Future of work

Innovation, technology and societal shifts are all changing the world of work, and it is necessary to rethink the rules that govern labour markets and skills.

Advances in automation, digitization, ICT and manufacturing represent enormous opportunities for employers and employees, but also require policymakers and businesses to navigate critical challenges.

Issues under scrutiny include disruption to existing jobs and industries, skills development, how to maintain economic competitiveness and – in the long-term – adapting to systemic and societal changes already in progress.

Core factors in developing the most effective regulatory regimes for managing this shift include the growth of global workplaces and workforces that transcend national borders, and the drivers and policy implications of the emerging ‘on-demand’ and ‘gig’ economies.

Featured

China’s unique environment for the development and implementation of AI provides critical insights into how this technology may impact workers and businesses around the world.

Member content

A clampdown on private enterprise means ever more young Chinese are competing for prized but scarce civil service jobs, writes Yu Jie.

The rise of flexible working patterns, and how digitalization and AI are shaping the future of work.

Ukrainian companies are showing remarkable resilience by continuously adapting production processes and logistics to meet the dynamic challenges of the war.

Policymakers should pay attention to the deterioration of working conditions and labour rights under the super platform rivalry.

Sunflowers in full bloom welcome holidaymakers for the summer festival in Nogi, Tochigi in Japan. Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images.

Although low relative to other G7 economies, Japan’s positive inflation is likely to be sustained and could lead to long-term structural shifts in its economy.

To meet the challenges of rapid urbanization, African governments must harness the potential of young innovators to help shape the future of African cities.

Pedestrians and traffic mingle at Bank junction in the City of London on 21st September 2021. Post-lockdown, City workers are returning to their office desks in greater numbers but many still prefer to work from home.

The Common Futures Conversations community share their priorities for rebuilding their communities in the wake of COVID-19.

What is the impact of feminist foreign policy on international relations? And how can we prepare the next generation for the turbulence of the 21st century?

Ahead of a major AU-EU summit, how can the relationship between Africa and Europe function more effectively?

Member content

Gabriella Cook Francis on how Covid has set back gender equality

The Common Futures Conversations community propose policies that could mitigate gender inequalities, not just in work but in wider society.

How are policymakers driving forward the post-pandemic recovery?

Piccadilly Circus has undergone significant change in the past 100 years. How has this affected the lives and livelihoods of local people?

A new mini-series from Undercurrents explores international cooperation on regulating the tech sector.

Exploring future trade policy through issues such as the green transition, labour standards, human rights, the role of the WTO, and non-trade policy objectives.

Member content

Ewan Gibbs calls for investment to cushion the transition from an oil to a net-zero economy

How is the mining sector responding to political developments across the continent?

What has the COVID-19 pandemic revealed about the precarity of informal workers? And what is new about China’s latest economic strategy?

The Futurescape initiative aims to help urban dwellers prepare for a more sustainable future, showing there are many paths to achieving the desired outcomes.

Chatham House’s 3D digital model allows the public to explore a future of positive change.

As governments and companies around the world seek to foster a ‘green recovery’ from the pandemic, the upcoming generation of young people will be key.

Encouraging a more gender-sensitive approach for think-tank activities such as convening and debate, research and analysis, and communications and publishing.

Changing the relationship between the state and private sector in Gulf countries will help them emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis.

Design open call receives 500 submissions from over 50 countries across six continents.

The pandemic has impacted every aspect of life, and sped up pre-existing trends in how people consume, work and travel – but will these dramatic shifts last?

Participants from a virtual series of roundtables have developed a gender-inclusive action plan for a more sustainable economic recovery post-COVID-19.

There are good reasons for soaring stocks, despite a seeming disconnect from the recession.

Ana Yang, Bruce Daisley and Alexandra Ginsberg discuss how COVID-19 could change the world of work. Part of our ‘Design In An Age of Crisis’ mini-series.

Open access

Without reskilling, the post-COVID outlook for many workers is uncertain, writes David Timis.

As the economic recovery from coronavirus is worked through, careful steps are needed to ensure actions to enforce human rights commitments in trade agreements do not worsen human rights impacts.

Research publications

The pandemic has highlighted the persistent insecurity of informal sector work, and the need for governments and international financial institutions to collaborate in developing stronger social safety nets.

After five years of the W20, women and gender equality remain at the margin of the G20. There is a real risk of the W20 representing a one-off territorial gain at a frontier that could easily be pushed back again.

Event recordings

A conversation on AI’s global, societal and economic impacts.

This event explores the potential of South-South cooperation on technology governance and the global knowledge economy, with a particular focus on Kenya, India, Nigeria and South Africa.

This event explores how the future of sneakers can be reinvented with a special focus on the role of design, innovation and sustainability.

This panel discusses the progress cities have already made, whether progress at COP26 was enough, and what more needs to be done to scale action and ambition internationally.

At the same time as the climate crisis threatens, the rapid acceleration of technology means 30 per cent of jobs are due to disappear by the mid 2030s.

As Asia-Pacific emerges from COVID-19, experts consider how policymakers can harness technology for inclusive economic growth.

Designers, policymakers and thinkers discuss how radical design thinking can provide positive answers and innovative solutions to shape the future.

Hear from designers and policymakers on how radical design thinking can deliver transformative ideas to build a more environmentally sustainable world through our landscapes and localities.

What are Latin America’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery plans in light of rising debt levels in the region?

How can design thinking create work that is more people-centred, and what new systems, organizations or business models could emerge?

Upcoming events

Join government officials, global business and civil society leaders to discuss how economic security policies are changing the global landscape and what stakeholders can do to prepare for this.