What will the future world be like? Article created in collaboration with OLX Praca

Updated on: 17. November 2023

We encourage you to confront your own vision of developments with the scenarios outlined by the researchers! The following publication is the result of our cooperation with OLX Praca portal,…

We encourage you to confront your own vision of developments with the scenarios outlined by the researchers! The following publication is the result of our cooperation with OLX Praca portal, with which the softgarden recruiting system was integrated in terms of publishing job offers.

Facilitate the work of recruiters!

OLX is one of the most popular job boards in Poland, used by more than 13 million users per month, and the “Jobs” category is the most visited. In September 2020, it was the most visited job portal in Poland with 3.15 million visitors. We know how important it is for recruiters to be able to easily post jobs on this portal. That’s why it’s integrated with our ATS system, which means that under the multiposting option it’s possible to easily post an ad directly on it, without having to manually insert the content into the form.

Any company using the softgarden system can use this option if they have a client account on OLX Praca. However, you can purchase ad packages directly from OLX without having to do it through us.

Integration with recruitment tools such as an ATS is a key issue for OLX Praca. Not only do we want to provide valuable candidates, but we also want to indirectly influence the building of lasting relationships between employer and employee, which we believe is critical, not only from the perspective of reducing time-to-hire, but also to build a positive image of the employer in the eyes of the candidate. And not just a candidate for the here and now, but also a candidate who sympathises with the brand (of the employer), even if the collaboration has not just started.

There is more and more talk about EVP, about company values. It pays to engage the candidate emotionally, first by creating the ad, and then through a deliberate and respectful recruitment process, carried out with the help of a recruitment tool, comments Marzena Solak, Key Account Manager OLX Praca. 

And for us, OLX is not only a partner in publishing offers, but also in creating valuable content. The report published by the portal, “Forecasts of the future. Know How 2021” is an interesting summary of the job market in 2020 and a description of how it was affected by the pandemic, but also an attempt to face the issue of how it will look in ten years. Experts invited to collaborate by OLX Jobs, the FutureS Thinking Group: Zuzanna Skalska’s company 360Inspiration and the strategy and design studio Greenhat Innovation, have created 4 alternative forecasts that show that the world may look very different in 10 years from today. According to their assumptions, in the future 2030+ we can consider such options as: friendly capitalism, active restoration, less is enough and surveillance capitalism.

Tender capitalism

This narrative is about the reality of universal prosperity and the individual at the centre. The entire development of the world is based on technology, and access to technology is crucial for facilitating community life, maintaining a high standard of living, and work. Most activities are moving online, including study and work, so commuting is no longer a problem and environmentally friendly mass and individual transportation is available when movement is necessary.

Environmental protection becomes a priority and is guaranteed by lawTechnological progress forces automation of the simplest jobs on the one hand and shifts the burden to self-fulfilment and leisure on the other. People focus on their own development, and work should enable them to constantly improve themselves.

Companies that have the workforce best suited to the conditions of sensible capitalism become leaders, and attracting top talent becomes increasingly important. The new-age workforce is made up of people with advanced digital skills and soft skills, who excel at remote collaboration and team management. At the same time, large corporations and technology companies are taking on the role of the welfare state, taking care of all their stakeholders. The economy is in a growth phase, but the industrial age has finally transformed into the age of services and experiences.

Active renewal

This narrative is about the reality of universal prosperity and community at its core. With the introduction of a universal basic income, paid work is no longer necessary and people can focus on activities that match their interests and desire for development. Work becomes a conscious choice and the division into “better” and “worse” jobs becomes less important.

All this within the overarching idea of community and planetary development. Care for the environment, natural resources and biodiversity is key. Activities are judged on their impact on the environment. The state is based on a circular economy and the economy of profit is transformed into an economy of community and action for the common good.

Work is meant to serve the community, and the introduction of UBIs has made the sense of satisfaction that comes from acting positively for the whole crucial. Through technology and automation, people have more time for creative activities that support community development. With work being voluntary and treated as a passion, the lines between personal and professional life are blurring and employment is taking on a more flexible form.

Knowledge sharing is horizontal and flat structures prevail. Above all, the workplace is meant to be friendly, and employers feel responsible not only for their employees but also for the communities around them. Key competencies are social intelligence and the ability to cooperate.

Find out how we make recruiters’ jobs easier

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Less is enough

In this narrative we are talking about the reality of widespread scarcity (stunting) and community at its core.

According to this version of the future, micro-communities, local communities within a 15 minute walk, will become crucial. Everything important should be accessible within them, and pro-social activities within these “bubbles” are hugely important. Due to limited growth and ownership, a cooperative model of wealth distribution is evolving. Access is more important than ownership, so “co-housing” and “co-living” are important buzzwords. Housing should no longer manifest social status.

Social innovations that translate into community enrichment rather than individual wealth are gaining importance. Intergenerational relationships are important – activating seniors, raising children in the community and caring for their education. 

Emphasis is on teamwork, co-developing solutions, and complementing each other’s skills. Technology is important but not essential to the development of society and work. Instead, the impact of human handiwork is highly valued – craftsmanship, individual production. The exchange of experience and the training of future generations are emphasized.

Surveillance capitalism

This narrative is about the reality of widespread lack (stunting) and about the individual at the centre. The state of possession is crucial in terms of social position and status. Therefore, work that brings tangible material benefits is very important. The desire for possessions is a driving urge for employees that activates them for career development. 

There is a lack of committed leaders and communities, and in a world dominated by single households, pollution is on the rise. In cities, a system of gated communities is developing for people of similar social status, allowing all basic needs to be met without leaving the city. Remote work is prevalent, individual comfort is important, and companies provide housing for their employees to increase the effectiveness of their professional activities. The employee is treated like an investment, everything that concerns his productivity is financed by the company. 

Data is an important currency on the one hand it allows people to buy the goods they want, on the other hand it is widely used in business and most decisions are made based on algorithms. Relatively low salaries combined with high consumer needs make people willing to share data about themselves for a fee. The line between personal and professional life is blurred – data is shared in one and analysed in the other. Privacy is being severely curtailed.

Summary

The scenarios of reality described above may seem like something distant, but aren‘t we already seeing some signs that suggest any of them could come true to some degree? Certainly 2020 has brought with it many changes, not only in the way businesses operate, but also in terms of whole communities – we work, learn and spend our leisure time differently. The way we interact with our colleagues or manage our teams is different. We function more on an individual level, and many relationships have moved to the online world. The new market situation has also forced many workers to re-skill and blur the distinction between personal and professional life. We are moving less, so we are spending more time at home. Isn’t that the starting point for a major social change? We will probably find out in a while.

As a recruiting partner of Polish employers, we always try to highlight the most important areas, present possible solutions and assist in developing a broad, sometimes unconventional perspective. The year 2020 has shown us all that the world does not evolve in a linear way and that as employers we need to be prepared for different scenarios. In light of this realisation, we no longer speak of one possible future, but of several probable futures. We have worked with experts to tame these futures, prepare employers for them, and implement solutions that not only sustain the business, but more importantly, evolve it. Crucially, in each future variant, “work” takes on a particular meaning, defined differently depending on the context and how it is shaped at the levels of “I-Individual”, “We-Society”, “Abundance/Fluidity”, “Scarcity/Cessation” adds Marzena Solak.

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