Revolutionary shifts in the way workplaces operate and what employees want from their job are predicted to have a “dramatic” affect on the global labour market in the next 15 years, a report suggests.
According to findings from consulting firm CBRE and China-based property developer Genesis, up to 50 per cent of occupations today, including process work, customer work and middle management roles, will not exist by 2025 as people look to take up more creative professions.
The report – Fast Forward 2030: The Future of Work and the Workplace – suggests that advances in technology and artificial intelligence will help to transform businesses and the work people do.
“The next 15 years will see a revolution in how we work, and a corresponding revolution will necessarily take place on how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, director of workplace strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.
“The dramatic changes in how people work that we have seen in the past two decades will continue evolving over the next 15 years, opening up new opportunities for companies to create value and enhance employee performance through innovative workplace strategies and designs. Many of these opportunities have in fact already arrived, and by seizing them early, smart companies can gain a competitive advantage,” he added.
More than 200 business leaders and young people from Asia, Europe and North America were surveyed for the report, which found that employees now seek happiness, purpose and meaning in their job role, rather than financial success.
The majority of interviewees (85 per cent) said that work and life would become more integrated by 2030.
As the nature of work changes, so too must the workplace in which employees operate, the CBRE said. For 77 per cent of survey respondents, the physical workplace environment will become more important, even though the ability to work virtually increases with the development of technology.
“Workspaces with row of desks as we know them today will be completely redundant. Not because they are not fit for purpose, but simply because that purpose no longer exists,” the CBRE said.
Successful businesses will have to be lean and agile and authentic in their values as the next generation of workers examine their organisations’ contribution to the “social good”, Andrew said.
“The ability to attract and retain top talent will be the top competitive advantage for businesses in 2030, followed by innovation, adaptability, and technology adoption. The design and organization of the new workplace will be key to achieving this,” said Martin Chen, chief operating officer of Genesis.
The report is supported by findings from Oxford University and Deloitte, which suggests that 35 per cent of existing jobs in the UK – including office and administrative support; sales and services; transportation and construction – are at risk of being replaced by robotics.
“Advances in technology will likely see jobs requiring repetitive processing, clerical and support services, replaced with roles requiring digital, management and creative skills,” the report concluded.
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