Future Of Work In Defence

Abstract

There is a significant body of literature on the “Future of Work”, emanating from academia, policy-makers, political parties, unions, and international organisations. The literature covers a wide range of themes, many of which are focused on the impact of technology on jobs. Though the literature is continually increasing in volume, there remain gaps in the literature with regard to demography, the impact of climate change (sometime referred to as ‘just transition’), and income disparity as a consequence of the disaggregation of the workforce. Key themes include what the future of work might look like and, for some researchers, how best to shape or influence change for the benefit of society as a whole. From a macro-economic perspective, there are a number of drivers of change which are coming into sharper focus. These drivers will influence the future of work but their impact and influence will likely remain debatable for some time. Indeed, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Research Department Working Paper No. 29, The Future of Work: A Literature Review states ‘…there exists no universally accepted definition of what exactly the “Future of Work” encompasses and what the most relevant drivers are.’ The ILO paper is a meta-analysis of 255 studies and is focused on the different drivers that will impact the future of work. Insight into what the most relevant drivers are is critical to an informed discussion on the impacts at both a macro- and micro-economic level for nations, organisations, and workers. Ideas about what could usefully be done to ameliorate the negative effects of the anticipated change and better prepare workers for future opportunities, where they exist, is a key theme in the literature. This is particularly so for practitioners.