A better future for work: the world after COVID-19

We are at a critical juncture. Time and again in history, sudden short-term jolts have changed our collective response to slower transformations, shaping their effects on our future.

The disruption caused by COVID-19 must be understood in the context of the longer-term structural transformation of work and labour markets driven by technology. Our response to the dynamic interaction between technological transformation and COVID-19 will shape the future of work and our economy for generations.

This report is made up of 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 labour 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.

This report has been written by the Institute for the Future of Work, and is based on a literature review and the expert views of the Future of Work Commission shared at an emergency meeting on the 28 May 2020.