The world of work is changing, and so is society. Discussions about the future of the workforce have grown more and more intense over the past three years, especially with the emergence of discussions about digital technology, the world of entrepreneurship, people with multiple jobs, universal income, or new forms of management and government.
The above debates, which focus on employment, types of work, and the application of management, have one benefit: clarifying future employment possibilities.
Future working conditions
In a study entitled “The future of work in 2030: four atmospheres?” or “The future of work in 2030: four conditions?”, the international research institute RGCS offers some views on the future of work. We begin by presenting some of the opposite things that happen in the world of work. These paradoxes highlight the tensions and dilemmas that cause change in the world of work, such as: mobility versus an established life; entrepreneurship versus dependence; freedom versus security; autonomy versus control; digitalization versus the real world, and so on.
On this basis, we update the notion of working conditions, in both simple and contradictory contexts, to describe the work of today and tomorrow. The conditions of the world of work refer to the place, context, mood, as well as everything that is difficult to explain in a sphere of life or work. At the same time, the components involved are very concrete, namely; gestures, tools, places, practices, sensations, emotions, and so on. But they are also “quasi-material” and can be felt through the light, words, sounds, and textures that mediate our relationship with work. The conditions in which we work greatly determine the space and time when we want to do work. Therefore, we then developed four scenarios, related to the four working conditions, to imagine what the world of work will be like in 2030;
Freelancing or freelance work.
Imagine a society of mostly freelancers connected by a global platform. Another thing is a transaction. The working atmosphere becomes more fluid as described by Z. Bauman; Salaried or working in an office with a fixed salary.
They depict a world where salaried work remains central to a company's operations. Employment contracts are permanent and for a certain period of time have developed from a legal perspective, but employment contracts remain the key to the world of work and employment. Another important thing is the contract. Conditions become territorial and entrenched; Hybridization or hybridization.
This represents a further breakthrough from today's forms of work. Various forms of work activities are then accommodated. Everyone has a different job at one time or after becoming a permanent worker or entrepreneur. Such working conditions have different sensations. On the other hand, another important thing is the emergence of a new personality that gives rise to various personal management. To some extent, this type of working condition is schizophrenic; Universal income.
This condition describes a situation that prioritizes activity over performance and status. Forms of steady pay work and entrepreneurship will remain, as well as overall worker solidarity. Such working conditions are characterized by an act of giving and reinventing oneself.
Of course, related scenarios and working conditions can be combined. We can imagine the combination of freelance work and fixed salary work along with long term contracts. Even the predominately freelance working conditions and universal income seem to suit us. These four possibilities provide practical and emotional possibilities that we can try to apply in the future. To confirm this belief, we believe that the future of the world of work will be full of surprises. The world of work in the future will continue to develop creatively more than has been discussed above.
With the future–or not with the future?
One summer evening in 2025 at Montpellier's Place de la Comédie, imagine four people representing the four future conditions of employment–Freelancia, Salaria, Hybridia, and Solidaria, representing universal income. The four characters are all female. They each bring the future of work. Resemblance to other people, life or death, or real events, are not coincidences. The dialogue below (detailed in our research notes) between the four iyetseniy individuals describes the specific, sometimes exclusive life choices, as well as the social projects associated with each scenario. Here's an example:
Hybridia: “Three years ago, I was still working as a freelancer. And do you remember after high school, I started that small art collaboration business? But, I think you are too resistant to many things, Freelancia! Why not enjoy all you can get: more free time but also a sense of security?
Freelancia: "There are only 24 hours in a day […]. With the other activities I did, I felt betrayed by my first activity."
[…]
Solidaria: “You don't want to spend your life selling bullshit! One time you were a “consultant”, a “catalyst in innovation” and now you are “the head of an entrepreneurial business unit”. What's the next step after that? […] Don't you want to do something more meaningful? For yourself as well as for others?"
Salaria: "I can't live on love and fresh air like you. I take care of my two children alone. I know how much it will cost me for their education. I want them to get the best education (…) that will give them an income sufficient."
This dialogue continues with more specifics regarding the technological aspects behind this scenario. This aspect discusses the relationship between artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence) and forms of work that are different from ordinary work. Using a metaphor related to Ancient Egypt and borrowing from Michel Serres, we suggest considering the smartphone and artificial intelligence of the future worker as “ka”, a person who looks like us but is autonomous. We also raised various ethical issues.
Future working conditions
In a study entitled “The future of work in 2030: four atmospheres?” or “The future of work in 2030: four conditions?”, the international research institute RGCS offers some views on the future of work. We begin by presenting some of the opposite things that happen in the world of work. These paradoxes highlight the tensions and dilemmas that cause change in the world of work, such as: mobility versus an established life; entrepreneurship versus dependence; freedom versus security; autonomy versus control; digitalization versus the real world, and so on.
On this basis, we update the notion of working conditions, in both simple and contradictory contexts, to describe the work of today and tomorrow. The conditions of the world of work refer to the place, context, mood, as well as everything that is difficult to explain in a sphere of life or work. At the same time, the components involved are very concrete, namely; gestures, tools, places, practices, sensations, emotions, and so on. But they are also “quasi-material” and can be felt through the light, words, sounds, and textures that mediate our relationship with work. The conditions in which we work greatly determine the space and time when we want to do work. Therefore, we then developed four scenarios, related to the four working conditions, to imagine what the world of work will be like in 2030;
Freelancing or freelance work.
Imagine a society of mostly freelancers connected by a global platform. Another thing is a transaction. The working atmosphere becomes more fluid as described by Z. Bauman; Salaried or working in an office with a fixed salary.
They depict a world where salaried work remains central to a company's operations. Employment contracts are permanent and for a certain period of time have developed from a legal perspective, but employment contracts remain the key to the world of work and employment. Another important thing is the contract. Conditions become territorial and entrenched; Hybridization or hybridization.
This represents a further breakthrough from today's forms of work. Various forms of work activities are then accommodated. Everyone has a different job at one time or after becoming a permanent worker or entrepreneur. Such working conditions have different sensations. On the other hand, another important thing is the emergence of a new personality that gives rise to various personal management. To some extent, this type of working condition is schizophrenic; Universal income.
This condition describes a situation that prioritizes activity over performance and status. Forms of steady pay work and entrepreneurship will remain, as well as overall worker solidarity. Such working conditions are characterized by an act of giving and reinventing oneself.
Of course, related scenarios and working conditions can be combined. We can imagine the combination of freelance work and fixed salary work along with long term contracts. Even the predominately freelance working conditions and universal income seem to suit us. These four possibilities provide practical and emotional possibilities that we can try to apply in the future. To confirm this belief, we believe that the future of the world of work will be full of surprises. The world of work in the future will continue to develop creatively more than has been discussed above.
With the future–or not with the future?
One summer evening in 2025 at Montpellier's Place de la Comédie, imagine four people representing the four future conditions of employment–Freelancia, Salaria, Hybridia, and Solidaria, representing universal income. The four characters are all female. They each bring the future of work. Resemblance to other people, life or death, or real events, are not coincidences. The dialogue below (detailed in our research notes) between the four iyetseniy individuals describes the specific, sometimes exclusive life choices, as well as the social projects associated with each scenario. Here's an example:
Hybridia: “Three years ago, I was still working as a freelancer. And do you remember after high school, I started that small art collaboration business? But, I think you are too resistant to many things, Freelancia! Why not enjoy all you can get: more free time but also a sense of security?
Freelancia: "There are only 24 hours in a day […]. With the other activities I did, I felt betrayed by my first activity."
[…]
Solidaria: “You don't want to spend your life selling bullshit! One time you were a “consultant”, a “catalyst in innovation” and now you are “the head of an entrepreneurial business unit”. What's the next step after that? […] Don't you want to do something more meaningful? For yourself as well as for others?"
Salaria: "I can't live on love and fresh air like you. I take care of my two children alone. I know how much it will cost me for their education. I want them to get the best education (…) that will give them an income sufficient."
This dialogue continues with more specifics regarding the technological aspects behind this scenario. This aspect discusses the relationship between artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence) and forms of work that are different from ordinary work. Using a metaphor related to Ancient Egypt and borrowing from Michel Serres, we suggest considering the smartphone and artificial intelligence of the future worker as “ka”, a person who looks like us but is autonomous. We also raised various ethical issues.