The world is changing fast. Technology continues to evolve at rapid rates. The natural environment is changing in big ways. As organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation continue to make progress, fewer people are dying of disease in the developing world. In fact, it’s projected that by the end of the 2020s, the population will have increased by as much as a billion people. What other changes are in store over the next decade?
One of the biggest changes is projected to be around the way day-to-day business is done. Businesses are expected to harness the power of remote workers more than ever before. There are plenty of reasons for this. One of the biggest reasons is the expenses associated with working in urban areas. Parking, rent, and other costly factors have continued to increase over the past few decades. In fact, companies in markets like Los Angeles and New York routinely encourage executives to work from home one or two days per week. The other reason is that with the COVID-19 epidemic, big business has learned that this was a very workable solution. Remote work saves money and the job still gets done, so this way of working will continue to be popular. Even in fields like medicine and dentistry, diagnosis via telemedicine will increase.
Another projected change is that the availability of full-time jobs with benefits will continue to change. Look for an increase in project-based and freelance work, particularly in sectors like technology. People may work as a contractor for a year or two, but they’re unlikely to work for the same business for twenty years. In fact, some experts believe that people will spend even less time with a company than they do now. Currently, many workers change jobs every two years. In the future, it may be closer to 12 or 18 months. Workers will likely need to be responsible for their own training and insurance because of the frequent career changes.
The demands consumers make are likely to change, too. There’s an appetite for more transparency. With improved data analysis and social media, that’s entirely possible to achieve. Consumers will want to know more about the mission of a business, too. Evidence of corporate responsibility will also be a key to success for some of these businesses.