From education to employment: Megatrends affecting NZ’s working environment

Technological change is ushering us into the biggest transformation of the working environment since the Industrial Revolution. Our modelling estimates that 31 per cent of current jobs in New Zealand’s workforce could be automated over the next 20 years. This report looks at key emerging trends that are likely to affect our working environment over the next 20 years. The report is structured around the following themes: (1) the economic environment in which we operate covers the overarching external trends affecting the economy and the workplace; (2) demographic trends and their challenges looks at population projections and their implications for the labour supply; and (3) the changing nature of education and training examines the future of tertiary education given the findings from the previous two sections. The report concludes that the disruption to the workplace over the next 20 years offers significant opportunity for New Zealand to improve its economic outcomes. Demand for workers with relevant and transferable skills will be stronger than ever. And appropriate planning and innovation in the education sector will help give all New Zealanders the chance to benefit from the economic transformation that is underway.