The future of work is upon us, and it’s set to be full of exciting (and potentially unpredictable) changes. So get ready for a wild ride.

From demographic diversity to the rise of reskilling, from automating processes to AI taking our jobs (or not), there’s tons of fascinating stuff happening out there in the world of work.

While there are some trends to be cautious of, most changes can be optimistic. 

In this article, we’ve compiled some must-know future of work statistics for 2024 to help you navigate these exciting (and potentially uncertain) times and stay ahead of the curve.

🧕 What will the workforce of the future look like?

Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace continues to be an essential goal for companies throughout the Western world. 

The workforce will continue to get more diverse in almost every aspect.

The workforce reflects society at large, and globalization continues to influence demographic trends. 

In the US, for example, the general population is more racially and ethnically diverse in the 2020s than it was ten years prior.

Of course, the bottom line isn’t the sole priority for every business. 

While there is still contention over the thesis that greater diversity leads to improved financial performance, 93% of companies have leadership support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. 

Diversity continues to be a priority for most companies.

Age differences are making a big difference in the workplace, too. 

OECD countries will feel this the most: the average share of the population aged 50 and older was 37% in 2020 but will grow to 45% by 2050.

The aging global population means we’ll see more multigenerational workplaces with a greater mix of workers of all ages rather than a pyramid of many younger and relatively few older workers.

Employment types are changing, too. 

In the United States, talent shortages have prompted companies to relax their requirements. While the stats differ between companies, the overall trends show that many companies are dropping the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree, instead focusing on skills-based hiring.

The pandemic shift to remote work has encouraged and enabled a more flexible workforce. Plus, it doesn’t look like reversing any time soon.

46.4% of the global workforce is freelance, reveals the World Bank.

The US freelance workforce is growing considerably, especially among those with post-graduate education: 51% of post-grads were freelance workers in 2021, up from 45% in 2020 and 41% in 2019.

🏢 What will the office of the future look like?

So where are employees working now, and where will they work in the future?

Remember those predictions about the death of cities because working from home was the future? 

It didn’t quite turn out that way. 

One survey covering the US, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK found that by mid-2022:

• 34% of knowledge workers are working full-time from their office.
• 49% are working in a hybrid arrangement.
• 18% are working remotely full-time.

The same survey found that 55% of knowledge workers prefer to work fewer than three days per week in the office.

Another survey found that 57% of companies say more than half their workforce works remotely at least two days per week.

Is this a good thing? 

Opinions can be mixed, but 62% of workers say they feel more productive when working remotely, so you can’t count it out.

Offices themselves are having to adapt, too.

With the increase in freelance workers, external contractors, and “digital nomads,” expectations of the role and design of office spaces are evolving.

As we move into 2024, office design trends will likely encompass sustainability, connected devices, and provisions for neurodiverse workers, such as quiet zones and sensory variety.

Office perks are less important than they were pre-pandemic.

One survey found that only 16% of UK office workers consider extra amenities desirable – such as onsite gyms, showers, free food, etc.

Despite a temporary decline in footfall through the pandemic, coworking spaces continue to surge in popularity, partly because of the growth of independent working and freelance job positions. They offer remote workers (primarily self-employed, sometimes not) the chance to rent a desk or workspace daily or monthly.

The coworking space market is expected to go from $16bn in 2022 to $30.36 billion in 2026, with an annual growth rate of 17%.

📅 What will the future workweek look like?

Working fewer hours is the major trend in the early 2020s. 

Interesting experiments worldwide support the quest for a healthier work-life balance. 

As a result, the future working week may look shorter than the traditional 5 or 6-day 8-hour-per-day-minimum model.

And why not?

78% of employees with a 4-day workweek report being happier and less stressed.

At least 18 countries have tested a 4-day week during 2022. These were government-sponsored trials. Canada, Japan, Lithuania, and the United Arab Emirates are some states that tried 4-day weeks. 

But the actual number may be much higher, as individual companies have done their trials worldwide.

Some countries went even further. For example, Belgium introduced labor regulations giving employees the right to work the total weekly hours in four days instead of five at full pay.

86% of companies in a UK trial program for a 4-day week said they were highly likely to continue after it ended. That trial was a full pay model, too – 100% pay for 80% of hours worked.

As long as employees promised to work at full productivity, they’d be allowed to take part.

It’s an attractive prospect for potential new employees, too. 

63% of businesses found it easier to attract and retain talent with a 4-day week, according to one report.

With labor shortages ongoing, employees continue to have high demands. 

While the 4-day week experiments continue, flexible working remains a must for job roles. 

If their employers removed the work-from-home ability, 66% of workers would immediately look for a new employer. And 39% would quit.

It’s clear that many workers feel that in-office time (including a lengthy commute) is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

🧭 If you’d like guidance on moving your company into the new era of shorter hours, check out our guide on implementing a 4-day workweek. It includes step-by-step guidelines and examples of companies that successfully made the switch.

🤹 What is the skill set of the future workplace?

The world of work is changing so quickly that it can be challenging to keep up. 

New job roles are appearing as quickly as old ones are disappearing.

You might see the last supermarket checkout assistants in the next few years. Still, you’ll also meet data inspectors, gene editors, and drone pilots.

Companies and workers who are willing to upgrade their skills continuously are the ones who’ll come out on top.

Almost half of all employees will need reskilling by 2025. 

According to the World Economic Forum, at least a billion people will need to be reskilled over the next decade to deal with technological transformation.

Governments around the world are starting to fund reskilling and upskilling programs. 

Skills boot camps and training courses are ways they’re helping employees prepare for the future. 

The two often go hand in hand: reskilling refers to developing new skills, while upskilling involves improving existing skills.

Upskilling is an excellent way to tackle skills gaps – when the demand for skills outweighs the number of qualified workers.

29% of recruiters think the skills gap has increased in 2022. For a single year, that’s pretty significant. 

Workers know it, too: 2 in 3 employees feel they’re not gaining digital skills fast enough to meet future career needs. 

And 93% of organizations and workers face barriers to accessing the digital skills training they need to remain competitive.

Sectors with the most demand for skilled workers in the UK during 2022 include finance, secondary teaching, coding, and social work.

This shows that soft skills are in demand just as much as technical skills – if not more.

Leadership, communication, and teamwork are still the most critical skills for managers, according to a survey of UK employees. 

And LinkedIn research found that the top five most in-demand soft skills are creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

Thankfully, employees can learn these skills– and there’s demand for it. 

The global soft skills training market was worth $26.5 billion in 2022, and it is expected to reach $53 billion by 2028.

💡 Learn how to make reskilling a reality for your employees in 10 steps.

🌱 Want to bring a culture of people development to your workforce? We’d recommend using employee development plans to bring a structured, manageable approach to upgrading your team’s skillset.

🔁 There’s also continuous constructive feedback – a process that helps you identify areas for improvement, so you’ll know exactly where to start.

🤖 How is technology shaping the future of work?

There are some eye-opening stats on tech’s impact on work.

First, AI and automation are causing considerable changes in job markets worldwide. 

For some, this represents opportunity. 

Others see it as a threat.

For example, 45% of work activities could be automated using technology already available. 

And there’s been a 25% year-on-year increase in the use of AI in standard business processes.

It’s unclear yet how many jobs have been ‘lost’ to AI automation. Still, it’s evident that many feel the impact of AI.

McKinsey reports that fewer than 5% of occupations can be entirely automated using current technology.

But a much bigger portion (60%) can have up to a third of their tasks automated, meaning they’ll need “significant job redefinition and a transformation of business processes.“

Marketing and sales report the highest revenue increases when adopting AI. So reducing costs from inefficient processes in these fields is a big bonus for companies. 

Still, for employees, it may well be a threat.

Technology isn’t just replacing things to our detriment, of course. 

Take HR, for example. Tech can enable much more effective HR processes, like performance management and onboarding, giving everyone more time and energy to spend on creativity and problem-solving.

Speaking of creativity, is humanity’s defining characteristic under threat? 

According to one survey, 73% of people believe technology will never replace the human mind.

But the recent emergence of ChatGPT may have caused some food for thought after it gained over a million users in under a week.

💡 How can organizations make hybrid work more productive and engaging?

We’ve seen how hybrid work has exploded in popularity over the last few years. 

But even though communication tools are readily available, it’s not always a smooth ride. 

The most commonly reported disadvantage of hybrid work is difficulty working with others when not sharing a physical space. This is an ongoing challenge that many companies are still figuring out.

Feeling connected to the company’s strategy and mission isn’t always easy when working remotely. But it’s something to strive for.

75% of “aligned workers,” those that feel that connection, feel empowered to make decisions in their work.

Those that feel disconnected are more likely to operate in silos and won’t take up as many entrepreneurial opportunities.

Thankfully, there are solutions, both operational and technical.

By getting specific with feedback and goal-setting, offering real growth opportunities, and giving great recognition, you can make sure hybrid work works for you. 

💡 You can check out more employee engagement statistics in a dedicated article. 

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 In an extra resource, we analyze nine employee engagement trends that will stick around and how to approach them proactively.

➡️ Zavvy enables future workplaces and their people

It’s clear from current trends that the future workplace is dynamic and ever-changing. 

So while you have to strike a balance and avoid pushing people too hard, you can’t ignore the need for continuous development. Without it, your company and your employees risk being left behind.

One of the best ways to keep up is to use an employee enablement platform like Zavvy. 

With multiple options for onboarding, training, and developing employees, you’ll be able to maintain your team’s growth all year round. 

You can make use of:

• 🚀 Onboarding workflows that take newcomers by the hand and lead them to full integration and productivity.
• 🌱 People development frameworks that create role clarity and guide people along their development path.
• 🔄 Feedback systems that can be customized as you desire and that lead to a culture of growth and learning.
• ☕️ Coffee roulettes – a regular meetup ritual to connect colleagues remotely.
• 💪 Training programs that deliver content step-by-step instead of overwhelming learners.

You can request a demo to see what Zavvy can do for your evolving workplace.

by Alexander Heinle, Zavvy.

Alex is a marketer at Zavvy. On this blog, he mainly shares insights gained from discussions with selected experts and from helping our customers set up and improve their onboarding or learning programs.