important skills and areas of expertise that employees should develop to remain competitive in the future labour market?

With the increasing specialisation of professions and work tasks, skills and areas of expertise are also becoming more specialised. This makes it difficult to identify general skills that guarantee "labour market competitiveness". However, bringing together specialists in their own fields to form a functional and effective work community can be a challenge, so developing communication and interpersonal skills is undoubtedly beneficial for all employees.

10. How will the boundary between work and leisure time change and what are the implications?

It is difficult to see that a single big change could take place. Depending on the diversity and characteristics of work tasks and professions and the different responsibilities and needs of employees, the nature of such a "boundary" is likely to vary widely. There are jobs and professions where the work is still done in the workplace, such as in a hospital, while the employees may spend a lot of their own time, for example, studying professional literature or updating their skills. On the other hand, not everyone is able or even willing to draw any particular line between "work" and "leisure time".

Professions with flexible remote working opportunities also tend to have more opportunities to build life structures where income-generating activities – paid work or entrepreneurship – take different forms. As an extreme example of the new professions, a social media influencer can earn an income from YouTube videos of their daily life. This means that in a sense they are also at work when they are sunbathing on the beach in their video. Income generation in these new professions as an entrepreneur can, however, vary greatly.

There are other ways to build flexibility between work and leisure time, for example, through shorter working hours or training.

Text: Erja Hyytiäinen
Photo: Sanna Heikintalo
Translation: Saara Yli-Kauhaluoma