The Future of Work. Skills and Resilience for a World of Change

Work glues societies together. It translates talent into broader economic virtue and lends meaning as well as structure to most people’s lives. In Europe, the majority of workers hold permanent contracts. However, tectonic shifts are re-shaping the ways that work is performed.

First, the very architecture of the corporation is changing profoundly, largely powered by the Internet and digital technologies. Second, the perceived volatility of the economic recovery and the continuous exposure of the private sector to disruptive innovation push businesses to offer short-term contracts to respond quickly if a crisis strikes.

Thus, many more job seekers are forced into short-term contracts, part-time work or other forms of labour which they see as undesirable. At the same time, in the digital economy ‘precarious’ or ‘temporary’ do not necessarily mean sub-optimal: more people voluntarily check out of the traditional ‘9 to 5’ job routine to pursue more independent and flexible work arrangements. Autonomy can be experienced as more empowering and satisfactory. This rise in freelancing runs parallel to the growth of the gig economy, where digital technologies enable teams to be assembled around a given project – and often across borders – while platforms seamlessly connect buyers with sellers. Much of the latter takes place under the heading collaborative economy, which is offering opportunity not only for people seeking more flexibility but also to those who have often had fewer chances of landing a permanent job.