Shaping the future of work

Digital technologies are changing work as we know it

What is the future of work?
Imagine if the typical worker could reach new levels of productivity using automation, AI and high-tech tools to offload mundane responsibilities to machines allowing workers to focus on more meaningful work. Or, do hazardous but essential tasks from a safe distance with sophisticated, remote-controlled equipment. Or, use these tools to onboard workforces more effectively and with speed while helping to balance work and life for improved job satisfaction.

This is the future of work that awaits industry, enterprises and public sector agencies. Everything from safety and collaboration to innovation and job satisfaction will benefit as accelerated digitalization coupled with AI helps us realize the objectives of Industry 4.0 and beyond.

“1.1 billion jobs — one-third of all global jobs — will be transformed by technology by 2030.”

Source: World Economic Forum

While AI gets all the hype, IT network operators can’t ignore a generational workforce change

Safety, tech skills and worker satisfaction will define the future of work

Network automation

Industry 5.0

Why is the future of work important?

Digitalization and AI set the stage for safer, more efficient and more inclusive workplaces and are key to meeting ambitious productivity, resilience and sustainability goals.

Improving safety

Better worker safety monitoring, pervasive intelligence, anomaly detection, intelligent automation, advanced robotics and more can help enterprises and public sector agencies keep their people safe while also minimizing capital costs and damage from accidents.

Addressing talent scarcity

As experienced staff exit the workforce, digital tools and worker assistance technologies that appeal to a digital-native labor pool and eliminate barriers into the job market will help companies fill essential roles. Ensuring this new workforce is engaged in what they do — by relieving them from repetitive and mundane tasks — can also help reduce costly staff turnover and generate better outcomes for businesses. In addition, digitalization will help create jobs and boost demand for specialists ranging from data scientists to cybersecurity experts and robotics technicians.

Boosting job satisfaction

Digital technologies can liberate workers from the responsibility of completing repetitive or mundane tasks. This empowers employees to spend more time on work that puts their skills to better use and provides opportunities for growth and advancement. Digital tools can also offer more choice over when and where employees work and enable new, more immersive ways of collaborating with colleagues.

Enhancing training

By providing new hires with immersive training experiences and real-time access to remote experts, companies can accelerate onboarding to start seeing results faster. Digital tools that offer on-the-job guidance and encourage lifelong learning will support greater productivity and a higher quality of work for all employees.

Increasing productivity

By boosting overall job satisfaction, organizations can also increase productivity: happy employees who are engaged and feel valued are more productive on the job. Tools designed for productivity can also help employees do more in less time. Digitalizing paper-based processes and automating time-consuming and redundant tasks means workers can focus on more valuable responsibilities that have bigger impact on the business.

“Digitalization isn’t just about technology. It’s about driving efficiency and profitability while ensuring employees are happier and more productive — no matter the industry, sector or business they’re in.”

Jochen Apel

Global VP of Digital Industries at Nokia

Explore the future of work

Learn more about how digitalization will shape the future of work.

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Enabling the future of work

The digital technologies shaping the future of work demand a combination of powerful fixed and wireless networks that are low-latency, lightning-fast, secure and reliable. Also essential are high-performance industrial edge cloud and flexible data center technologies that can support advanced Industry 4.0 applications — and a future where everything and everyone is connected.

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Fast, secure and reliable connectivity is required to shape the future of work. At Nokia, we have the expertise and solutions you need to ready your organization and empower the workforce of the future.