Future of Work - At least in US

21st Century Workforce in US

(A brief summary of The future at Work – Trends and Implications Research Brief RB-5070-DOI (2004), Rand Corp.) -

Next 10-15 years (2020) work in US will be shaped by

• Demographic Trends
• Technological Advances
• Economic Globalization
  

Key Findings

• US workforce will continue to rise increase in size but at a slower rate -> More Balanced Composition -> Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity
• Pace of technological change will almost certainly accelerate in next 10-15 years -> Increased demand for a highly skilled workforce
• Future reach of globalization will be even more expansive.
• The new era of globalization-
  Growing trade in intermediate and final goods and services
  Expanding Capital flows
  More rapid transfer of knowledge and technologies
  Mobile Populations
  These are due to result of inexpensive, rapid communication and information transfer enabled by the IT revolution

Skills and preparation of the workforce –

• The ability to adapt to changing technologies and shifting product demands
• Non-routine cognitive skills
• Abstract reasoning
• Problem solving
• Communication and collaboration
• Lifelong learning
• Move towards more decentralized forms of business organizations. A shift from more permanent, even non-standard employment relationship and work management