A third of employees ‘excited’ about the future of work

By 2040, most traditional salaries will no longer exist and deskless workers will have ‘intelligent uniforms’, according to a Future of Work study from Virgin Media O2 Business.

In partnership with futurist Tracey Follows, its research found that 36% of workers are concerned about the impact of technological changes and what they might mean for them, and over a quarter (27%) feel they can’t keep up with the pace of change.

Deskless or transport workers were most likely to feel a loss of control over their futures, with 31% worried about the impact of AI on their jobs.

Half of respondents to VMO2’s survey aged under 50 do not know what job they will be doing in 20 years, and this rises to 66% for deskless retail workers, and 63% for transport and storage workers. Fifty-three per cent of frontline workers would like more communication from managers on how their jobs might change.

That said, 36% of deskless workers are excited about the possibilities technology could bring, and 32% think digital developments will make them more productive.

Follows made a number of predictions about the evolving nature of work, including that traditional paid salaries could be replaced by or supplemented with more innovative pay models.

Pay would be based on more decentralised, non-government-issued currencies such as blockchain, and employees would be able to choose how they are paid depending on their politics and ethics, she predicts.

Within the next 20 years, deskless workers…