Conclusion

What are the lessons learnt from this report? Here are some of the insights that we feel are most interesting.

It is clear that we face major global and complex social challenges, and that societal change is occurring at an exponentially accelerating pace and in unpredictable ways. The growing threat of climate change, technological and digital upheavals and increased data collection, combined with increasingly aware and critical consumers, are some of the hallmarks of our time and will have a major impact on the working life of the future. Companies must meet growing demands to take concrete actions that demonstrate how they make positive contributions to society in order to legitimise their very existence. Moreover, we will see an increased need for collaboration between various disciplines, companies and industries in order to solve the complex problems associated with climate change, healthcare and digitalisation. In addition, employees will face growing demands to become increasingly multiskilled and always be prepared to improve and update their skills in order to remain relevant in the labour market.

In other words, today’s trends will be accompanied by increased demands on both businesses and employees, and above all will create new opportunities such as more and new exciting jobs, which we believe many in the current workforce can transition into using a minimum of resources. By daring to try something new, and to follow their interests and passions, more people will be able to find a job to

their liking while also making a positive contribution to society at large. Among our experts, there is consensus that passion and proper attitude – to show interest, curiosity and openness, a desire to learn and to think innovatively - are qualities that employers increasingly seek and value, over a formal degree. To a great extent the working life of the future will likely entail learning on the job and from fellow employees. If you have a passion for your job, it will be easier and more fun to keep up with developments.

Another interesting and positive insight we have gained by delving deeper into developments in various areas linked to working life is the increased importance of humans and their unique qualities. Because along with – and largely because of – the increasingly digitised, computer-driven and automated working life, we see that values, purpose, ethics, creativity and empathy are crucial. One might even imagine that employees of the future will be evaluated from the standpoint of a “decency quotient” or

“DQ” that may be viewed as a parallel to an “emotional quotient” or “EQ” – that pertains to being an aware, critical, purpose-driven and understanding human being. Quite simply, everything that machines are not capable of achieving – yet. As we stated by way of introduction, which has become apparent in this report, it is impossible to exactly predict the working life of the future. However, we can be sure that an exciting era awaits those who will be working in the future.

In addition to being interesting and educational, the report has raised some additional questions and stimulated the desire to continue to discuss future challenges and opportunities related to the working life of the future. We will do so in a variety of contexts, so please visit our website and follow us on social media to access the latest information and to share your own thoughts.

See you at TRR.se!