Future of work

Insights on labour market challenges in a world taken over by software

Analyses have shown that up to 50% of the Danish labor force are at risk of being outcompeted and replaced by technology. The main drivers are digitalization, robotics, AI, the gig economy, globalization and automation. Mitigating that level of societal risk requires inspiration, innovation and foresight from outside of Denmark, as many of the challenges are emerging from globally distributed sources.

Through a series of roundtables and workshops in Denmark, with participation by entrepreneurs, politicians, corporate executives, business owners and students, a subset of risks, opportunities, concerns and challenges were identified. Three Danish partners volunteered to share their organizational challenges, and those were the foundation of the continued project.

A Glimpse of the Future Through Silicon Valley

The comprehensive network of ICDK throughout Silicon Valley participated in the programme and offered inspiring insights and experiences on the Future of Work. Contributors included companies like Facebook, Google, 42 Schools, Hackerrank, Upwork, Minecraft, LinkedIn and Udacity. Themes like unbundling of education, learning to learn, skills of the future, gamification of education, workforce automation and “glocal” leadership offered insights to the project.

The project uncovered a less dystopian view on the future of work, but also revealed that it is time for change, innovation and open-mindedness, as the future is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
The innovative perspectives to work-related challenges that were uncovered inspired participating organizations toward new ways of learning and working.

The project was executed in partnership with HK Lab, FinansForbundet and IME (International Management Education).