Trends Identified

Inequality

Rising inequality could threaten growth. Demographic shifts combined with the next phase of automation will increase income inequality from already high levels. Middle- and low-income families are likely to be hit hardest, putting downward pressure on consumer spending and growth.

2018

Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality

Bain and Company

Inequality

Economic growth in at least 40 countries has helped to lift many hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It is important not to allow rising GDP per capita in middle-income countries mask remaining underlying challenges – including rising inequality, weak social protection, poor infrastructures (particularly in urban areas), environmental degradation, and rising citizen expectations. Already, according to an Oxfam report, 85 billionaires have the same wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population. In 2012, 71% of the world’s population was reported to live in nations where income inequality is increasing. As well as stifling economic growth, inequality has a significant negative impact upon health and educational outcomes as well as security.

2015

Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs

The Guardian

Inequalities in labour market outcomes persist

Underlying these aggregate labour market and social trends are disparities across a number of demographic groups. Gender disparities are of particular concern. On average, women are less likely to participate in the labour market, facing a global gender gap in participation of over 26 percentage points, and are less likely to find a job when they do participate. These gaps are particularly wide in Northern Africa and the Arab States, where women are twice as likely to be unemployed as men. Once in employment, women face segregation in terms of the sector, occupation and type of employment relationship, resulting in restricted access to quality employment. For instance, 82 per cent of women in developing countries are in vulnerable forms of employment in 2017, compared to 72 per cent of men.

2018

World Employment and Social Outlook

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Industry redefined

Is every industry now your industry? Industry — the concept and the reality — is being rede ned and reinvented. In the pre-internet era, the competencies, assets and knowledge necessary to participate in any given industry sector were unique and varied significantly from industry to industry. Hard and fast industry boundaries (and high barriers to entry) arose as a result. With digital innovation and other forces acting as solvents, industry boundaries are melting and disappearing.

2018

What’s after what’s next? The upside of disruption Megatrends shaping 2018 and beyond

EY

Industry Consolidation

After a minor decline in 2016, merger and acquisition activity – particularly across borders – is expected to increase, especially with the return of private equity buyers to the transaction market.

2017

Beyond the Noise- The Megatrends of Tomorrow’s World

Deloitte

Industrialized data services

Now that data is being decoupled, enterprises are using it in many different ways to unlock far more of its potential value. They’re actively hunting for other useful data—outside their organizations as well as inside—while keeping their eyes open for opportunities to share their data. But most early datasharing activities are ad hoc. Needed next: fresh approaches to data management.

2012

Accenture Technology Vision 2012

Accenture

Industrialized crowdsourcing - Sometimes more is better

Enterprise adoption of the power of the crowd allows specialized skills to be dynamically sourced from anyone, anywhere, and only as needed. Companies can use the collective knowledge of the masses to help with tasks from data entry and coding to advanced analytics and product development. The potential for disruptive impact on cost alone likely makes early experimentation worthwhile, but there are also broader implications for innovation in the enterprise.

2014

Tech trends 2014 - Inspiring Disruption

Deloitte

Industrialized analytics - Data is the new oil. Where are the refineries?

Data is a foundational component of digital transformation. Yet, few organizations have invested in the dedicated talent, platforms, and processes needed to turn information into insights. To realize data’s full potential, some businesses are adopting new governance approaches, multitiered data usage and management models, and innovative delivery methods to enable repeatable results and scale. Indeed, they are treating data analysis as a strategic discipline and investing in industrial-grade analytics.

2016

Tech trends 2016 - innovating in the digital era

Deloitte

Industrial processes become more environmental

Growing pressure on renewable and non-renewable resources, as well as public concern about the safety of new nano and biomaterials, will put greater emphasis on building “closed-loop systems.” In these systems, waste from one industry becomes the feedstock for another. Products may be designed to be safe and fully recyclable. Synthetic biology will enable industrial processes to mimic nature (e.g., enzymes can accelerate the decomposition of industrial waste into safe by-products and have commercial value), and nanotechnology will produce new goods with new properties at a smaller scale that may use far less resources. (For example, soon, a smart phone will contain 20 or 30 tiny nanosensors that collect biometric data.)

2013

Metascan 3 emerging technologies

Canada, Policy Horizons Canada

Industrial and technological revolution

By 2035, technological advances will have a major impact on the social and economic foundations of society, potentially more far-reaching than the initial phase of computerisation from the 1980s onwards. Technologies involving automation and machine learning have the potential to disrupt job markets, making millions of jobs obsolete. As technologies like self- driving cars begins to proliferate, governments at all levels will be faced with questions of adaptation, governance, and human development. Countries will be forced to consider how much of their core information infrastructure they will permit to be run by companies domiciled in other countries. Parties may be faced with a trade-off between protecting consumers’ privacy and encouraging the growth of artificial intelligence firms that rely on large amount of data for training and improving algorithms. The question of when platform companies achieve monopolistic power will be a key issue brought before the court system in many countries.

2017

Global trends to 2035

European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)