Resources

Resource Center – In Depth Studies

 

• Resource Center has been retired. In the future, refer to LinkedIn for Future of Work Thought for the Week https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-smialowski-6a1b207/

2013

• Muro, Mark, et al., “Automation and Artificial Intelligence”, Brookings Institute, Metropolitan Policy Program, 23-Jan-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019.01_BrookingsMetro_Automation-AI_Report_Muro-Maxim-Whiton-FINAL-version.pdf– This report assesses past and coming automation and employment trends as they affect both people and communities, and suggests a comprehensive response framework for national and state-local policymakers.

 

• Atkinson, Robert, “The Task Ahead of Us”, Information Technology and Innovation Foundations, January-2019, http://www2.itif.org/2019-task-ahead.pdf?_ga=2.85783515.395295141.1548686121-1559993869.1449863882 – This study focuses on the benefits and challenges of the next digital wave, characterized by pervasive connectivity combined with machine-drive automation and intelligence, and steps that nations should take to gain / maintain competitive advantage.

 

• Lalive, Rafael, et al., “AI and The Future of Work”, Credit Suisse Research Institute, Jan-2019, https://www.credit-suisse.com/corporate/en/research/research-institute.html– This report looks at the impact of artificial intelligence not only to business models but also to labor markets in the future. An enormous change is predicted in the skill sets needed to thrive in the new landscape, for organizations as well as for employees. Investing in appropriate artificial intelligence initiatives, providing economic security for those in the growing gig economy and understanding the legal and ethical challenges posed by new technology are all discussed.

 

• Frank, Morgan, et al., “Towards Understanding the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Labor”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 28-Feb-2019, https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/116/14/6531.full.pdf – This paper discusses the barriers that inhibit scientists from measuring the effects of AI and automation on the future of work. These barriers include the lack of high-quality data about the nature of work (e.g., the dynamic requirements of occupations), lack of empirically informed models of key micro-level processes (e.g., skill substitution and human–machine complementarity), and insufficient understanding of how cognitive technologies interact with broader economic dynamics and institutional mechanisms (e.g., urban migration and international trade policy).

 

• Pinto, Sergio and Graham, Carol, “Men Without Work”, Brookings Institute, Feb-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/men_without_work_final_20190212.pdf– Despite progress in technology, reducing poverty, and increasing life expectancy, the poorest states lag behind, and there is increasing inequality and anomie in the wealthiest ones. A key driver of such unhappiness in advanced countries is the decline in the status and wages of low- skilled labor. A related feature is the increase in prime-aged males (and to a lesser extent women) simply dropping out of the labor force, particularly in the U.S.

 

• “America at Work: A National Mosaic and Roadmap for Tomorrow”, Walmart, 13-Feb-2019, https://corporate.walmart.com/media-library/document/america-at-work-report/_proxyDocument?id=00000168-dec5-d9f9-a7f8-deed73c70001 – This research is anchored in Walmart’s efforts to address the needs of our business, including preparing our workforce for the future. It is intended to help strengthen the systems on which our success depends: a sustainable workforce, strong local talent development, and thriving communities with a solid customer base.

 

• CompTEA, “Cyberstates 2019: The Definitive Guide to the U.S. Tech Industry and Tech Workforce”, Computing Technology Industry Association, Mar-2019, http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/CompTIA_Cyberstates_2019.pdf?mod=article_inline – This report is intended to serve as a reference tool, making national, state, and metropolitan area-level tech industry data accessible to a wide range of users. It quantifies the size and scope of the tech industry and the tech workforce across multiple vectors, including time-series trending, average wages, business establishments, job postings, gender ratios, innovation and emerging tech metrics.

 

• Thibos, Cameron, and Quirk, Joel, “The Future of Work”, openDemocarcy, 01-Mar-2019, https://cdn-prod.opendemocracy.net/media/documents/BTS_FutureOfWork_RoundTable_web2.pdf– This compilation focuses upon the changing nature of work. It explores why and how global patterns of work and employment have changed, where they might be heading in the future, and what types of strategies and approaches might make that future better.

 

• Acemoglu, Daron and Restrepo, Pascual, “Automation and New Task: How Technology Displaces and Reinstates Labor”, MIT, 05-Mar-2019, http://economics.mit.edu/files/16817– This study provides a framework for understanding the effect of automation, including the displacement and reinstatement effect, and other types of technological changes on labor demand, and use it to interpret changes in US employment over the past years.

 

• Dellot, Benedict, et al., “The Four Futures of Work”, RSA Action and Research Centre, Mar-2019, https://www.thersa.org/globalassets/pdfs/reports/rsa_four-futures-of-work.pdf– The goal of this study is to cut through the hype that often plagues this debate and present a more accurate account of how the world of work is changing.

 

• Zorob, Maysa, “The Future of Work: Litigating Labour Relationships in the Gig Economy”, Business & Human Rights Centre, Mar-2019, https://www.business-humanrights.org/sites/default/files/documents/CLA%20Annual%20Briefing-FINAL.pdf– This briefing focuses on legal aspects of one key element in the transformation of work, i.e. the gig economy. It is the frontline in the battle for the future of labor rights.It tests the ability of workers to retain their essential security and benefits in employment or see them sacrificed on the altar of securing higher revenues for shareholders.

 

• McKay, Conor, et al., “Automation and a Changing Economy – Part I: The Case For Action”, The Aspen Institute, April-2019, https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/automation-and-a-changing-economy-the-case-for-action/– While there are many unanswered questions about what the future holds, this report attempts to explain how automation impacts the labor market and how to better prepare American workers to benefit from the changes to come.

 

• McKay, Conor, et al., “Automation and a Changing Economy – Part 2: Policies For Shared Prosperity”, The Aspen Institute, April-2019, https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/automation-and-a-changing-economy-policies-for-shared-prosperity/– This report outlines a policy agenda for addressing these challenges and opportunities resulting from automation and a changing economy.

 

• Fuller, Joseph B. et al., “Future Positive: How Companies Can Tap into Employee Optimism to Navigate Tomorrow’s Workplace”, Boston Consulting Group and Harvard Business School, May-June, 2019 – https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/Future%20Positive%20Report%205.20.pdf – In an attempt to understand the various forces shaping the nature of work, this study focused on the people most vulnerable to changing dynamics: lower-income and middle-skills workers. What was learned has serious and far-reaching consequences for managers and employees alike.

 

• Escobari, Marcela, et al., “Growing Cities that Work for All: A Capability-Based Approach to Regional Economic Competitiveness”, Brookings Institute, May-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GrowingCitiesthatWorkforAll-FINALforWeb.pdf – This report aims to provide insights to local leaders on how the rapidly changing economy is reshaping communities’ distinct advantages and opportunities. Because this plays out differently depending on the unique mix of industries in each city, and the implicit capabilities they depend on, each community needs to chart its own tailored strategies toward growth. The report propose a framework for regions to grow good jobs through capability-based industrial development strategies where firms specify the inputs they need to be productive and cities become more resilient and attractive as they invest in those inputs.

 

• Autor, David H., “Work of the Past, Work of the Future”, American Economic Association, May-2019, https://economics.mit.edu/files/16724 – One of the enduring paradoxes that has accompanied the rise of wage inequality over the last four decades in industrialized economies is the sustained fall in real wages experienced by less-educated workers. This paradox is the subject of this paper. There are many potential explanations, including but not limited to eroding union penetration and bargaining power, falling federal and state minimum wages, rising trade pressure accompanying China’s rise as a manufacturing power, and the “fissuring” of the workplace, wherein less-educated workers no longer share in the gains from rising productivity and profitability in the core activities of their employers.

 

• Garlick, Rob, et al., “Technology at Work 4.0: Navigating the Future of Work”, Citi GPS, Jun-2019, https://ir.citi.com/9cwG4KSrdXU6Pn4iMtEG8MRqNCRk9J5r86CTaghKaKYmNlJG5w465j5ORPoCH2gM  – Since the industrial revolution, GDP has risen over 100-fold and innovation has brought huge progress in health, prosperity, and betterment of life. In a 2016 survey, we found 76% of investors surveyed described themselves at techno-optimists, but many were also understandably techno-anxious in this era of disruptive innovation. The report is designed to either dig into or dip into, with a simple aim to help to take ‘change by the hand’ and find tailwinds to make your journey easier in the future of work.

 

• Cooper, Adrian, “How Robots Change the World”, Oxford Economics, Jun-2019, http://resources.oxfordeconomics.com/how-robots-change-the-world – The robotics revolution is rapidly accelerating, as fast-paced technological advances in automation, engineering, energy storage, artificial intelligence and machine learning converge. The far-reaching results will transform the capabilities of robots and their ability to take over tasks once carried out by humans. This study focuses on the trends driving the rise of robots, impact of automation on the workforce, and implication of robotization for regions with a high risk of labor disruption.

 

• DeVol, Ross and Crews, Jonas, “Most Dynamic Metropolitans”, Heartland Forward, Jun-2019, https://heartlandforward.org/media/pages/most-dynamic-metropolitans/3246199322-1571712082/hf-most-dynamic-metropolitans.pdf – This report provides insight into the communities providing economic opportunity for their residents, separating high performers from the low, including factors that contribute to their performance and practices that boost economic prospects.

 

• McGarvey, Darren, et al., “Four Futures: Love, Labour, and Language in 2035”, RSA Future Work Centre, Jun-2019, https://www.thersa.org/globalassets/images/blogs/2019/07/four-futures-short-stories.pdf – This analysis applied a “morphological analysis” method, drawing from desk research and expert sessions to identify the “critical uncertainties”, i.e. the most impactful, most uncertain drivers of change, before combining different outcomes from the range of possibilities to create four distinct, alternate futures for the world of work in 2035.

 

• Van der Elst, Kristel, et al., “The Future of Work: Five Game Changers”, Policy Horizons Canada, 20-Jun-2019, https://horizons.gc.ca/en/2019/06/20/the-future-of-work-five-game-changers/ – This report explores five key game-changers for the future of work and their policy implications. The goal is not to predict the future. Rather its focus is to help decision-makers think through plausible futures and anticipate the challenges and opportunities that may arise for economic growth and welfare across society.

 

• Benaich, Nathan, “State of AI Report”, stateof.AI, 28-Jun-2019, https://www.slideshare.net/StateofAIReport/state-of-ai-report-2019-151804430 – This report provides a comprehensive update on the state of AI, including a discussion of AI research and technology breakthroughs, talent, investment activity, industry use cases, vendor landscape, politics, China and predictions for 2019.

 

• Lund, Susan, et al., “The Future of Work in America”, McKinsey Global Institute, Jul-2019, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-in-america-people-and-places-today-and-tomorrow – analyzes more than 3,000 US counties and 315 cities and finds they are on sharply different paths. Automation is not happening in a vacuum, and the health of local economies today will affect their ability to adapt and thrive in the face of the changes that lie ahead.

 

• Tytler, Russell, et al., “100 Jobs of the Future”, Deakin University, Jul-2019, https://100jobsofthefuture.com/report/100jobsofthefuturereport-SCREEN.pdf – The focus of this research is to interrogate work futures through the predictive construction of ‘100 jobs of the future’, that go beyond generalities of trends and skills, and offer a grounded, but complex and imaginative projection of future work.

 

• White, Ismail, “Racial Differences On The Future Of Work: A Survey of the American Workforce”, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 25-Jul-2019, https://jointcenter.org/sites/default/files/Joint%20Center%20-%20Racial%20Differences%20on%20the%20Future%20of%20Work%20-%20A%20Survey%20of%20the%20American%20Workforce_0.pdf – This report summarizes findings from the Joint Center’s 2018 survey of 2,000 Black, Latino, Asian American, and White workers on the future of work.

 

• Henry-Nickie, Makala, et al., “Skills and Opportunity Pathways: Building an Inclusive Workforce for the Future”, Brookings Institute, 27-Jul-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/skills-opportunities-pathways-071719.pdf – This report presents a framework that engages education policymakers and workforce planners in innovative ways. It assesses the scale and breadth of emerging trends across local job markets and intersects these data with regional innovation hubs to enhance the capacity of policymakers to design data-driven policies tailored to the strengths of individual ecosystems.

 

• DeVol, Ross, et al., “The American Heartland’s Position in the Innovation Economy ”, Heartland Forward, 31-Jul-2019, https://heartlandforward.org/the-american-heartland-s-position-in-the-innovation-economy – This paper evaluates the American Heartland’s position in the innovation economy relative to the rest of the country. It identifies key strengths, but also gaps that should be narrowed through the development and implementation of thoughtful, well-articulated public policy.

 

• Burke, Jeremy and Gras, Ramon, “The Atlas of Innovation Design”, Aretian Urban Analytics and Design, Aug-2019, https://73e26e90-0c47-4421-9bca-ca7308f275e8.filesusr.com/ugd/91a7c8_b95334a128fc45968a3ce1bf5d48abe9.pdf – The economic prosperity of a city can be linked to the establishment of Innovation Districts, which can lead to distributed wealth for the people who live and work there, unlocking the latent potential of a community. The most effective Innovation Districts intentionally develop three kinds of networks: networks of talent composed of individual workers collaborating within the labor force, networks of organizations collaborating together, and networks of the physical urban environment these organizations are distributed across, which host and support the economic fabric …

 

• DeVol, Ross and Crews, Jonas, “Most Dynamic Micropolitans”, Heartland Forward, 09-Aug-2019, https://heartlandforward.org/media/pages/most-dynamic-micropolitans/1440462652-1571712170/most-dynamic-micropolitans.pdf – This study attempts to bridge a gap in identifying which smaller communities are thriving and which are struggling to provide economic opportunity for their residents, with a goal of assisting public-policy groups, elected officials, academics, businesses and other researchers with a framework to assess and monitor small community vitality across the United States.

 

• Autor, David, et al., ”The Work of the Future: Shaping Technology and Institutions”, MIT Task Force On The Work Of The Future, September-2019, https://workofthefuture.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2019-09/WorkoftheFuture_Report_Shaping_Technology_and_Institutions.pdf – This study aims to enable decision-makers to ask the right questions concerning technology and the future of work. Due to the urgency of the topic, it offers preliminary insights to frame public debate and public policy, as well as set the stage for deeper analysis and a more comprehensive report.

 

• Zaber, Melanie, et al., “A System That Works: How New Workforce Development Systems Can Meet the Needs of Employers, Workers, and other Stakeholders”, Rand, September-2019, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2768.html – This report is the first step in moving the United States to a system that accounts for workers’ needs for lifelong learning, employers’ continuously changing workforce requirements, rapid and often disruptive changes in technology, and the ever-evolving nature of work. It should be of interest to educators, business leaders, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders who are engaged in issues relating to workforce education and training and the future of work.

 

• Hess, Cynthia and Hegewisch, Ariane, “The Future of Care Work: Improving the Quality of America’s Fastest Growing Jobs”, Institute for Woman’s Policy Research, 23-Sep-2019, https://iwpr.org/publications/future-care-work-jobs/ – This report examines the potential impact of changes in job distribution and the growth of paid adult care work on women’s employment quality in the future. It analyzes the paid adult care workforce focusing on three care occupations—home health care aides and personal care aides (jointly referred to as “home care aides” and certified nursing assistants (CNAs), who work in institutional settings such as nursing homes and hospitals. It then explores key markers of job quality, considers how the low quality of care jobs affects care recipients and workers, and examines the potential effects of technology on care jobs in the future.

 

• Hofheinz, Paul, et al., “The 2019 Future of Work Index”, The Lisbon Council, Oct-2019, https://lisboncouncil.net/future-of-work.html – This study focuses on whether policies in place today adequately prepare our citizens for the future of work based on change, flexibility, knowledge and creativity. In addition, it probes whether these same policies still provide what might reasonably be called a social safety net.

 

• Graham, Carol and Pinto, Sergio, “The Geography of Desperation in America: Labor Force Participation, Mobility Trends, Place, and Well Being”, Boston Federal Reserve Bank 63^rd Economic Conference, October 4 – 5, 2019 – https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Session-6-Happiness-Paper-The-Geography-of-Desperation-in-America.pdf – There is much to be troubled about in the state of America today. We boast booming stock markets and record low levels of unemployment, yet significant sectors of our society are dying prematurely from preventable deaths (deaths of despair) and almost 20% of prime aged males are out of the labor have higher levels of well-being inequality and report more pain on average than countries of comparable and even lower levels of signs of decline, ranging from falling levels of civic trust to viscerally divided politics …

 

• Parilla, Joseph and Liu, Sifan, “Talent-Driven Economic Development: A New Vision and Agenda for Regional and State Economies”, Brookings Institute, 15-Oct-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019.10.15_Brookings-Metro_Talent-driven-economic-development_Parilla-Liu.pdf – Due to shifts in the labor market structure, educational attainment – the core, albeit imperfect, metric for gauging knowledge and skills – has become one of the best predictor of economic success for an individual, firm, or community.

 

• Rodgers, William and Freeman, Richard, “How Robots Are Beginning to Affect Workers and Their Wages”, The Century Foundation, 17-Oct-2019, https://production-tcf.imgix.net/app/uploads/2019/10/22171153/Robots_Final.pdf – This report analyzes the impact of robots in the years following the Great Recession, from 2009 to 2017—a period of significant, steady job growth and economic recovery, as well as one in which the use of robots in the U.S. workplace more than doubled. The report’s findings offer insights that can help inform ongoing debates about the future of work and the impact of automation.

 

• Chang, Michele and Fogel, Nick, “Digital Blindspot: How Digital Literacy Can Create a More Resilient American Workforce”, Rework America Business Network, 24-Oct-2019, https://www.markle.org/sites/default/files/2019-10-24-RABN-Digital-Literacy-ReportFINAL.pdf – This paper highlights the importance of digital literacy in enabling digital resilience by providing workers with the foundational skills and confidence to tackle new technologies. It provides a framework for defining the digital skills required for modern employment and a path forward for employers to prioritize segments of their workforce for investments in digital training.

 

• Fleming, Martin, “The Future of Work: How New Technologies Are Transforming Tasks”, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, 31-Oct-2019, https://mitibmwatsonailab.mit.edu/research/publications/paper/download/The-Future-of-Work-How-New-Technologies-Are-Transforming-Tasks.pdf – The research used advanced machine learning techniques to analyze 170 million online job postings in the United States between 2010 and 2017. It shows, in the early stages of AI adoption, how tasks of individual jobs are transforming and the impact on employment and wages.

 

• Morning Consult, “Pulse of the American Worker: Geography of Jobs”, Prudential, Nov-2019, https://news.prudential.com/presskits/prudentials-pulse-american-worker-survey-geography-jobs-opportunity-across-america.htm – The results of a pulse survey of American Workers concerning job concerns, rural and urban challenges, importance of skilling, projects that will help communities, role of various stakeholders, e.g. community colleges, universities, business community, employers and nonprofit organizations, expectations of the business community, and factors that attract workers to communities.

 

• Salesforce Research, “The Future of Workforce Development”, Salesforce.com, Nov-2019, https://c1.sfdcstatic.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/market/future-of-workforce-development-salesforce-research.pdf – This report surveyed 750 hiring managers to discover – how emerging technologies, including those powered by artificial intelligence, are impacting the nature of work across industries, which skill sets are becoming more or less important as technology advances, and which strategies companies are employing to empower their workforces with new skill sets.

 

• Ross, Martha and Bateman, Nicole, “Meet the Low-Wage Workforce”, Brookings Institute, Nov-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/research/meet-the-low-wage-workforce/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79131545 – The report proceeds in four sections. First, it discusses how we define low-wage workers for purposes of this analysis, and briefly describes how we segmented that population into smaller groups of individuals likely to face similar labor market prospects. Then we describe low-wage workers overall, and introduce the nine clusters of low-wage workers with fictionalized examples of people in each group. Third, we examine variation among low-wage workers by metropolitan area, and how that relates to industrial composition and demographics. We conclude with recommendations to support economic mobility for low-wage workers.

 

• Krishnakanthan, Krish, “The Insurance Switch: Technology Will Reshape Ops”, McKinsey, Nov-2019, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/the-insurance-switch-technology-will-reshape-operations?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck&hlkid=d1d555e2f91a423abae4a868fb4f6b13&hctky=9890394&hdpid=ba8ceec2-abe6-4e37-8e4a-5bab07556daa – Insurance companies are sidestepping complex core IT systems by investing in software-as-a-service applications, which they use for distribution, operations, HR administration, and commission processing, among other tasks. The flexibility offered by these applications helps minimize or eliminate manual work arising from legacy processes. Other technologies, such as automation, digital applications, and advanced-analytics engines, are further transforming operations. Depending on the line of coverage, these capabilities are streamlining initial information gathering and document review, and allowing customers to serve themselves during the underwriting, servicing, and claims processes …

 

• Israel, Haim, et al., “Transforming World: The 2020s”, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, 11-Nov-2019, https://research1.ml.com/Archive/12047306.pdf?w=filomena.soyster%40bofa.com&q=no55YDbZBvTSWA8ec6I2gA&__gda__=1573835768_5414c7a1ce4039b27c4623e04d7672f9 – Report focuses on 10 themes that will define the 2020s including peak globalization, recession, demographics, climate change, robots and automation, “splinternet”, moral capitalism, smart everything and space.

 

• Muro, Mark, et. al., “What Jobs Are Affected By AI?”, Brookings Institute, 20-Nov-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2019.11.20_BrookingsMetro_What-jobs-are-affected-by-AI_Report_Muro-Whiton-Maxim.pdf – This analysis demonstrates a new way to identify the kinds of tasks and occupations likely to be affected by AI’s machine learning capabilities, rather than automation’s robotics and software impacts on the economy. It establishes job exposure levels by analyzing the overlap between AI-related patents and job descriptions. In this way, it homes in on the impacts of AI specifically and does it by studying empirical statistical associations as opposed to expert forecasting.

 

• Kinder, Molly and Lenhart, Amanda, “Worker Voices: Technology and the Future for Workers”, New America, 21-Nov-2019, https://d1y8sb8igg2f8e.cloudfront.net/documents/Worker_Voices_Technology_and_the_Future_for_Workers_-_reduced_hChtC3b.pdf – This study set out to better understand the context of workers’ lives, their hopes and plans for the future, their experience with technological change on the job, and their beliefs and concerns about what their jobs might look like in the future.

 

• European Youth Forum, “Policy Paper: The Future of Work”, Council of Members / Extraordinary General Assembly, 22 – 23 November 2019, https://www.youthforum.org/sites/default/files/publication-pdfs/0096-19_COMEM%20II-19_Policy_Paper_Future_of_Work_FINAL.pdf – This paper seeks to fill the gaps in the existing policy positions and outline what is needed to achieve the kind of future of work that young people want.

 

• Atkinson, Robert, et al., “The Case for Growth Centers: How to Spread Tech Innovation Across America”, Brookings Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 9-Dec-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Full-Report-Growth-Centers_PDF_BrookingsMetro-BassCenter-ITIF.pdf – This paper proposes that Congress assemble and award to a select set of metropolitan areas a major package of federal innovation inputs and supports that would help those areas accelerate the scale-up of a transformative innovation-sector. It is envisioned that such an initiative would not only bring significant economic opportunity to more parts of the nation but also significantly boost U.S. and innovation-based competitiveness, including competition with China.

 

• Escobari, Marcela, et al., “Realism About Reskilling: Upgrading the Career Prospects of America’s Low-Wage Workers”, Brookings Institute, December-2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Realism-About-Reskilling-Final-Report.pdf – This research is directed towards employers, who have as much to gain from skilled and motivated employees, leaders in skilling organizations (both public and private) and higher education, who know what works and can collaborate to deliver scale and market relevance, and policymakers, who must lead the effort to reduce the precarity of low-wage work and deliver opportunity to anyone who wants it.

 

• Page, John, “Harnessing Africa’s Youth Dividend: A New Approach for Large-Scale Job Creation”, Brookings Institute, December 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/BLS18234_BRO_book_007_CH3.pdf – This research provides insight into the role industries without smokestacks can play in generating better jobs for Africans.

 

• Childers, Chandra, et al., “Geographic Mobility, Gender and the Future of Work”, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, December 2019, https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/C487_Geographic-Mobility-FOW.pdf – This report focuses on the increasing level of inequality in the distribution of economic opportunity in the U.S. and declining geographic mobility of workers.

2020

• “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Plans” for 50 States, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, PY 2018 – 2020, https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/rsa/wioa/state-plans/index.html – Index to the state-level strategies to provide a range of employment, education, training, and related services and supports to help all job-seekers secure good jobs while providing businesses with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

 

• Coulibaly, Brahima, “Foresight Africa – Top Priorities for the Continent 2020 – 2030”, Brookings, Jan-2020, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ForesightAfrica2020_FullReport_small.pdf – This document acts as a knowledge resource for Africa and its global partners as they work to lift Africa up and empower entire generations with the tools necessary to better their communities and environment. It focuses on issues related to governance, economic transformation, climate change, the effect of the 4^th Industrial Revolution, and Africa’s role in the global economy.

 

• Pring, Ben and Brown, Robert, “Cognizant Jobs of the Future Index: First Annual Review”, Cognizant – Center for the Future of Work, Jan-2020, https://www.cognizant.com/whitepapers/cognizant-jobs-of-the-future-index-first-annual-review-codex5309.pdf – This report provides leading indicators for how the U.S. economy is adapting in the face of technology-based innovation and disruption.

 

• Hagel, John, “Redefine Work: The Untapped Opportunity for Expanding Value”, Deloitte, 03-Oct-2019, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/us/articles/4779_Redefine-work/DI_Redefine-work.pdf – What is work? If we come up with a creative answer to that, we have the potential to create significant new value for the enterprise. And paradoxically, these gains will likely come less from all the new technology than from the human workforce you already have today.

 

• Sung, Patty, et al., “The Twin Trends of Aging and Automation: Leveraging a tech-empowered experienced workforce”, MMC, 2019, https://www.mmc.com/content/dam/mmc-web/insights/publications/2019/nov/AA2FINAL.pdf – The report applies a corporate lens to the intersection of aging and automation, arguing that companies must seek to integrate the experienced workforce into their broader strategy to reach greater success.

 

• Elhussein, Genesis, “Schools of the Future: Defining New Models of Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, World Economic Forum, Jan-2020, http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Schools_of_the_Future_Report_2019.pdf – This white paper is the outcome of a global process to identify promising models of quality education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is the result output of the Forum’s Education 4.0 initiative, which aims to catalyze systems change by mobilizing a broad and innovative coalition of relevant stakeholders around new models, new standards and a new momentum for action to transform the future of education.

 

• Dondi, Marco, et al., “A Government Blueprint to Adopt the Ecosystm to Automation and the Future of Work”, McKinsey & Company, Feb-2020, https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Public%20Sector/Our%20Insights/A%20government%20blueprint%20to%20adapt%20the%20ecosystem%20to%20the%20future%20of%20work/A-government-blueprint-to-adapt-the-ecosystem-February.ashx – Digital and artificial intelligence technologies will likely have a substantial economic and social impact. Governments can act now to create shared prosperity and better lives for all citizens.

 

• DeVol, Ross, “Millennials Find New Hope in the Heartland”, Heartland Forward, 11-Mar-2020, http://heartlandforward.org/media/pages/millennals-find-new-hope-in-the-heartland/3857432247-1584037418/hf_millennials_full-report-vf_3.12.20.pdf – This study documents evidence that Heartland locations are doing better at retaining and attracting members of the Millennial generation in recent years. While it is premature to conclude that the majority of communities in the Heartland have turned the corner, the balance is moving more in their favor.

 

• Landman, Todd, et al. “From Emergency to Empowerment”, Soldo, 08-Jun-2020, https://www.soldo.com/gb/guides/special-report-our-remote-working-future-revealed/#chapter5 – As lockdowns ease, there’s a shared understanding that the new normal will be a world in which where we work is less important than how we work. In this report, eight leading academic experts on the future of work reveal how successful managers are redefining their company structures and their relationships with employees to thrive in a new post-pandemic reality.

 

• Thomas, Anna, et al., “A Better Future for Work: The World After Covid-19”, Institute for the Future of Work, 11-Jun-2020,https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5aa269bbd274cb0df1e696c8/t/5ee1051f3ff1d74f7f680f99/1591805230373/IFOW-A+better+future+for+work.pdf – This report has three parts. Part 1 outlines an aspiration for the purpose and value of good work, informed by the changes wrought by the pandemic. Part 2 situates this aspiration within an analysis of work and labor market trends. Part 3 draws these threads together to outline a vision for how we can build a better future of work and a fairer, more resilient economy.

 

• Boyle, Kathleen, et al., “Technology at Work 5.0: A New World of Remote Work”, Citi GPS, Jun-2020,https://ir.citi.com/wHbXk1Sl1iHe8OrQmYOSYqMWe4esrc6SpSu5m1w0cpBwKnHA51chk0lFFtcvGbu%2FzcIWTvuY9t8%3D– The biggest takeaway from this report is we need to innovate to increase our resilience to further disruptions and avoid the societal disruptions caused by the recent lockdowns.

 

• Barrero, Jose Maria, et al., “Covid-19 Is Also a Reallocation Shock”, Working Paper No. 2020-59, Berker Friedman Institute, University of Chicago, Jun-2020, https://bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/BFI_WP_202059.pdf – Early findings suggest that even if medical advances or natural forces bring an early end to the health crisis, pandemic-induced shifts in working arrangements, consumer spending patterns, and business practices will not fully reverse for several reasons. First, employees and their organizations have learned how to more effectively work and interact remotely. Second, millions of households have tried online shopping and delivery services, and many will continue to value the convenience and (perceived) safety. Third, after turning to virtual meetings out of necessity, many businesses will find they offer an easier, cheaper alternative to travel and in-person meetings. Fourth, spurred by the pandemic, businesses and other organizations are undertaking investments in equipment, infrastructure and platforms that raise employee effectiveness when working remotely or engaging customers virtually. Fifth, leading technology companies plan to intensify efforts to develop new products that improve the effectiveness of remote interactivity. Sixth, the pandemic has knocked down regulations that had inhibited a shift from in-person to virtual interactions.

 

• Baker, Marisa, “Non Relocatable Occupations At Increased Risk During Pandemic”, American Journal of Public Health,18-Jun-2020, https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305738 – Most US workers are employed in occupations that cannot be done at home, putting 108.4 million workers at increased risk for adverse health outcomes related to working during a pandemic. These workers tend to be lower paid. The stress experienced by lower-income groups, coupled with job insecurity, could result in a large burden of mental health disorders in the United States in addition to increased cases of COVID-19 from workplace transmission.

 

• Autor, David and Reynolds, Elisabeth, “The Nature of Work after the Covid Crisis: Too Few Low-Wage Jobs“, The Hamilton Project, Jul-2020,  https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AutorReynolds_LO_FINAL.pdf – “No one foresaw that a global pandemic would spur an overnight revolution in telepresence that may upend commuting patterns and business travel, and hence dent demand in rapidly growing—though never highly paid—personal service occupations. Tight labor markets no longer appear inevitable—and certainly their return is some years off— which raises greater concerns about the trajectory of the polarized U.S. labor market.”

 

• Autor, David, et al., “The Nature of Work after the Covid Crisis: Too Few Low-Wage Jobs”, The Hamilton Project, 16-Jul-2020, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AutorReynolds_LO_FINAL.pdf – This essay is designed to put forward innovative and potentially important economic policy ideas, with a goal of promoting economic growth, broad-based participation in this growth, and economic security.

 

• Meli, Jeffrey, “The Post Covid Economy”, Barclays Bank, 14-Aug-2020, https://www.investmentbank.barclays.com/content/dam/barclaysmicrosites/ibpublic/documents/our-insights/The-post-COVID-economy/post_covid_economy.pdf – This report examines the way the global economy functions, how goods are produced and transported around the world, implications for the mobility of people, agglomeration, automation, and likelihood of green policies being central to the recovery.

 

• Minahan, Tim, “Work 2035: How people and technology will pioneer new ways of working”, Citrix, Sep-2020, https://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/documents/analyst-report/work-2035.pdf?utm_medium=Publisher+Paid+Thought+Leadership&utm_source=TechTarget&utm_content=Native+Site+Articles&utm_campaign=Q3+2020+Posts– This report raises the fundamental questions that must be faced by every business and government organization in their long-term strategic planning. How will workers be organized to deliver value? How will people partner with technology and will we see the emergence of human-machine teaming? What new opportunities will workers be afforded and what novel pitfalls will they face? How might governments and supranational entities respond with regulation to support workers and ensure competition in the new world of work?

 

• Jimenez, Laura, “Preparing American Students for the Workforce of the Future”, Center for American Progress, 14-Sep-2020, https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2020/09/11063115/FutureOfWork-brief.pdf?_ga=2.264282765.388424394.1609947044-1337373523.1609947044 – This brief lays out a framework for a K-12 education research agenda that will uncover policy solutions for how best to prepare students for college, career, and civic life in a rapidly changing workforce and society.

 

• Stott, Jake, “Remote Work in Europe 2030,” dGen, Oct-2020, https://www.dgen.org/remote-work – This study focuses on focus how remote working looks today, we want to explore how a large-scale shift to telecommuting might change our lives in Europe by 2030.

 

• Gelatt, Julia, et al., “Navigating the Future of Work: The Role of Immigrant-Origin Workers in a Changing U. S. Economy”, Migration Policy Institute, Oct-2020, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/immigrant-origin-workers-future-work_final.pdf – This report is part of a multiyear Migration Policy Institute project, Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy. At a time when U.S. immigration realities are changing rapidly, this initiative aims to generate a big-picture, evidence-driven vision of the role immigration can and should play in America’s future. It will provide research, analysis, and policy ideas and proposals—both administrative and legislative—that reflect these new realities and needs for immigration to better align with U.S. national interests.

 

• Autor, David, et al., “The Future of Work: Building Better Jobs in the Age of Machines”, MIT, Nov-2020, https://workofthefuture.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2020-Final-Report4.pdf – This report is the result of a two-year effort to understand  the relationships between emerging technologies and work, to help shape public discourse around realistic expectations of technology, and to explore strategies to enable a future of shared prosperity.