Megatrend “New work”: the creative class

The transformation from an industrial to a knowledge society, based on creating immaterial value, will result in changing corporate structures and employer behavior. The workforce in areas such as service, information, and creativity will become a key factor for the global economy. Processes, experience, and ideas will become increasingly important. The boundaries between personal life and professional life will become more and more indistinct. Permanent employees will also demand greater independence as part of their work.

Developments:

• Knowledge workers, entrepreneurs, and the rich of the future will form the creative class. They are hedonistic, enjoy the “new luxury”, and their families are world citizens, also feeling committed to their region.

• The creative class appreciates outstanding performance, quality workmanship, cutting-edge technologies, transparency, sustainability, friendship, self-optimization, and quality of life. They redefine work by demanding flexible working time models, greater autonomy, and self-actualization. Career biographies become multigraphies with the objective of lifelong living.

• Mobile, location-independent work to best develop one’s own creativity along with a good work-life balance will become the expected standard. Only those companies that position themselves as an attractive employer with flexible working hours, sabbatical years, work-life balance principles, and meaningful work will be able to attract and retain top talents.