Where HR Sees The Agile Workforce In 2028

A glimpse into the future

When you consider what the workforce was like just 10 years ago, it’s hard to believe how far we have come. A little over a decade ago, the first iPhone was introduced, gradually becoming the default tool for our “always on” work world. Broadband connections were starting to become household mainstays—foreshadowing, and facilitating, the rise in remote and contract work.
 

There’s no question that HR managers have seen a marked transformation in the workforce over the past decade, which is why proactive HR executives are already looking ahead to the next 10 years. And they foresee a workforce that looks quite different from our current one, according to findings from Upwork’s 2018 Future Workforce HR Report.
 
The report, conducted by independent research firm Inavero and commissioned by Upwork, shows how HR teams are adapting their talent strategies to the rapid evolution of workforce change.

Quite different than today, as the results increasingly point to a structural shift in the HR role.
 
Prevailing wisdom says that there will be a sea change in the skills needed for the jobs of the future—61 percent of the HR managers surveyed predict that the majority of jobs done today will not exist in the next 10 years. And that’s largely because more than three-quarters agree that skills will become more specialized.
 
While that will lead to an eventual reskilling of current employees, it cements the need for a new pool of labor that already has the proficiencies of the future. And that’s where successful HR leaders can demonstrate their value, through their ability to access an agile workforce that can help teams find the skills they need when they need them.
 
Nearly 60 percent of HR managers used freelancers last year to make sure that their teams had the project-based reinforcements they needed to stay competitive. The majority of those (60 percent) expect to use even more external contributors in the next 10 years to avail themselves of the specific expertise their enterprise requires.
 
In fact, HR managers predict an enormous 179 percent increase in the amount of work performed by flexible talent over the next 10 years, with 10 times as many believing agile teams will be the new normal.

Filling niches for specialized skills is critical to the success of projects. An overwhelming majority of HR teams (85 percent) reported that they would have had to delay, cancel or extend project workloads if unable to hire a freelancer. These languishing projects translate to missed opportunities that no company can allow.
 
New skills and job requirements are emerging so quickly that by the time many companies recognize they need a specific skill, it’s already too late. Combine that with the extreme talent shortage—96 percent of hiring managers had open positions in 2017—and it adds up to missed opportunities your company can’t afford to accrue.

Fortunately, innovative HR managers are increasingly clear about where they can turn to find the skills that will fortify these teams, with 62 percent saying they are currently embracing a flexible workforce to help fill the gaps caused by worker shortages. While any paradigm shift takes time, incredible strides are already being made to embrace this new model, with 91 percent saying they are adopting dynamic talent strategies.

As HR managers brace for workforce change, proactive HR leaders are taking the wheel by seizing the opportunity to fill the gaps they see in their organization with flexible talent.
 
Looking 10 years into the future, where will you be sitting? If you’ve been using your line of sight into your company’s complete talent picture to guide efforts to pivot and adapt to the agile workforce of the future, you’ll be in the driver’s seat—overseeing a workforce strategy that extends well beyond the confines of your full-time corporate employees.


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