Back to the Future of Work: Revisiting the Past and Shaping the Future
This series gathers insights from labor, business, academia, philanthropy, and think tanks to take stock of the past decade and attempt to divine what the next one has in store.
Introduction
When contemporary conversations on the “future of work” began a decade ago, most of the technologies that would define that term still resided comfortably in the realm of science fiction, or were only just emerging into public view — self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, and personal deliveries at the push of a button. Today, all these phenomena have come into their own, to varying degrees, and both regulators and commentators have sought to keep pace with what this means for our labor force. These developments have prompted a new and very different set of questions than the ones we confronted just ten years ago:
- What predictions did we get right?
- What did we get wrong?
- Who did we leave out of the conversation?
- How can technology transform work for the better?
- And what can we do to bring all stakeholders together to build a better future for all?
In this series, curated by the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, we gather insights from labor, business, academia, philanthropy, and think tanks to take stock of the past decade and attempt to divine what the next one has in store. As the future is yet unwritten, let’s figure out what it takes to build a better future of work.
About the Future of Work Initiative
The Aspen Institute’s Future of Work Initiative, part of the Economic Opportunities Program, empowers and equips leaders to innovate workplace structures, policies, and practices that renew rather than erode America’s social contract.
About the Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
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