Ask a Futurist: Workforce changes beyond AI

We all have questions about what’s next in the fast-changing world of work. By examining current trends and market signals, a workforce futurist can give you valuable insights. 
 
Enter our Ask a Futurist series, where workforce futurist Alexandra Levit will answer pressing questions crowdsourced from Dayforce social media polls. 
 
Let’s dive into this edition’s question and Alexandra’s answer.    

Besides AI, what do you think will be the most significant change to work in the next decade? 

In this edition of Ask a Futurist, I’d like to discuss a change that’s a bit broader than the implementation of AI-based technologies. Rather, this forecast involves a fundamental evolution of employment structures. 

I believe that within the next 10 years, we are likely to see a decreasing emphasis on full-time work. This is a trend I’ve been tracking for quite some time, but I think we are on the precipice of a major shift for several reasons. 

First, full-time work is becoming precarious. Organizations are expanding and contracting rapidly, and full-time jobs don’t provide the stability and peace of mind they once did. In response, more knowledge workers – and especially those in Generation Z who may have found it difficult to obtain full-time employment from the start – will pivot to gig careers as contract workers, freelancers, and fractional executives. 

For their part, organizations struggling with global volatility may not want to be encumbered by full-time employees who are difficult to support and move around. Full-time, permanent executive hires with the right expertise are scarce. Employers are also starting to recognize that upskilling existing employees for the age of AI can’t be a one-size-fits all endeavor, and that some employees will be easier to retrain than others. 

With Dayforce, I’ve talked before about the rise of rapid talent assembly. This is where leaders put together short-term teams mixing various employment resources (full-time workers, contract workers, subject matter experts, AI-based technologies) to solve specific problems. Once a problem has been addressed, that team is disbanded.  

In 2026, despite facing skills shortages, many employers struggle to hire talented contract employees. Some already have online talent exchange tools designed to facilitate movement from one functional area to another. The next decade is likely to deliver more external exchanges – think Upwork but for a greater variety of roles – that serve the needs of specialists who contract with multiple employers.