{"id":2282,"date":"2019-01-22T10:25:10","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T09:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/?post_type=article&p=2282"},"modified":"2019-01-22T10:25:10","modified_gmt":"2019-01-22T09:25:10","slug":"il-futur-tax-xoghol-u-l-postijiet-tax-xoghol","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/article\/il-futur-tax-xoghol-u-l-postijiet-tax-xoghol\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of work and workplaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In some ways, the future of work is here; in others, it is shrouded in uncertainty or heralded with great expectations. Of course, throughout human history, work has changed, as have societies. Transformations in how and where work is conducted, by whom it is performed and under what conditions, as well as how it is remunerated and valued, have come hand in hand with changes in individual and family life, social cohesion and wellbeing, and civic and political life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today,\u00a0a number of\u00a0observed mega-trends are again shifting the tectonics of work: Pervasive digital technology is opening up boundless new opportunities while at the same time blurring workplace boundaries and impacting human\u00a0behaviours\u00a0and expectations in ways that may still be unknown.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing population growth will create the biggest \u2013 but potentially most precarious and\u00a0polarised\u00a0\u2013 global workforce to date, with sustainability implications of an existential scale. Some of these trends are in competition with one another, others are developing swiftly and intersecting in ways that we are just beginning to discern. Intertwined with the above, are trends with huge open ends: Automation may or may not create job vacuums, while co-working with sophisticated technology may be the boon and\/or doom of future workforces. These outcomes are not pre-determined, they will be shaped by the policies and choices we make.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given the many complex forces at play, linear predictions and conclusions may be simplistic, and no single policy intervention can serve as a panacea. However, for governments, citizens and businesses to be able to harness the opportunities and mitigate the risks ahead, it is necessary to monitor and understand the trends currently underway so that they can either\u00a0optimise\u00a0current institutions and policies, redesign them, or innovate them entirely.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means asking ourselves\u00a0a number of\u00a0questions:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n