Workforce ofthe future
The competing forces shaping 2030

www.pwc.com/people

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Contents
The messages for leaders

5

The forces shaping the future

6

How digital and artificial intelligence are changing work

8

The Four Worlds of Work in 2030

10

Red World

12Blue World

16

Green World

20

Yellow World

24

What does this mean for jobs?

30

Working together as a society – our recommendations

32

The individual response34‘No regrets’ moves for organisations

36

Conclusion

38

Appendix

39

PwC’s global People and Organisation practice brings together anunmatched combination of 10,000 people with industry, business, talent,
strategy, HR, analytics and technology expertise in one team across
138 countries.
Together, we build tailored people and organisation solutions with a deep
understanding of our clients’ uniqueness, grounded in rigorous analysis
and data‑driven insight, to create lasting, differentiated value.
We help clients to implement organisational transformation, improve theeffectiveness of their workforce, develop and move talent around theirbusiness, and manage their human capital risks. We work from people
strategy through to organisational execution.
2

Foreword
We are living through a fundamental transformation in the way we work. Automation and‘thinking machines’ are replacing human tasks and jobs, and changing the skills that organisations
are looking for in their people. These momentous changes raise huge organisational, talent and
HR challenges – at a time when business leaders are already wrestling with unprecedented risks,
disruption and political and societal upheaval.
The pace of change is accelerating. Competition for theright talent is fierce. And ‘talent’ no longer means the sameas ten years ago; many of the roles, skills and job titles oftomorrow are unknown to us today. How can organisations
prepare for a future that few of us can define? How will
your talent needs change? How can you attract, keep andmotivate the people you need? And what does all this meanfor HR?
This isn’t a time to sit back and wait for events to unfold.
To be prepared for the future you have to understand it.
In this report we look in detail at how the workplace might
be shaped over the coming decade.

Our report draws on research begun in 2007 by a teamfrom PwC and the James Martin Institute for Science andCivilisation at the Said Business School in Oxford and a
specially commissioned survey of 10,000 people in China,
India, Germany, the UK and the US. This has given us
insights into how people think the workplace will evolveand how this will affect their employment prospects andfuture working lives. Our thanks to all those who kindly
shared their perspectives.
No exploration of the future of work will ever be conclusive.
Indeed, one of the defining characteristics of our age is
its ability to surprise and confound. This report develops‘Four Worlds of Work’ for 2030 which will kickstart
your thinking about the many possible scenarios that
could develop, and how to best prepare for the future.
Remember that your starting point matters as much as yourdestination; the best response may mean radical change,or perhaps just a few steps from where you are today. Your
resulting strategy will inevitably mean a combination of
obvious, ‘no regrets’ actions and the occasional, educatedleap of faith.

Carol Stubbings
Global Leader, People and Organisation, PwC

3

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

“So what should we tell our children? That tostay ahead, you need to focus on your ability tocontinuously adapt, engage with others in thatprocess, and most importantly retain your core senseof identity and values. For students, it’s not just aboutacquiring knowledge, but about how to learn. For
the rest of us, we should remember that intellectual
complacency is not our friend and that learning –not just new things but new ways of thinking – is alife-long endeavour.”Blair Sheppard
Global Leader, Strategy and Leadership
Development, PwC“I’m not worried, as an
automated workplace
will also need humanskills.”Male full-time student (18),
India

4

The messages for leaders
Act now.

People not jobs.

This isn’t about some ‘far future’ of work – change isalready happening, and accelerating.

Organisations can’t protect jobs which are made redundantby technology – but they do have a responsibility totheir people. Protect people not jobs. Nurture agility,
adaptability and re-skilling.

No regrets and bets.
The future isn’t a fixed destination. Plan for a dynamic
rather than a static future. You’ll need to recognise
multiple and evolving scenarios. Make ‘no regrets’ moves
that work with most scenarios – but you’ll need to makesome ‘bets’ too.
Make a bigger leap.

Build a clear narrative.
A third of workers are anxious about the future and theirjob due to automation – an anxiety that kills confidence
and the willingness to innovate. How your employees feel
affects the business today – so start a mature conversation
about the future.

Don’t be constrained by your starting point. You might needa more radical change than just a small step away from
where you are today.
Own the automation debate.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will affect every
level of the business and its people. It’s too important anissue to leave to IT (or HR) alone. A depth of understanding
and keen insight into the changing technology landscape isa must.

5

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

The forces shaping the future
The future of work asks us to consider the biggest questionsof our age. What influence will the continuing march oftechnology, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) haveon where we work and how we work? Will we need to workat all? What is our place in an automated world?
Many commentators focus on technology and the role that
automation is predicted to have on jobs and the workplace.
We believe the real story is far more complicated. This is lessabout technological innovation and more about the mannerin which humans decide to use that technology.
The shape that the workforce of the future takes will be theresult of complex, changing and competing forces. Someof these forces are certain, but the speed at which they
unfold can be hard to predict. Regulations and laws, thegovernments that impose them, broad trends in consumer,
citizen and worker sentiment will all influence the transition
toward an automated workplace. The outcome of this battle
will determine the future of work in 2030.

Megatrends
The megatrends are the tremendous forces reshaping
society and with it, the world of work: the economic shiftsthat are redistributing power, wealth, competition andopportunity around the globe; the disruptive innovations,radical thinking, new business models and resource scarcity
that are impacting every sector. Businesses need a clear
and meaningful purpose and mandate to attract and retain
employees, customers and partners in the decade ahead.

37%
36%
18%
The megatrends identified by PwC form the foundation for
all our scenarios. How humans respond to the challenges
8%
and opportunities which the megatrends bring will
determine the worlds in which the future of work plays out.

When so many complex forces are at play, linear predictions
are too simplistic. Businesses, governments and individuals
need to be prepared for a number of possible, even seemingly
unlikely, outcomes.

100

6

Figure 1: When you think about the future world of work as
it is likely to affect you, how do you feel?
Excited – I see a world full of possibility
Conﬁdent – I know that I will be successful
Worried – I’m nervous about what the future holds
Uninterested – I tend not to think too far ahead

PwC survey of 10,029 members of the general population based in China,
Germany, India, the UK and the US – base all those who are not retired 8,459

changeource

Technological breakthroughs

Demographic shifts

Rapid urbanisation

Rapid advances intechnological innovation

The changing size, distribution
and age profile of theworld’s population

Significant increase in theworld’s population moving tolive in cities

With a few regional exceptions
the world’s population is ageing,
putting pressure on business,social institutions and economies.
Our longer life span
will inaffectDemographic
Demographic
Shift
ShiftinglobalDemographic
Shiftin global
globalbusinessmodels,talentambitionsandandsocialsocialeconomic
economicandsocialeconomic
and pension costs. powerOlderchangechangepowerworkers
changepower
will need to learn new skills andwork for longer. ‘Re-tooling’ will
become the norm. The shortage ofa human workforce in a numberof rapidly-ageing economies will
drive the need for automation andproductivity enhancements.

By 2030, the UN projects that
4.9 billion people will be urban
The rapidly developing nations,dwellers and, by 2050, theparticularly those with a large
world’s urban population will
working-age population, thathave
increased byDemographic
some
72%1change.
embracea businessRapid
ethos, attract
Rapid
Rapid
ClimateClimatechange
TechnologicalTechnologicalin
Demographic
Shift
inglobal
globalRapid
Rapid
Climatechange Shift
Technological
Already,
many
of
the
largestcitiesinvestment
andimprovetheirurbanisation
urbanisation
and
and
and
socialresource
resource economic
breakthroughs
breakthroughs urbanisationandsocialeconomic
urbanisation
urbanisation
andresource
breakthroughs
have GDPs larger change
than
mid-size
educationsystem
will
gain
the
scarcityscarcity
powerchangepower
scarcity
countries. In this new world, cities most. Emerging nations face thewill become important agents forbiggest challenge as technology
job creation.
increases the gulf with thedeveloped world; unemployment
and migration will continue tobe rampant without significant,sustained investment. The erosionof the middle class, wealthdisparity and job losses due
to large-scale automation will
increase the risk of social unrest in
developed countries.

Automation, robotics and AI are
advancing quickly, dramaticallychanging the nature and numberof jobs available. Technology
has the power to improve ourlives,
raising productivity, living
Technologicalstandards
and average life
breakthroughs
span, and free people to focus
on personal fulfilment. But it
also brings the threat of social
unrest and political upheaval
if economic advantages are notshared equitably.

Shifts in global
economic power

Resource scarcity andclimate change

Power shifting
between developed anddeveloping countries

Depleted fossil fuels, extreme
weather, rising sea levels andwater shortages
Demand for energy and water isforecast to increase by as muchas 50% and 40% respectivelyby20302. change
New types Technologicalofjobs
ClimateClimatechange
Technologicalinandalternative
energy,new
breakthroughs
andresource
resource
breakthroughs
engineering
processes, productscarcityscarcity
design and waste management
and re-use will need to becreated to deal with these needs.
Traditional energy industries,
and the millions of people
employed by them, will see a
rapid restructuring.

Find out more about PwC’s Global Megatrends http://www.pwc.co.uk/megatrends

1 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/WUP2011_Report.pdf
2 National Intelligence Council. https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/GlobalTrends_2030.pdf
7

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

How digital and artificial intelligenceare changing work
The potential for digital platforms and AI to underpin andgrow the world of work is unbounded. They already play
an essential role in the development of all Four Worlds ofWork, matching skills to employer, capital to investor andconsumer to supplier.
This platform layer brings a digital value chain andcommoditisation and automation of the back office –but comes with warnings. While it can create a thriving
marketplace, it can grow to take over the entire economic
system. And with platform pervasiveness comes
vulnerability to cyber-attacks or wide-scale manipulation.
Closely linked to digital is data. How governments,organisations and individuals decide to share and use it
is key to all our worlds – even the most human-centric.

Finally AI: the digital assistants, chatbots, and machinelearning, that understand, learn, and then act based on that
information3. It’s useful to think of three levels of AI:
Assisted intelligence, widely available today, improves
what people and organisations are already doing. A simple
example, prevalent in cars today, is the GPS navigation
programme that offers directions to drivers and adjusts toroad conditions.
Augmented intelligence, emerging today, helps people
and organisations to do things they couldn’t otherwise do.
For example, car ride-sharing businesses couldn’t exist
without the combination of programmes that organise
the service.
Autonomous intelligence, being developed for the future,establishes machines that act on their own. An exampleof this will be self-driving vehicles, when they come into
widespread use.
Some optimists believe AI could create a world where
human abilities are amplified as machines help mankind
process, analyse, and evaluate the abundance of datathat creates today’s world, allowing humans to spend
more time engaged in high-level thinking, creativity,and decision-making.

3 For more on AI and how it’s changing work, see our 2017 report:
Bot.Me: A revolutionary partnership http://www.pwc.com/CISAI
8

73%

think technology
can never replace thehuman mind.

37%

are worried about
automation putting jobs
at risk – up from 33%
in 2014.
PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US

“Automation, machines
are replacing so manyjobs. Many people thinkthat only the poor anduneducated are being
displaced. I’m afraid thatin a few years everyone
will be replaceable.”
Retired female withpostgraduate degree (67),USA

Autonomous Intelligence
FutureAugmented Intelligence

Assisted Intelligence
Emerging

Today
Automating repetitive,
standardised ortime-consumingtasks and providing
assisted intelligence.
Increased demand for
STEM skills to build
new tech ecosystem.

Adaptive continuous
intelligent systems takeover decision-making.
The future of humans atwork is questioned.

Fundamental change
in the nature ofwork. Humans andmachines collaborate to
make decisions.
Uniquely human traits –emotional intelligence,creativity, persuasion,
innovation – become
more valuable.

9Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Shaping our own destiny
Megatrends provide the context for future worlds but
they don’t dictate their shape or features at a specificpoint in time. How humans respond to the challenges andopportunities which the megatrends bring will determine
the worlds in which the future of work plays out.
Public sentiment, and its impact, is difficult to predict,affected by culture, history and many other local factors.
As we’ve seen in recent years, public sentiment canradically affect the approach of a nation in the space of asingle election or referendum. But there’s no doubt thatgovernments and public sentiment will influence theforces underpinning each scenario. For this reason, we
added some distinctly human dynamics into our scenario
analysis: the ‘push and pull’ effect of collectivism versus
individualism, and integration versus fragmentation.

Collectivism versus individualism

Integration versus fragmentation

Will ‘me first’ prevail, or will societies work together
through a sense of collective responsibility? What is therole of government in balancing a strong economy with theinterests of its people? Regions and countries – and evencities – will inevitably take a different view on the level ofstate intervention needed.

Will digital technology inevitably mark the end for large
companies? Technology has allowed tiny businesses to tap
into a vast reservoir of information, skills and financingthat used to be available only to large organisations.
Through the use of technology, small has become powerful.
It’s also allowed large companies to drastically reduce
their internal and external costs. Organisations can be
more productive with fewer staff and can expand theiroperations (through contingent workers, for example)
without having to invest significant amounts of capital.
But once again, human agency plays its part.
Government actions can incentivise or penalise larger
businesses, or encourage small business and start-ups.

Business fragmentation:
Small is powerful.
Large businesses lose their dominance as customers seek relevanceand organisations find scale a burden rather than a benefit. Social
bubbles and affinity groups take on a new importance. Many could notexist without digital platforms.

Individualism:

Collectivism:

Where ‘me first’ rules.

Fairness and equality dominates.

A focus on individual wants; a response to the infinite
choices available to consumers.

The common good prevails over personal preference,e.g. collective responsibility for the environment,social good and ‘fairness’ over individual interest.

Corporate integration:
Big business rules all.
Companies get bigger and more influential – the biggest have moresway than some nations. Brands span many business areas.

10The Four Worlds of Work in 2030
Fragmentation

The Yellow World
Humans come firstSocial-first and community businesses prosper. Crowdfunded capital flows
towards ethical and blameless brands. There is a search for meaning andrelevance with a social heart. Artisans, makers and ‘new Worker Guilds’ thrive.
Humanness is highly valued.

The Red World
Innovation rules
Organisations and individuals race to give consumers what they want.
Innovation outpaces regulation. Digital platforms give outsized reachand influence to those with a winning idea. Specialists and niche profitmakers flourish.

Collectivism

The Green World
Companies care

Individualism

The Blue World
Corporate is kingSocial responsibility and trust dominate the corporate agenda with concerns
Big company capitalism rules as organisations continue to grow bigger andabout demographic changes, climate and sustainability becoming key drivers
individual preferences trump beliefs about social responsibility.
of business.
Integration
11

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Innovation rules: The Red WorldIn a world with few rules, a vibrant market of specialists and niche profit-makers race to serve theneeds of individuals and powerful affinity groups.

Red World: The road to 2030

2020

2021

2022

2025

2030

High-profile personal
scandals and corruption
by politicians and businessleaders in a number ofnations are unresolved,
signalling to the world that‘anything goes’ and creatinga push back on turn-of-themillennium standards.

A lifestyle app developed by
six Taiwanese 17-year-olds
for their final-year exams issold for $49m in a worldwide
online auction organised by
the students’ school.

UK Court of Appeal rulesthat ideas developed outsidebusiness hours by colleaguesof the same company remain
its intellectual property,
even if the workers are notpermanent employees.

A decade of demergers and‘carve outs’ across industry
sectors peaks.

The number of US workers
in full-time ‘permanent’
employment drops to9% of the workforce,an all-time low.

12

60%

think ‘few people will
have stable, long-term
employment in the
future’.
PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US

A world of innovation with few rules

Agility and speed are essential

What it means for workers

The Red World is a perfect incubator
for innovation.

Big business has been outflanked in a digitalenabled world that’s teeming with small
entrepreneurial companies.

Specialism is highly prized in the Red Worldand a career, rather than being defined by an
employer or institution, is built from individual
blocks of skills, experience and networks.

New products and business models develop atlightning speed, far more quickly than regulators
can control. Technology encourages thecreation of powerful, like-minded, cross-bordersocial ‘bubbles’. Businesses innovate to create
personalisation and find new ways to serve
these niches.

Digital platforms match worker with employer,
skills with demand, capital with innovator,and consumer with supplier. This allows serial
entrepreneurs to reach far beyond their size interms of influence and scale.

There are high rewards on offer for those ideas
and skills that best meet what companies andconsumers want. But in a world with few rules,
the risks are high. Today’s winning businesscould be tomorrow’s court case.

Anxious to compete, larger employers fragment tocreate their own internal markets and networks to
cut through old-style hierarchies and encourage
and reward workers to come up with new ideas.
The pace of development and testing of new
products and services has accelerated, increasing
the risk of brand damage and failure.

Near-zero employee organisations are thenorm. Organisations of a few pivotal people use
technology, the supply chain and intellectual
property, rather than human effort and physicalassets, to generate value.
The commercial value of learning takes
precedence; a university degree is seen as
less valuable than specific and relevant skills
or experience.
Workers know that the most sought-after
skills will mean the biggest reward package.
Many move frequently and stay only as longas the project or business lasts. Contract
negotiations are key and ownership ofintellectual property and the freedom to work
are as important as financial incentives.

13

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Who leads on people strategy?

What does the workforce look like?

Organisational challenges• Innovation and people are inseparable in the
Red World.

• Specialism is highly prized and workers seek
to develop the most sought-after skills tocommand the biggest reward package.

• Speed to market is everything in the Red
World – any decision-making process orhierarchy that delays innovation is a barrier
to success.

• HR does not exist as a separate function andentrepreneurial leaders rely on outsourced• Organisations are typically stripped-down andservices and automation for people processes.
nimble, supplemented by talent attracted by the •next promising opportunity.
• Larger organisations scour the world to‘acqui-hire’ talent and intellectual property• A small number of ‘pivotal people’ with•outstanding management skills commandusing specialist talent strategists in combinationhigh rewards.
with AI to identify the specialists they want.

While ideas flourish, organisations compete to‘own’ them.
Innovation creates a high-risk environment;
regulation struggles to catch up – but when it
does, it impacts unevenly and suddenly.

• Digital platforms match worker with employer • Like-minded workers gravitate towards each
• Workforces are lean but there’s still intenseand skills with demand.
competition for critical skills.
other, aided by technology, sparking bubbles
of innovation.
• Performance is all about the end result rather
than the process – ‘old-fashioned’ performance • Projects quickly flourish, evolve and resolve andspecialists move rapidly from one to the next.
measurement and analysis is rare.

14“There’s a lack of loyalty
from the company
towards the employees.
Workers with skills indemand will prosper,
those with outdated skills
will be abandoned.”
Part-time Government
employee (66), USAure view
Fut

SkillScanExTM

Anticipating your talent needs
I want to _Red World
In 2030, the search
for talent is as difficult
as ever. Artificial
intelligence allows
businesses to identify
the talent they need,when they need it.
Here’s an extract froman AI-powered talent
tool which might
be readily available
in 2030.

SkillScanExTM Aggregator
Find the talent you need, no matter which
platform it’s on. Our natural language interface
allows you to tell us what you need – and what
you don’t.

SkillScanExTM Anticipator
Connect at a deeper level and Anticipator will
alert you when you need new skills or capacityfrom the conversations happening within yourbusiness. Anticipator helps you make the rightchoice between human and machine talent.

View all

SkillScanExTM Business plannerBusiness Planner links customer enquiries, open
innovation projects and current human andautomated productivity to forecast both businessperformance and critical skills gaps.

Load more

15

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Corporate is king: The Blue World
Global corporates take centre stage. Consumer choice dominates. A corporate career separates thehaves from the have nots.

Blue World: The road to 2030

2020

2021

2022

2025

2030

The net worth of the top
1% of Chinese households
overtakes that of the top
1% of US households for the
first time.

Merger of the world’s biggest
social media site andAfrica’s largest telecoms
company becomes the biggest
corporate deal ever recorded.

The world’s biggest employer
agrees unique ‘borderless’working for its employees
across its six biggest markets
in a ground-breaking tax
deal with their governments.

UN agrees its Ethical Charteron Human Enhancement.

India’s largest tech company
announces a 24% increasein annual revenue, largely
attributed to its introductionof cognitive-enhancing drugs
for its workforce.

16

Capitalism reigns supreme

Extreme talent

What it means for workers

In the Blue World, companies see their size andinfluence as the best way to protect their prized
profit margins against intense competition fromtheir peers and aggressive new market entrants.
Corporations grow to such a scale, and exert
such influence, that some become more powerfulthan nation states.

Corporates may dominate the Blue World,
but workforces are lean.

For workers in the Blue World, the pressure to
perform is relentless. Those with a permanentrole enjoy excellent rewards, as do in-demand
contract workers with specialist skills – but bothknow that their future employability depends on
keeping their leading-edge skills relevant.

Success depends on a productive workforce aslarge companies compete for the best talent.
They push past the limits of human ability by
investing augmentation technology, medicationand implants to give their people the edge.

Exceptional talent is in high demand –employers secure a core group of pivotal
high-performers by offering excellent rewards
but otherwise buy in flexible talent and skills
as and when they’re needed.
Human effort, automation, analytics andinnovation combine to push performancein the workplace to its limits; human effort
is maximised through sophisticated use ofphysical and medical enhancement techniquesand equipment, and workers’ performanceand wellbeing are measured, monitored andanalysed at every step. A new breed of elitesuper-workers emerges.

A corporate employer separates the haves fromthe have nots; companies provide many of theservices, from children’s education, eldercare
and healthcare, previously provided by the state.
The price workers must pay is their data.
Companies monitor and measure obsessively,from the location of their workforce to theirperformance, health and wellbeing – both in andoutside the workplace. Organisations use thedata to predict performance and importantly,
to anticipate people risk.

70%

would consider using
treatments to enhancetheir brain and body
if this improved
employment prospects
in the future.

PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US – base all those who are notretired 8,459

17

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Who leads on people strategy?

What does the workforce look like?

• The Chief People Officer (CPO) is a powerful •and influential figure, sometimes known as the‘Head of People and Productivity’, and who sitson the board.
• The science of human capital has developed
to such a degree that the connection between
people and performance is explicitly
demonstrated by the CPO.
• The people risk agenda is one which is taken
seriously by the board – as a result, the CPO
and HR become more influential.

Aside from a core group of high-performers,• The challenges of size and scale mean thatorganisations are at greater risk from externaltalent is bought in where and when it’s needed.
threats such as technology terrorism or‘Retainer and call-up’ contracts are frequently
meltdown and they find it difficult to effectused for rare skills.
change quickly.
• Top talent is fiercely fought over – the best
engage an agent to negotiate and manage• The value of human capital at the top level
their career.
is high and the upward pressure on reward,
particularly for senior executives, is intense.
• Employers begin their search for exceptional
talent early, forming links with schools and• Organisations must develop models andengaging promising youngsters.
systems which enable individuals andtheir agents to negotiate the value of their
human capital based on employees’ personal• Employees of all levels take an active role ininvestment strategies.
their own career development, honing theirskills whenever they can and however they can– including human enhancements.
• Society divides into those with a corporate
career – and those who don’t have access tothe same level of financial rewards, healthcare
and benefits.

18

Organisational challenges“The gap between therich and the poor. Either
people will have a highpaying job or no job
at all.”Unemployed female (50),Germanyure view
Fut

World News
3 May 2030 09.30 ET

Blue WorldIn 2030, organisations
begin to realise thebenefits of humanenhancement in
the workplace.
An online news reportfrom 2030 details thefirst large-scale use ofcognitive-enhancing
drugs.

Drumhum Inc leads the pack in the use of cognitive-enhancing drugs in the workplace ascompanies begin to realise their benefits.
Drumhum Inc, the first large employer tooffer cognitive-enhancing medication to its
employees, says it has seen a 4% increase inproductivity during the first three months of
the financial year.
Drumhum offered the methylpehnidate-based
drug Cognitalin, the first cognitive enhancer
to be mass produced specifically for use in theworkplace, to its employees on a voluntarybasis at the beginning of the year. “Theprogramme,” said Nancy Cole, the company’s
Head of People Performance, “was closely
monitored; it was also heavily oversubscribed,
with more than 73% of Drumhum’s 3,000
workers based in the US volunteering totake part.”

Cognitalin, a modified methylphenidate
substitute developed by PharmaXcog, increases
concentration and enhances memory function
by increasing the synaptic concentrationof the neurotransmitters dopamine andnoradrenaline by blocking their reuptake andstimulating the prefrontal cortical network.
It was licenced for non-medical use in 2027
following the publication of the Ethical Charteron Workplace Enhancement.
Drumhum measured the performanceof the Cognitalin group against a control
group of employees of similar experienceand demographics, who continued with
Drumhum’s standard programme of gamingbased cognitive training. “The group taking
Cognitalin,” said Cole, “proved significantly
more productive, completing a complex coding
exercise around 10% more quickly than thecontrol group – with 4% fewer errors.”
		Read more

19

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Companies care: The Green World
The need for a powerful social conscience is paramount. Workers and consumers show loyalty
towards organisations that do right by their employees and the wider world.

Green World: The road to 2030

2020

2021

2022

2025

2030

‘Stop the Bots’ marches
against job losses attract tensof millions of demonstrators
in Detroit, Toronto, Mumbai
and London.

A year-long drought ineastern Pakistan andnorthern India causes
the deaths of two million
people. More than 30 million
are displaced.

The #waterwastersocial campaign targets
organisations that havefailed to reduce theirwater consumption sinceinternational guidelines wereagreed in 2020. The shareprice and revenue of a dozen
multinationals plummet.

International accounting
standards require a ‘Natural
Capital and Social Capital
impact’ balance sheet fromall listed companies.

The European Union
introduces legislation thatbans all companies trading
within the EU from using
petrol and diesel vehicles.

20Companies have to care

The automation conundrum

What it means for workers

In the Green World, corporate responsibility isn’t
just a nice-to-have – it’s a business imperative.
Companies are open, collaborative organisations
that see themselves as playing an essential rolein developing their employees and supporting
local communities.

Automation and technology are an essential
element of the Green World as they help
to protect scarce resources and minimise
environmental damage.

Employees enjoy family-friendly, flexible hours
and are encouraged to take part in sociallyuseful projects. They trust their employer to treat
them fairly in terms of pay, development andconditions and in return are expected to reflect
the culture of the company in their approachand behaviour.

Reacting to public opinion, increasingly scarcenatural resources and stringent international
regulations, companies push a strong ethical andgreen agenda. This is characterised by a strongsocial conscience, a sense of environmental
responsibility, a focus on diversity, human rights
and fairness of all kinds and a recognition thatbusiness has an impact that goes well beyond
the financial.

Technology is used extensively to replace theneed for travel, driving rapid innovation incommunications technology.
But the question of where people fit into theautomated Green World looms large. Technology
is a double-edged sword for Green World
employers – it allows them to meet their ethicaland environmental agenda, but at what costto humans?

The high ethical standards to which companies
are held has cascaded down to employees;
conduct and ethics are taken very seriously at
work and performance is assessed against a wide
range of measures, including how efficiently
workers manage their travel and resources.

23%

say ‘doing a job thatmakes a difference’is most important totheir career.

PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US

Trust is the basic currency underpinningbusiness and employment. Companies have toplace their societal purpose at the heart of theircommercial strategy.

21

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Who leads on people strategy?

What does the workforce look like?

• The CEO drives the people strategy for the• Workers are attracted to Green World
organisation, believing that the people in thecompanies by the opportunity to work for an
organisation, their behaviours and role inorganisation they admire, whose values match
society have a direct link to the organisation’s
their own.
success or failure.
• Even so, competition remains intense for thebest talent; financial reward is still important.
• The HR function, renamed ‘People andSociety’ embraces a broad mix of HR,
marketing, corporate social responsibility• The incentives package is an essential tooland data analytics.
in attracting and retaining workers and has
become increasingly inventive. Three weeks’paid leave a year to work on charity and social• A priority for HR is developing andprojects is standard practice.
maintaining a series of virtual social networks
across the organisation and client base toencourage communication and minimise• Workers are expected to reflect the values of
the need for travel.
their employer – both at work and at homethrough ‘organisational pledges’.
• Many people decisions are tightly controlled
by regulation, from diversity quotas to,• Travel is tightly controlled and monitored andmandatory wellbeing support (eg sleep
there are incentives for inventive and efficient
clinics and ‘digital dieting’), to the number
use of resources.
of redundancies companies can make during
a downturn.
• The idea of a ‘job for life’ returns to theworkplace lexicon.

22

Organisational challenges• Communicating corporate purpose andvalues effectively, to the right people, is afundamental requirement.
• Building and maintaining trust with
employees and wider society, especially whenit comes to the use of automation, is essential.
• The brand must be protected at all times.
The possibility of non-socially responsible
behaviour within the organisation or
anywhere along the supply chain carries
huge risks. Quality assurance and vigilanceis paramount.
• Being compliant is not enough: organisations
are under pressure to raise the bar andestablish policies and practices which go
beyond and even anticipate regulatory
requirements.
• Organisations have to balance the trade-off
between short-term financial and long-termsocietal good.

“Climate change [willbe the biggest impact on
the way we work], we aregoing to have to change
our priorities.”
Female manager in thepharmaceutical industry(30), USAure view
Fut

Back to comparisions

Energy per employee

Home | Sign in | Register | My account | Help

Green Bar Brewing Inc
Sustainability hub
Energy and Water Consumption – Summary
Updated 11:00 GMT 12/11/2030
Green WorldIn 2030, realtime reporting ofsustainability data isa legal requirement
for all listedcompanies – mostunlisted entities
also voluntarily
produce detailed
quarterly data.
Here’s an extractfrom an imaginedorganisation’s 2030
sustainability reportwhich allows online
comparison with peergroup organisations.

Water consumption per annum (baseline 2022)

Energy use

2029/30 (to date)

2028/29 FY

Total energy consumption 2025/26 FY (Gw)
Total consumption per FTE (Kw)

1,002
0.09

1,130
0.13

CO2 emissions (kilotonnes)
Travel-related emissions

17.3
6.4

18.1
8.3

Our water report

2029/30 (to date)

2028/29 FY

Total consumption (million gallons)
Water used per litre of product

823
2.7:1

889
2.9:1

2026

2029

2028

2027
97%

95%

93%

2030
92%

91%

Peer group comparison
Top 10%

Water consumption per country
Key suppliers
In accordance with the Sustainability Act 2022, we collectand publish key sustainability data for any of our suppliers
that contribute to more than 7% of our total costs.
Click through for information.
Company 1
Company 2
Company 3

Social impact

2029/30 (to date)

2028/29 FY

Number of workers*
Community hours/per worker

7,610
9.6

7,789
8.3

*All individuals undertaking paid work for this organisation - both employed and self employed but
excluding suppliers with more than 1 employee.

23Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Humans come first: The Yellow World
Fairness and social good are dominant. Businesses with a heart and artisans thrive in a bustling andcreative market with a strong emphasis on ethics and fairness.

Yellow World: The road to 2030

2020

2021

2022

2025

2030

European Commissionagrees the Fair Pay Directive.

The world’s largest taxi
company bows to publicpressure and introducesa ‘human driver please’
option to its app.

The Shanghai Stock
Exchange announces that
all listed companies must be
free from the use of conflictminerals by the end of 2025.

Brazil becomes the last of theG22 nations to renationalise
its water and energy supply.

The ‘Made by Me’ quality
mark – indicating that no
machines have been involvedin production – achievesworldwide recognition.

24

We’re all in this together

The two sides of technology

What it means for workers

In the Yellow World, workers and companies
seek out greater meaning and relevance in what
they do.

Technology has helped to create the vibrant
Yellow World by lowering barriers to entry
by providing easy access to crowdfunded
capital and a worldwide market. This allows
entrepreneurial companies to compete in areas
previously the domain of large organisations.

Workers feel the strongest loyalty not to theiremployer, but to people with the same skills
or cause.

A strong desire for ‘fairness’ in the distributionof wealth, resources and privilege drives
public policy, leading to increased government
intervention and consumers and workers votingwith their feet.
Workers find flexibility, autonomy andfulfilment, working for organisations with astrong social and ethical record. This is thecollective response to business fragmentation;
the desire to do good, for the common
good. A wider range of work is regulated bya concept of ‘good jobs’ and decent work;
moving away from traditional employer/
employee relationships.

But there is a central conflict around technology
and automation; in the Yellow World, people areless likely to take the downsides of automation
without a fight. As more people are impacted bytechnical advances and see their skills become
obsolete, disaffection and the push-back against
policies that seem to favour the ‘elite’ grow.

The Yellow World is the perfect breeding groundfor the emergence of new worker Guilds, similar
to the craft associations and trade fraternities ofthe Middle Ages. These Guilds develop in orderto protect, support and connect independent
workers and often provide training and otherbenefits that have traditionally been suppliedby employers.

25%

say their ideal employer
is an organisation
with values matching
their own.
PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US

However, ‘invisible technology’ such as
AI-driven ‘back office’ functional support andthe automation of tasks that are damaging
or impossible for humans, still pervades.

25

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Who leads on people strategy?

What does the workforce look like?

Organisational challenges• Business leaders are responsible for people
direction and management.

• Like-minded workers gravitate towards eachother, aided by technology platforms.

• Brand and a good ethical record is essential in
the Yellow World. The risk of brand damage
from rogue workers must be actively managed.

• HR rarely exists as a separate function asorganisations rely on outsourced services,
specialist suppliers and automation forpeople processes.

• Individuals come together to collaborate on
projects or to deliver on an idea – for as long as
it takes.

• Guilds support workers to build skills andexperience by providing training and careerdevelopment support alongside other help
and advice.
• Digital platforms create mobility and help
match worker with employer and skills andattributes with demand.
• Performance is about delivering anorganisational goal but also, importantly,
about employees’ behaviours andsocietal impact.

26• Organisations are judged on trust and fairness;organisational purpose must be clearly
articulated and lived.

• Guilds help workers create scale when needed,remain current and build trust in their services. • Ethical and transparent supply chain
management is critical and penalties apply
all along the chain for non-compliance.
• Guilds provide members with a strong senseof identity – individuals see themselves as
members of their profession, identifying with • In the Yellow World, relationships witheach other because of their particular skills set,
governments and NGOs are vital and needinterests and goals.
to be closely managed.
• Non-financial rewards are assessed fairly in a
trade-off for less pay.
• Work is often a fluid concept and a regimented
9 to 5, Monday to Friday working week israre; the borders between home and work
are blurred.

“The ability to work fromanywhere, combinedwith the advances intelecommunications
makes us geographicallyneutral. However
we must ensure thatthe personal touch
is retained.”
Manager (52), UKure view
Fut

Guild University opens for business in Helsinki
23 August 2030

Yellow World
Guilds have extended
their responsibilities
for their members,
including wellbeing,pensions, training
and by 2030,
university education.
Here’s what an
education news forum
could report in 2030.

The GDA (Guild for Data Analysts) University in Finland, the first campus university opened by a Guild in Europe, will
welcome its first residential students next month. The GDA announced in 2026 that it was to invest €35m in developing
a university dedicated to data analytics research and teaching in response to growing demand from its members.
The new GDA University is set on the formersite of Urban-Metro University, which closed
its doors in 2027. The campus was purchasedby the GDA in 2028 and has undergone anextensive refurbishment and digital upgrade.
“We can offer our students the very latest
learning technology and infrastructure,” said
GDA University Vice Chancellor Eino Virtanen.
“As you would expect from a Guild that
represents the finest talents in digital analytics,
our campus is state-of-the-art.”

The university will initially offer modular
courses and accreditation which build into
the three levels of Guild Certification, today’s
gold standard for data analysis professionals.
While applications are accepted from all, thosestudents that are already members of the GDA
will enjoy subsidised fees.

“As a Guild we are constantly striving to help
our members develop the skills that have madethem so valuable in the workplace,” said Julia
Hawley, chief executive of the GDA. “Our new
university will track the skills demands within
the industry and move quickly to make surethat our students leave their education ready to
add real value to businesses worldwide.”

The GDA is the largest and fastest growingof the Guilds with more than 18m members
worldwide. It has run an extensive programmeof training courses since it was set up in 2021;
its library of MOOCs (massively open online
courses) is heavily used by members andnon-members alike and a selection of short
residential courses for Guild members waslaunched in 2025.
Read more27

Finding, sourcing and attracting talent

Reward and performance

Learning and development

The role of HR

Role of technology in managing people

28

Blue World

The people
management
challenges in 2030

Red World

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

People with ideas and organisations with capital seek
each other out in a vibrant online marketplace. Talent is
attracted by a combination of financial reward and theopportunity to be involved in winning projects.

Organisations compete to find and secure the best talentavailable and use extensive search and evaluation methods
to lock in the stars of tomorrow.

Those with in-demand skills expect the highest
financial rewards.

Performance is obsessively monitored and measured –often in real-time. Excellent incentives are on offer for thebest talent, as long as they perform.

It’s every man and woman for themselves in the Red World– individuals hold responsibility for improving their own
skills using a new generation of open-source learning tools.

Development is concentrated on a small core group of
high-potentials.

HR as we know it vanishes, replaced by automation,
outsourcing and self-organising teams.

HR uses advanced analytics to predict future talentdemands and to measure and anticipate performance andretention issues.

Technology powers the Red World but performance isjudged primarily on short-term results.

Sensors and data analytics measure and optimise
performance continuously.

Green World

Yellow World

Green World companies seek likeminded individuals toextend their corporate family, taking great care to select
only talent with the right behaviours and attitudes.

Companies use technology to explain their purpose
and cause openly. If their values are right, and the idea
appealing, talented individuals and relevant Guilds flockto help.

Organisations focus on total reward, which recognises
corporate citizenship and good behaviours alongsideperformance.

Fair pay drives the Yellow World; organisations andworkers respect each other’s needs and capabilities.
When disputes occur, the Guild will stand up for
its workers.

Personal and professional development fuse in areas suchas volunteering. Companies train people to deal withethical dilemmas and weigh up difficult economic v social
trade-offs.

Individuals take responsibility for lifelong learning,turning to Guilds for support.

HR acts as guardian of the brand. There is a strong focus on
creating the right culture and behaviours and on guarding
against sustainability and reputational risk across the
supply chain.

The traditional core functions of HR are held by businessleaders, the collective or taken on by Guilds.

Technology helps people to build work into their lives andminimise their environmental impact.

Technology creates and supports the open, honest,collaborative community of the Yellow World.

“Technological trends
will destroy many jobs.
But at the same time also
create numerous jobs.”
Full-time female student,(19) China

29

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

What does this mean for jobs?
Our Four Worlds of Work are each markedly different,
but through each runs the vein of automation and theimplications of robotics and AI. Will robots eventuallyreplace us all at work? Or will we create a new world where
people and machines work alongside each other? It’s themost fundamental – and difficult – question we must ask of
the future of work.
As more individual tasks become automatable throughAI and sophisticated algorithms, jobs are being redefinedand re-categorised. A third of people worldwide are now
worried about losing their job to automation4.

It’s clear that automation will result in a massive
reclassification and rebalancing of work. Some sectors androles, even entire sections of the workforce will lose out butothers will be created.
Automation will not only alter the types of jobs available
but their number and perceived value. By replacing workers
doing routine, methodical tasks, machines can amplify thecomparative advantage of those workers with problemsolving, leadership, EQ (Emotional Intelligence), empathy
and creativity skills.
Those workers performing tasks which automation can’t
yet crack, become more pivotal – and this means creativity,
innovation, imagination, and design skills will beprioritised by employers.

Figure 2: Jobs at risk of automation by country 6

US

38%

Germany

35%

UK

30%

4 PwC survey of 10,029 members of the general population based in China, Germany, India, the UK and the US
5 PwC 20th Annual Global CEO Survey http://www.pwc.com/talentchallenge
6 http://www.pwc.co.uk/economic-services/ukeo/pwc-uk-economic-outlook-full-report-march-2017-v2.pdf
30

Japan

21%

This view is supported by business leaders worldwide who
responded to our most recent CEO survey5. While CEOs are
keen to maximise the benefits of automation – 52% told
us that they’re already exploring the benefits of humans
and machines working together and 39% are considering
the impact of AI on their future skills needs – the majority(52%) were also planning to increase headcount in the
coming 12 months. Finding the skills they need has become
the biggest threat to their business, they say, but the skills
they’re looking for are particularly telling: problem-solving,
adaptability, collaboration, leadership, creativity andinnovation top the list.

Adaptability – the key to the future
Pivotal talent: The ultimate prize
One clear lesson arises from our analysis: adaptability –in organisations, individuals and society – is essential fornavigating the changes ahead.
It’s impossible to predict exactly the skills that will
be needed even five years from now, so workers andorganisations need to be ready to adapt – in each of theworlds we envisage.
Inevitably, much of the responsibility will be on
the individual. They will need not only to adapt toorganisational change, but be willing to acquire new skills
and experiences throughout their lifetime, to try new tasks
and even to rethink and retrain mid-career.
Governments and organisations can and should do muchto help: easing the routes to training and retraining, andencouraging and incentivising adaptability and the criticaland increasingly valued skills of leadership, creativity
and innovation.

Automation of routine tasks encourages the increased
specialism we see in the four worlds. This suggeststhat those workers with the critical skills thatorganisations need will become the ultimate prize– whether they are full-time employees or contract
workers. These are the ‘pivotal’ people – those that
contribute outsized and absolutely crucial value totheir organisation.
Finding and keeping these pivotal people will be ahuge challenge in every world. They will be hard tofind and difficult, in a loyalty-light world, to keep.
And in the hard-driven Red and Blue worlds, the riskof losing pivotal people to burnout or early retirement(comfortably funded by the high rewards they’llcommand) will be a constant worry.
That’s why organisations will need to pay carefulattention to the employee value proposition –the reasons why these extraordinary people wereattracted to working with them in the first place.

74%

are ready to learn new
skills or completely
retrain in order toremain employable in
the future.
PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US – base all those who are notretired 8,459

31

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Working together as a society – our recommendations
Managing the impact of the trends shaping our Four Worlds of Work won’t be easy. It requires collaboration andengagement from governments, organisations and society at large. Together we should:
Be deliberate in the way we allow technology
to develop

Look for innovative ways to address
unemployment caused by technology

Governments, organisations and society should work
together to develop a responsible approach and policies
that govern the impact of technology and automation
on jobs – including a clear discussion on the ethics of AI.
Governments should engage with organisations developing
the use of robotics and AI at all stages of policy making, tocreate a pool of thought leaders with a deep understandingof the interplay between technology and its effecton society 7.

All governments will need to address the issue of
unemployment driven by technology. This could include
testing social safety nets such as universal basic income
and identifying new sources of income for citizens.
Underdeveloped countries that will increasingly struggle tocatch up with the rest of the world will need to go further
and consider radical new approaches. In the long run, they
will need to create their own internal markets as theirprimary sources of revenue.

7 www.pwc.co.uk/responsibletech32

Help people help themselves
As the ‘typical’ linear career path ceases to exist,
perceptions of the value of the new norm of a ‘portfolio
career’ must change. Time does much to shift thinking but
incentives are needed too. For many workers job mobility,
constant retraining and rotation will become the crucial
way of improving their adaptability, employability andusefulness to society. But many people also feel tied totheir current career and job because of the pressures ofdebt and the ‘stickiness’ of employer benefits – whether,that’s student debt, mortgages or loans, or non-transferable
benefits like employer-sponsored healthcare or pensions.
This too has implications for wider society. Incentives
aimed at encouraging mobility and development of skills
will be important.

56%

think governments
should take any actionneeded to protect jobs
from automation.
PwC survey of 10,029 membersof the general population based in
China, Germany, India, the UK and
the US – base all those who are notretired 8,459

33

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

The individual response
As individuals – be it workers, students, parents or
consumers – it’s important to have a clear view of what the
future, driven by the megatrends and our own actions, will
look like. What role will we play? What actions should wetake? What should we tell our children and grandchildren,
colleagues, neighbours and friends about the futureof work?
We believe that individuals should:
Understand the big picture
Pay attention: Understand how technology is developing
and what it and the other megatrends could mean for theworld of work – and you specifically.
Expect the unexpected: Use our four Worlds of Work to
consider how different the world could look and plan for
multiple scenarios and outcomes.

Plan for an automated world
Find the gaps: In an automated world we will still needhuman workers. Whether this is working to develop
technology, alongside it – or in narrow, very specialist orvery human types of employment – the places automation
simply can’t compete in yet. Work out where you want
to be.
Get your skills in order: The skills needed for the future
are not just about science and technology. Human skills
like creativity, leadership and empathy will be in demand.
Identify the skills you need and start to concentrate on how
to build them – and how to use them alongside technology.
Take action
Adapt to survive: The human race is infinitely adaptable but
also risk averse. Work out what holds you back – whether
structural and financial (loans, mortgages, responsibilities)
or emotional. Work out what matters to you and yourfamily and plan for change.
Jump on a passing ship: There is no one future-proof
career, only better options for you. Determine how to getto the ‘next better thing’.

34“As individuals – actual human beings – what do we need to
do to thrive and prosper in whatever the new world brings?
The secret for a bright future seems to me to lie in flexibility
and in the ability to reinvent yourself. If you believe that the
future lies in STEM skills and that interests you, train forthat. But be prepared to rethink if the world doesn’t need somany programmers. If you are a great accountant who hasprospered by building strong client relationships, think how
you can apply that capability, without necessarily having to
be an accountant. Think about yourself as a bundle of skills
and capabilities, not a defined role or profession.”
Carol Stubbings
Global Leader, People and Organisation, PwC

65%

think technology will
improve their job
prospects in the future.

74%

believe it’s their own
responsibility to update
their skills rather thanrelying on any employer.

PwC survey of 10,029 members of the general population based in China,
Germany, India, the UK and the US – base all those who are not retired 8,459

100

Figure 3: I have the following skills and attributes(percentage who agree or strongly agree)

86%
85%
81%
76%
74%
69%
69%
60%
53%
50%

Adaptability
Problem solving
Collaboration skills
Emotional intelligence

Risk management skills“Technology and theability to save so muchtime. I think that a lot ofjobs that were needed in
the past will no longer
be needed. Different
jobs will be createdthat demand different
skill sets.”

STEM skills

Unemployed skilled manual
worker (46), USA

Creativity and innovation
Leadership skills
Digital skills

Entrepreneurial skills

PwC survey of 10,029 members of the general population based in China,
Germany, India, the UK and the US

35

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

The ‘no regrets’ moves for organisations
Organisations are faced with an array of choices whenlooking at the future. This requires an understanding of
the possibilities – both desired and undesired – to plan
accordingly.
No matter what the future holds, we believe there aresome ‘no regrets’ moves that apply universally:

Linear predictions
don’t cut it• Plan for multiple and emerging
visions of the future using a
scenarios approach.
• Understand clearly how eachcreates different workforce
challenges and implications.

Make decisions
based on purpose
and values• Build a future-looking understandingof how humans and machines
might collaborate to deliver yourcorporate purpose.
• Clarify your values and behaviours
that underpin your policies, processes,
decision-making and priorities.
• Identify and engage with internal andexternal stakeholders to manage their
expectations and co-create the futureof work.
• Create an open and transparent
narrative on how you are influencing,planning and delivering on the futureof work – for your organization, society
and individuals.

36

Embrace technology as aforce for good

• Clarify how robotics and artificial intelligence canenable the redesign of work, enhance productivity
and customer experience, and enable a focus on morevalue-added tasks.
• Use sophisticated workforce planning and predictive
analytics to plan for talent pipelines in multiple
future scenarios.
• Look for ways technology can enhance your people
offering for potential and existing employees.

Focus on the humans andthe humane• Understand the skills you have in your workforce
now (not just the roles your workers currently do)
and the gaps to the skills you will need in the future.
Think beyond simplistic concepts like ‘we need more
STEM skills’.

“The technological or
robotized workforce [willbe the biggest impact on
the way we work] but
the human work will
always be a unique anddetermining factor in any
organization.”
Engineering & Construction
sector worker (37), USA• Strengthen innovation, creativity, empathy andleadership capabilities in your business alongsidecritical technology skills.
• Make talent and capabilities management a matterof urgency – or risk losing the battle to harness
technological breakthroughs and innovation inyour sector.
• Build and nurture adaptability in your workforce byharnessing a flexible talent mix. new ways of working
and learning, and radically different career paths.
• Redesign traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ HR
programmes and policies to deliver on new learningand development models, career paths, capability
models and the redesign of jobs and compensation
frameworks.

37

The Future of Work to 2030

Conclusion
We’ve outlined in this report four very different models with huge implications forthe world of work. The forces shaping these Four Worlds – the impact of megatrends,
and automation in particular – cannot be ignored by governments, organisations
or individuals.
None of us can know with any certainty what the world will look like in 2030, but it’svery likely that facets of the Four Worlds will feature in some way and at some time.
Some sectors and individuals are already displaying elements of the Blue and Green
Worlds; the Yellow and Red Worlds are more radical, but no less plausible.
Those organisations and individuals that understand potential futures, and what eachmight mean for them, and plan ahead, will be the best prepared to succeed.

38Appendix
How we developed the Four Worlds
In 2007, we worked with the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilisation at the Said
Business School in Oxford to develop a map of the factors that were influencing businessand those that would become more influential in the future. The exercise identified fourmain influential factors that are creating a ‘push and pull effect’: individualism against
collectivism, and corporate integration against business fragmentation.
Three worlds become four
When we began our research and first built our Worlds of Work scenarios ten years ago(back before the term ‘gig’ talent was coined) we were just starting to recognise the waysthat technology could power and sustain a fragmented business world. At the time oneof the biggest areas of debate was the tension between individualism and collectivism.
The boundaries were so blurred that we created a single fragmented world. In hindsightwe were both right and wrong – the platform layer we described in that world is now
ubiquitous. The Red and Yellow worlds have also become more ‘realistic’. Ten years ago weweren’t sure that either Red or Yellow world could exist – we thought the Red World just
too aggressive and the Yellow World unrealistically focused on social good. Today our viewhas changed. It could go either way.
Use of examples in this report
All companies, individuals and products described in our Visions of the Future and Road to2030 sections are entirely illustrative and bear no relation to any real-life examples.

39

Workforce of the future: The competing forces shaping 2030

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following who contributed to this this study:

Authors

Contributors

Justine Brown
Tom Gosling
Bhushan Sethi
Blair Sheppard
Carol Stubbings
John Sviokla
Jon Williams
Daria Zarubina

Padmaja Alaganandan
Cristina Ampil
Jon Andrews
Chris Box
Emily Church
Charles Donkor
Ceri-Ann Droog
Karen Evans
Dee Hildy
Sophie Holtham
Zina Hunt
Bridget Jackson
Nick Jones

Liz Fisher(Freelance writer and editor)

40

David Lancefield
Joao Lins
Rob MacCargow
Sarah McQuaid
Thomas Minet
Sarah Muir
Susan Price
Alla Romanchuk
Faye Sargent
Gerald Seegers
David Suarez
Leyla Yildrim
Johnny Yu

Contacts
Carol Stubbings
Joint Global Leader,People and Organisation+44 20 7804 9859
carol.a.stubbings@pwc.com

North America

Western Europe

Central & Eastern Europe

Australia

Orla Beggs+1 646 818 7493
orla.beggs@pwc.com

Christopher Box+44 20 7804 4957
christopher.box@pwc.com

Alla Romanchuk+7 (495) 232 5623
alla.romanchuk@ru.pwc.com

Peter Wheeler+61 (3) 8603 6504
peter.wheeler@pwc.com

Bhushan Sethi
Global People Strategy
Consulting Leader,People and Organisation+1 646 471 2377
bhushan.sethi@pwc.com

Carrie Duarte+1 213 356 6396
carrie.duarte@pwc.com

Peter Brown+44 20 7804 7007
peter.c.brown@pwc.com

Middle East

South and Central America

Jean McClellan+1 403 509 7578
jean.a.mcclellan@pwc.com

Anthony Bruce+44 20 7213 4524
anthony.bruce@pwc.com

David Suarez+971 4304 3981
david.suarez@ae.pwc.com

Roberto Martins+55 11 3674-3925
roberto.martins@pwc.com

China/Hong Kong

AfricaBhushan Sethi+1 646 471 2377
bhushan.sethi@pwc.com

Henk van Cappelle+31 88 794 65 63
henk.van.capelle@nl.pwc.com

Johnny Yu+86 (10) 6533 2685
johnny.yu@cn.pwc.com

Gerald Seegers+27 (11) 797 4560
gerald.seegers@za.pwc.com

Peter De Bley+32 2 7104321
peter.de.bley@be.pwc.com

South East Asia

Justine Brown
Director,
Future of Work
research programme
Global People and Organisation+44 113 289 4423
justine.brown@pwc.com

Charles Donkor+41 58 792 4554
charles.donkor@ch.pwc.com
Sarah Kane
+41 58 792 2683
sarah.kane@ch.pwc.com

Nicky Wakefield+65 6236 7998
nicole.j.wakefield@sg.pwc.com
India
Chaitali Mukherjee+91 124 626 6620
chaitali.mukherjee@pwc.com

Till Lohman+49 40 6378-8835
till.r.lohmann@de.pwc.com
Christian Scharff+352 49 48 48 2051
christian.scharff@lu.pwc.com
41

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Design Services 30724 (05/18).