Future of Work

Futurist Analyses on 3 Key Trends

June 2022
Authors

Tuomo Kuosa, PhD

Tuomo leads the foresight team at Futures Platform. He
specialises in strategic foresight, futures research methodology
and societal transformation. He is also an Associate Professor in
Strategic Foresight in Finnish National Defence University.

Max Stucki
Max is the Foresight Analysis Manager at Futures Platform.
He is responsible for supervising and developing the
foresight analysis process. He has worked with numerous
clients to help them prepare for the future.

Shiori Ota
Shiori works as a Senior Foresight Analyst at Futures Platform,
specialising in technological and social change. Her work
focuses on trend and scenario analysis.

Gökce Sandal
Gökce works as a Foresight Analyst and Content Marketing
Specialist at Futures Platform. Her industry expertise includes
consumer and lifestyle trends, cultural change and creative
industries.
 Table of Contents

Methodology 4

PHENOMENON 1
Industry 5.0 6

PHENOMENON 2
Generation Z
Enters Work Markets 8

PHENOMENON 3
The Rise of the
Creator Economy 10

About
Futures Platform 12
Methodology
In the interconnected digital age, what happens in one industry impacts another. While
disruption once came primarily from within one’s industry and by established players alone,
today’s most disruptive shifts often first emerge outside of one’s own industry.

At Futures Platform, our academically-trained futurists continuously monitor industries

from a holistic vantage point to identify early signals of such disruptive changes. Through
our collaborative foresight platform, we help organisations look beyond their industries
and anticipate the most impactful shifts reshaping the businesses, societies and values of
tomorrow.

The phenomena featured in this report have been identified through Futures Platform’s robust
process centred on continuous foresight and cross-industry horizon scanning practices.

Phenomena are identified based on the following criteria:

• The phenomenon must have a significant future impact on several industries.

The estimation of the potential impact is based on the team’s analysis, which compares
the phenomenon with available data and industry outlooks.

• The topic must appear several times in well-respected media.

Extensive coverage of a subject indicates its potential for greater, niche-market-
exceeding impact. However, there may be exceptions to this criterion in the cases of
wild cards and weak signals.

• The phenomenon must have a developmental direction.

The identified phenomenon is either getting more influential, or it is becoming weaker,
ending, changing directions, or merging with another phenomenon.

• The phenomenon must have a sufficiently independent and robust core.

Even if we spot a change signal with novelty value, we do not necessarily identify it as
an independent phenomenon if it is directly linked to an existing trend.

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Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022 4

Phenomena Cards

Phenomena Types

STRENGTHENING

The phenomenon is becoming more common or acute during the given timeframe. Most of its
change potential is still ahead.

WEAKENING
The phenomenon is becoming more unusual. During the given timeframe, most of its change
potential or value has already occurred.

WILD CARD

A possible but not probable event or change. The probability within the given timeframe is
between 5% to 30%.

WEAK SIGNAL

A small emerging issue in the present. At the given timeframe, it is still hard to say whether it
will become a trend.

Phenomena Timestamp

All Futures Platform phenomena have an expert-assessed timeframe within which the
phenomenon is anticipated to either accelerate or decline. Our team uses S-Curve Analysis
and Trend Impact Analysis to reason the probable time range.

Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022 5

PHENOMENON 1

Industry 5.0
STRENGTHENING | 2024-2029

The next wave of the industrial revolution, Industry 5.0, will turn
our focus back to humanity. It will be a revolution where robots
help humans work better, faster, and safer by leveraging cognitive
computing power. Contrary to the accelerated automation
and dehumanisation that characterised the previous industrial
revolution, Industry 5.0 aims to enable better collaboration
between machines and humans to increase the efficiency and
quality of industrial processes.

Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022 6

Background
From the era of the first industrial revolution
to the present day, the objective of
technological advancement in manufacturing
has been to improve productivity. Especially
the ongoing fourth revolution, Industry 4.0,
marks an era of automation empowered
by artificial intelligence (AI) and smart
technologies with minimised human
intervention. This has put humans in a position
where we compete against machines, and the
prevailing thought is that we will lose certain
jobs to them.
Industry 5.0, however, puts the focus back
on people. Technologies such as AI,
robotics, and sensors will continue to
evolve. Yet, the goal is to support, not
supersede, human workers. By merging
consistency and precision of machines
with advanced cognitive capabilities of
humans, manufacturing processes can
be brought to new levels of speed and
perfection. Production lines can become
even smarter with humans being upskilled to
provide added value for customers, such as
customisation and personalisation.
In practice, Industry 5.0 will be enabled
by the evolution of machinery to support
workers. In smart factories of the future,
intelligent collaborative robots (cobots)
programmed for direct human-robot
interaction will be completing diverse tasks
alongside humans. They will be equipped
with advanced sensors that enable them to
react to a human worker in a split second.
Exoskeleton devices that enhance the
physical strength of workers will also play a
major role, making physical labour safer and
more comfortable while reducing injuries.
Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022
Future Directions
The impacts of meaningful collaboration
between machines and humans won’t be
only confined to manufacturing – it will
be a catalyst for the future of society as a
whole. For example, Japan has set up the
Society 5.0 initiative to achieve a super-
smart society where robotics and AI provide
solutions to societal challenges such as the
ageing population, diminishing workforce,
and climate change. With its human-centric
approach, Industry 5.0 will help foster safer
work environments for humans and promote
social stability by enabling a higher quality of
life.
Industry 5.0 technologies such as AI
and robotics will create new innovation
opportunities, enable cost-efficient solutions
and potentially transform business models
and supply-chain processes. They will also
create new jobs, as well as require re-skilling
and upskilling of existing staff. Companies
that don’t adjust their processes to the
industry 5.0 model, on the other hand, will
risk losing their competitive advantage and
becoming redundant.
Sustainability is another critical objective
of Industry 5.0. Until the current Industry
4.0, the primary focus has been on improved
efficiency, and environmental protection
has only been a secondary consideration.
In the fifth industrial revolution, however,
aligning production with the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) will be imperative
to achieve the green transition.
7
PHENOMENON 2

Generation Z Enters Work Markets

STRENGTHENING | 2023-2028

The oldest members of Generation Z have already entered the job

markets, and the rest will join within the coming decade. Growing
up amidst great economic crises, climate change, and the Covid-19
pandemic has played an important role in shaping Gen Z’s attitudes
towards work. While members of this generation tend to have a more
pragmatic approach to work than Millennials, they’re still highly
value-driven: They prioritise mental health and demand diversity,
equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022 8

Background
Born between 1997 to 2012, Generation Z is the
generational cohort succeeding Millennials.
While the definition of generations is merely
directional, there are nevertheless certain core
characteristics that are influential in defining
each generation’s perceptions and attitudes
towards work.
Generation Z reached adulthood during
a period when great economic crises
undermined global stability. Their lives have
been dramatically impacted by large social,
political and environmental events such
as increasing economic inequalities, racial
injustice protests, climate crisis and the Covid-
19 pandemic. For these reasons, Generation
Z tends to have a more pragmatic approach
to work than Millennials – they appreciate
traditional financial security, such as stable
income, permanent job and savings.
Being the first truly digital-native generation,
working and collaborating in digital
environments comes naturally for Gen Z.
They also tend to favour flexibility over
rigid structures, and prefer instant feedback
loops and frequent, informal check-ins with
supervisors rather than traditional hierarchies
and yearly performance reviews.
Despite their pragmatic approach, Gen Z is
highly value-driven in their work expectations.
With the oldest members of the cohort having
begun their careers during the pandemic,
Gen Z is already asserting new norms in the
workplace. They demand diversity, equity
and inclusion (DEI), and expect employers
to accommodate employee needs such as
neurodiversity, accessibility for the physically
Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022
disabled, and inclusion of different cultural or
lifestyle practices.
Multiple surveys indicate that Gen Z also
prioritises meaningful work over pay.
According to a recent survey by talent
acquisition platform Lever, 42% of Gen Z
would rather work at a company that gives
them a sense of purpose over a company that
pays more. In comparison, 49% of millennials
and 56% of Gen X would prioritise higher pay.
Future Directions
Data shows that by 2025, Gen Z workers will
make up 27% of the workforce. A large part
of this generation is still in their formative
years, and the current and near-future global
events will continue to shape their values
and attitudes towards work in the years to
come. Moreover, as traditional job patterns
disappear with digitalisation and automation,
many members of this generational cohort
will have non-conventional career paths.
To attract and retain Gen Z talent,
organisations will need to adapt their work
structures, offices and management styles to
the demands of this cohort. They will need
to show commitment and take concrete
steps towards workplace wellbeing, DEI, and
environmentally and socially responsible
practices to appeal to this generation. As this
cohort establishes themselves in the work
life, benefits such as mental health off days
and hybrid work models will likely become
the new workplace norms.
9
PHENOMENON 3

The Rise of the Creator Economy

STRENGTHENING | 2023-2028

The creator economy is an ecosystem of social media platforms,

independent content creators, and a growing pool of third-
party tools that help creators with content creation and finances.
Although closely related to the gig economy, the creator economy
is essentially different as it allows creators to build ongoing revenue
streams by monetising their unique skills - which can be vlogging,
writing, teaching a skill or playing video games. The advent of the
creator economy will have far-reaching implications on how people
perceive work, potentially disrupting traditional career paths.

Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022 10

Background
The creator economy is a fast-growing
ecosystem of social media platforms,
marketplaces and tools that help creators
connect with audiences and monetise their
creations. Creators may provide online
courses, entertainment, or simply connect
people around shared interests. It has been
estimated that the creator economy is worth
at least $100 billion today, and in 2021 alone,
it saw a record $1.3B in funding.
While the creator economy has its roots
in the social media and influencer culture,
most social media platforms don’t have
the structures for creators to directly
monetise their influence. To fill in the gaps,
a swath of new platforms such as Twitch
and Patreon have emerged to offer creators
better compensation and a more direct
connection with their audiences. For example,
newsletter monetisation platform Substack
has successfully lured away many journalists
from traditional publishing houses. Tech
giants are also catching up: Facebook, Twitter,
and TikTok have all announced that they’re
building tools and setting up creator funds to
keep creators on their platforms.
The growth of the creator economy has given
rise to a new form of micro-entrepreneurism,
where people can capitalise on their skills
outside of traditional work arrangements and
pursue their interests either as side hustles
or as full-time ventures. This marks a larger
societal shift in the attitudes towards work,
blurring the once distinct separation between
work and leisure. The Covid-19 pandemic has
also provided a boost to the creator economy,
prompting people to re-evaluate their
Future of Work: Trend Highlight Report June 2022
priorities and seek more fulfilling careers. The
record numbers of job losses and increased
screen times during the pandemic also led
many to venture into the creator economy.
Future Directions
The growth of the creator economy will have
far-reaching implications for the future of
work and entrepreneurship. As the ecosystem
grows, creators will have more tools and
opportunities to reach audiences at scale and
capitalise on their skills and knowledge. With
fewer barriers to micro-entrepreneurship,
more people may start building a career on
their own terms and adopt a more flexible
approach to work. Rather than being tied to
a specific job role, it will likely become more
common for people to have a portfolio of
diverse skills and multiple revenue streams.
The creator economy also has the potential to
transform both the traditional and the social
media landscape. As sponsoring creators are
cheaper and they have a much more targeted
audience than mainstream channels like TV,
mainstream advertisement may become
obsolete. The media landscape will likely get
further fragmented, and micro-influencers
with very niche audiences will be sponsored
to promote products that appeal directly to
those audiences. The growth of the creator
economy may also force big social media
platforms to change their business models
and focus more on building tools that allow
creators to earn money.
11
About Futures Platform

Futures Platform is the industry standard source for future trends, scenarios and long term
change. It’s a full-functionality visual and collaborative toolbox for foresight and manage-
ment teams, ensuring strategy, innovation and decision-making are future proof.

The solution brings together an AI-powered digital foresight platform and the expertise
of professional futurists. At its core, the platform features more than 800 analyses of future
phenomena – from technological and environmental to societal change, with a focus on the
long term. These compact, easy-to-digest scenario descriptions are combined with au-
to-crawled additional information from validated sources.

The visually engaging, collaborative foresight radars map interconnections between phe-
nomena and allow teams to understand alternative futures and co-shape future-proof
strategies. On top of this, a team of professional futurists and foresight consultants are there
to help and guide organizations on any related matter, from custom scenario analyses and
horizon scans to building organizational foresight capability onto the next level.

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