Eight ways the workplace will change in 2050

Over the years we've seen the workplace go through a number of dramatic changes. These are only predictions, of course, but given the rapid pace of change underway thanks to advancements in technology, here are eight likely scenarios we could see in the next few decades.

The corporate ladder could become the 'corporate lattice'
"Traditional roles are going to disappear because many workplaces are going to disappear, so the whole structural hierarchical system is going to disappear,"says James Canton, chairman and CEO of the Institute for Global Futures and author of Future Smart: Managing the Game-Changing Trends that Will Transform Your World. "You'll end up with a system, a network of humans and artificial intelligence, crowd-based intelligence — they're all going to get mashed up."
Artificial intelligence could replace jobs
"[A University of Oxford report] predicts that by 2030, let alone by 2050, we'll have lost almost 50 per cent of the workforce to artificial intelligence,"said David Price, co-founder of cultural-change practice 'We Do Things Differently'and author of OPEN: How We'll Work, Live and Learn in the Future. The report noted that the transportation and logistics industry was susceptible to upheaval thanks to the development of driverless cars etc. Even jobs like the classroom teacher, are at risk.
Create jobs that didn't exist before
Canton predicts a scenario in which humans and robots will work side-by-side in the future, where new jobs could include operating artificial intelligence-based tech and old jobs could be augmented by it. "We're going to need to train people how to use AI smarter,"Canton says.
Employers could start recruiting from a global pool of freelancers
It's cheaper for employers, who have an entire world of workers at their fingertips, to hire freelancers rather than full-time employees, as it doesn't involve a lengthy hiring process or offering employee benefits. But Price cautioned that this dynamic has the potential to exploit the labour force. If the reason people will freelance is because companies don't want to hire and pay full-time workers, "What kind of a society are we going to be getting?"Price asks.
Retirement could be a thing of the past
People are living longer and the cost of living keeps going up, requiring many to keep working much later in life. The young generations will not save enough for retirement the way their parents did, as they won't be able to afford it. "I think people will live and work as long as they're capable,"Price says.
Workers may demand more of employers, leading to even more career hopping
A 'future of work'report from Pricewaterhouse-Coopers predicts that people will continue shifting away from the one life, one career mentality — an already observable trend among millennials. Workers will follow their passions as they change and for many that also means changing careers.
Employees could be monitored, and not just at work
The PwC report also envisions a world in which employers can monitor and screen their employees at a more advanced level: "Sensors check their location, performance and health,"the report states. "The monitoring may even stretch into their private lives in an extension of today's drug tests."
More companies could dissolve traditional offices and headquarters
Co-working spaces are becoming more popular, not just among freelancers and entrepreneurs but also corporations that can use them to relocate employees. Dissolving the traditional office would enable companies to hire the best candidates all over the world regardless of proximity to a central company hub.