Research Summary: From global pandemics to the threat of automation, the US job market is always changing. Luckily, there are trends we can follow to discover what the future of work might look like.
To find out more, we’ve gathered all of the most interesting trends and statistics about the future of work in the US. According to our extensive research:
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85% of jobs in 2030 will not have existed yet in 2020.
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65% of female employees report that the pandemic made them rethink the place work has in their life.
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Automation has the potential to eliminate 47% of US jobs by 2030, which would equate to a staggering 73 million jobs.
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Even long after the COVID-19 Pandemic, up to 37% of Americans will be working from home by 2030.
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Total employment in the US is projected to grow by 8.3 million jobs between 2021-2031.
For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Where | Who | How
Where Work Will Happen
The COVID-19 Pandemic has already had a massive effect on where Americans work. 2020 saw an unprecedented number of remote workers, and many people are still interested in working from home. Going forward, our research shows that:
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74% of companies plan to implement hybrid work.
Many employees don’t want to give up remote work, while many employers want them back in the office. Luckily, 44% of employees and 51% of employers prefer a hybrid model.
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22% of Americans will be working remotely by 2025.
A projected 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025, which is an incredible 87% increase from 2019.
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51% of global Knowledge workers work remotely.
Many people in this industry desire remote work. In fact, 95% of Knowledge workers say they want more flexible hours, making remote work a favorable option.
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75% of Knowledge workers say flexible work expectations have increased after the pandemic.
The pandemic has given many Knowledge workers the ability to realize that remote work offers them more flexibility, so it’s unsurprising that demand for flexible work has increased.
Who Will Do the Work
Competition in the job market can be fierce, especially when it’s between a new generation and automated robots. Overall, when it comes to who will be working in the future, our research shows that:
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14% of the global workforce may need to change job categories by 2030.
14% might not seem like a lot, but that actually translates to over 375 million workers (more than the entire US population). Common reasons for this may include digitization, automation, and AI disruption.
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37% of Americans are worried about automation displacing them from their jobs.
48% of Americans believe that automation is hurting workers, while only 22% believe it’s been helpful.
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77% of young workers are willing to learn new skills or retrain to stay employable.
This is especially true for Millennials, for who 87% believe that learning and development are crucial for success in the workplace.
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Only 40% of Millennials say training and development programs are of desirable quality in the workplace.
Millennials are the most critical of the current training and development programs that are in place. Only 23% of them say these programs are actually relevant, compared to 67% of Baby Boomers.
Generation Share who support current L&D programs Millennials 40% Gen X 50% Baby Boomers 67% -
The US is home to 310,700 industrial robots as of 2022.
And this number increases by roughly 40,000 per year. By 2030, these robots could replace well over 800,000 workers.
How Work Will Get Done
Besides looming automation, the way in which employees choose to work is also changing. Never before has the gig economy been more popular, but will that popularity continue? Here are some insights our research uncovered:
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50% of the US workforce may be Freelancers by 2030.
As of 2022, approximately 36% of the US workforce are Freelancers (70.4 million Americans). That’s already over an 18% increase from 2020, when there were 59 million US Freelancers.
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By 2030, 60% of US jobs will have at least 30% of their activities automated.
In the future, many jobs will be supported by machine learning and AI, even if human employees aren’t replaced outright. Altogether, robots may replace up to 30% of all human labor by 2030.
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There are 3 million industrial robots operating globally.
While it’s unclear just how many industrial robots will be in place by 2030, the number is increasing by a steady 10.28% compound annual growth rate.
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52% of employees say the pandemic made them question the purpose of their day-to-day jobs.
More specifically, 63% of employees wished that employers would provide them with more opportunities to find purpose day-to-day. No doubt, this feeling has been a contributor to the Great Resignation.
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AI stands to generate 58 million new jobs by 2030.
It’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to AI. On top of supporting old jobs and making tasks easier for human workers, AI will also create almost as many new jobs as it replaces.
Future Of Work FAQ
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What is the future of work like?
The future of work centers around three major staples: gig work, remote work, and automation. Here are some specifics about these factors:
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Gig work. Freelancing has become far more common, as workers enjoy the flexibility of “being their own boss,” and companies enjoy the perk of not having to provide full-time benefits. Overall, up to 50% of the US workforce may be freelancers by 2030.
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Remote work. A trend that was undoubtedly sparked by the pandemic, many workers don’t want to return to the office. And why would they? Remote work is often more productive and provides workers with a better work-life balance. As a compromise, 74% of companies plan to implement hybrid work models.
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Automation. AI will continue to play a more and more important role in the workplace, from replacing old jobs to supporting existing jobs and creating new ones. By 2030, 60% of US jobs will have at least 30% of their activities automated.
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How do you prepare for the future of work?
The best way to prepare for the future of work is to understand current trends and use them to your advantage. For example, here are several ways you can make the best out of trends:
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Embrace innovation. New technology doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, up to 75% of employees agree that new technology has made their jobs easier. A company that chooses to keep up with the times and innovate will not only be more successful but have informed and proficient employees.
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Create new training programs. To achieve success with new technology, it’s crucial to train new and tenured employees properly. A good training program can make a huge difference in ensuring your team masters new changes.
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Having an adaptable vision. New technology and work styles can shake up a company’s vision or goals, but only if that vision is unadaptable. Instead of fighting changes that arrive, find ways to integrate them into current goals.
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Valuing your employees and AI. Discarding all human employees or refusing to implement AI can both have disastrous consequences. Instead, employers should look to find where humans and AI work most efficiently together.
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What is the future of job growth?
Despite automation, the future of job growth is still positive. Despite eliminating over 70 million jobs, AI will also produce at least 59 million new jobs. That, combined with other factors, leads experts to believe that total employment in the US will grow by 8.3 million jobs between 2021-2031.
Conclusion
The future of work in the US centers around three main components: gig work, remote work, and automation. While these factors are already reshaping how we work today, experts predict they will only continue to become more prominent by 2030.
For example, up to 50% of US workers will be freelancers, and up to 47% of jobs may be eliminated by AI.
Despite this, US companies and workers do have the tools needed to be successful throughout these changes. In spite of negative publicity and worried workers, the fact is that the job market will grow by 8.3 million jobs between 2021-2031.
References:
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LinkedIn – 85% of Jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet
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Gartner – Gartner HR Research Finds 65% of Women Report the Pandemic Has Made Them Rethink the Place of Work in Their Lives
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Metaculus – Percentage of US remote workers in 2030
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Gartner – Gartner Forecasts 51% of Global Knowledge Workers Will Be Remote by the End of 2021
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Gartner – 9 Future of Work Trends Post Covid-19
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Thomas – 14% of Global Workforce (That’s 375 Million Workers!) May Need to Change Careers by 2030
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Forbes – Automation Could Eliminate 73 Million U.S. Jobs By 2030 [Infographic]
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PWC – Workers want more digital skills, more inclusivity, and more flexibility
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Spiceworks – Millennials are Most Critical of Leadership Development Programs
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CNBC – Robots may replace 800 million workers by 2030. These skills will keep you employed
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Don Cowan – Machine Learning and AI in 2030
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Gartner – Future of Work Reinvented
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BLS – Employment Projections
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
