Trends Identified

The productivity imperative
Developed-world economies will need to generate pronounced gains in productivity to power continued economic growth. The most dramatic innovations in the Western world are likely to be those that accelerate economic productivity.
2010
Mckinsey quarterly, Global forces: An introduction
McKinsey
The Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Access to technology that enables the production and distribution of WMD is likely to increase. Many states will feel that they require the prestige and deterrent value of WMD systems to reinforce their regional power.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
The promise (and reality) of social data
Organizations have long heard about the benefits of deep listening and uncovering customer insights with social data. But they’ve also realized that integrating social data with other analytics systems—or finding usable insights from mountains of social mentions—requires a lot of work and more resources than they originally thought. In 2018, the promise of social data remains—but organizations will need to recalculate the effort and resources they’ll need to invest to turn social data into a true source of customer insights that can be used across the enterprise.
2018
Social media trends 2018
Hootsuit
The Quantum Leap
Long the domain of science fiction and theory, quantum computing looks poised to outperform traditional supercomputers and achieve supremacy in 2018. Competitors in the space are aggressively racing to increase their qubit computing power, while minimizing the potential for errors. Experimentation of quantum computing in conjunction with encryption, AI, materials, and qubit generation will be key areas of focus in 2018. Be ready to hear “Quantum” as the next buzz word.
2018
Top 10 Tech Trends For 2018
Forbes
The redistribution of geostrategic power.
The predominance of NATO and the West is likely to be increasingly challenged by emerging and resurgent powers.
2017
Strategic foresight analysis
NATO
The Resurgence of Ideology
Religious belief will retain a significant influence on the vast majority of the global populace especially in the Americas, Africa and increasingly throughout Asia. Tension is likely between religious and secular groups. Strategic drivers such as economic recession, resource scarcity, social change and conflict are likely to contribute to the increasing significance of belief-based groups. Single issues may also emerge that divide opinion and forge identities, such as attitudes toward abortion, gender, the environment, religious law and the teaching of evolution.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
The rich are aging, the poor are not.
Working-age populations are shrinking in wealthy countries, China, and Russia but growing in developing, poorer countries, particularly in Africa and South Asia, increasing economic, employment, urbanization, and welfare pressures and spurring migration. Training and continuing education will be crucial in developed and developing countries alike.
2017
Global Trends: The Paradox of Progress
USA, US National Intelligence Council
The riddle of work and income
The revolution of work has long been under discussion, and the industrial world is on the brink of the unknown. The rapid progress of technology that has led to digitisation, robotisation, artificial intelligence and automation is modifying almost all areas of known activity. However, there is currently no clarity as to what the revolution of work ultimately means. Public debate often addresses the significant diminishing of work and traditional workplaces while, on the other hand, welcoming the flourishing of new types of working methods and the creation of workplaces with the aid of new technologies.
2017
Megatrends 2017
Finland, The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
The Rise and Implications of 'New Power'
People are waking up to their own power, coming together at a scale and speed unimaginable just a few years ago. New crowd-based and participatory models and values are transforming politics, business and other sectors of society.
2016
Shaping the future
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
The rise and rise of emerging markets
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the 21st century will be marked by the dominance of emerging markets. Already a force to reckon with, emerging markets will in the next years become equal competitors with mature markets and command more economic and political power. As trade and investment occur across emerging markets, newly emerging markets will flourish. An explosive combination of large, young increasingly educated and urban populations with greater levels of disposable income (e.g., in Indonesia) and (or) natural resources (e.g., in Nigeria) is propelling newly emerging markets forward. The latter have provided the more established emerging markste with investment opportunities.
2010
Business Redefined - A look at the global trends that are changing the world of business
EY