Work Is Being Upended

The work world is being upended, not only by advances in technology but also by changing attitudes among employees as to what is desirable and necessary in a job. Workers once found an identity in their job; then they sought meaning through work; now they just want agency, the ability to control their work lives. This, along with technology, is turning the realm of work upside down – that is, changing its meaning, value and impact. Labor shortages in the midst of significant layoffs; automation in the midst of rising wages; an excess of white-collar employees with an increase in new business formation; and discontented workers and changing education levels for jobs: these are unusual phenomena to be happening at the same time. Society is undergoing a widespread reassessment of the value of different kinds of work, and that will change companies’ hiring practices and individuals’ work needs. Society will need to reassess its demand for college degrees as well as its, heretofore, downplaying of manual and minimum-wage work.