As workplace automation increasingly becomes the norm, myths about artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are giving way to new realities of what it will take to engage and lead talent in an evolving work ecosystem. The use of workplace automation is expected to nearly double in the next three years according to our 2017 Global Future of Work Survey. While survey respondents report that 12% of work is currently being done using AI and robotics versus just 7% three years ago, they anticipate that this figure will rise to 22% in the next three years. With the surge in workplace automation, employers are moving beyond automation myths and stereotypes. A growing number recognize the need for breakthrough approaches in talent and rewards as well as leadership activities in order to optimally manage the many emerging work options ranging from contingent labor to automation. But few employers are fully prepared to implement the organizational changes required to meet this challenge.

This report investigates differences in women- and men-owned firms’ intellectual property holdings (including patents), their research and development activities, product innovations, and the relationships between innovative activities and business outcomes such as revenues and access to capital and start-up funding. The report also presents analysis of the characteristics of female and male- owned employer firms, including their size and industry locations. Analysis presented in the report rely on data from the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, a relatively new dataset available through the U.S. Census Bureau, that includes data on businesses’ innovation activities disaggregated by gender, and by race and ethnicity.

This report examines the digital and creative sector in the UK, the challenges it faces over the medium term and how they can be addressed through skill development and thereby bring about growth and contribute to the recovery of the UK economy. The sector comprises digital technology, and creative activities. The digital technology sub-sector provides the infrastructure and platforms through which creative content is often delivered. While the creative industries include film, TV, radio, computer games, publishing, advertising, music, performing/visual arts, design and cultural heritage. Over the years there has been greater synergy between the digital and creative sub-sectors. For instance, digital technology is transforming the creative sector (particularly creative media industries) as well as being an important driver behind the growth of ICT products and services.

This report examines the tourism sector in the UK, the challenges it faces over the medium term, how they can be addressed through skill development and how the sector can grow and contribute to the recovery of the UK economy. The sector comprises restaurants and bars (which employ just over half of all workers in the sector), sport and recreation activities, hotels and other accommodation, travel agencies and tour operators, and gambling and betting.

The dramatic aging of the U.S. population in coming decades is expected to have important implications for the home remodeling industry. Of the over 25 million households age 65 and over today, the Joint Center estimates that 44 percent have some need for home accessibility features due to disability or difficulty using components of the home, such as kitchen or bathroom facilities, without assistance. And yet, the current housing stock is not especially equipped to meet the accessibility needs of an aging nation, as not even a third of homes have what could be considered basic accessibility features: a no-step entry and bedroom and full bathroom on the entry level. While some aging households will look to move into homes that are better suited to their needs, many others will choose to remain in their current homes and communities and “age in place,” finding out of preference or necessity that they will need to remodel their homes to fit their changing needs. Indeed, older homeowners already account for nearly half of total home improvement spending today, compared to their historical share of 30 percent. And although 45 percent of older homeowners plan to undertake improvement projects with the intent of making their homes easier to live in as they age, surprisingly few owners are focused on home accessibility as part of aging in place comfortably and safely. As the number and share of older households rise sharply over the coming decade, construction of new housing with basic accessibility features is projected to fall considerably short of increased demand in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the country. Fully 40 percent of the net gain in households age 65 and older with accessibility needs in these regions is projected to have unmet demand, suggesting the need for significant retrofit spending on existing homes to narrow this supply-demand gap.

Across the globe, new technologies are transforming the nature of work. Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are displacing jobs in manufacturing and, increasingly, in the service sector. And while automation may boost productivity and overall economic growth, there is a recognition that it will also disrupt the workplace, with repercussions for workers, employers, education systems and governments.

Automation is of increasing importance to society, reflecting that the job market is changing composition. This article describes the methodology used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for producing estimates of the probability of automation for 2011 and 2017. We describe previous studies that have examined the impact of automation, before outlining the ONS approach. We present analysis of the probability of automation by demographic variables and highlight the skills and tasks that are at risk of automation within jobs.

Canada’s income inequality is quite similar to the UK’s, so we should focus on rising incomes and declining inequality, two sides of inclusive growth.

Digital identification, or “digital ID,” can be authenticated unambiguously through a digital channel, unlocking access to banking, government benefits, education, and many other critical services. Programs employing this relatively new technology have had mixed success to date—many have failed to attain even modest levels of usage, while a few have achieved large-scale implementation. Yet well-designed digital ID not only enables civic and social empowerment, but also makes possible real and inclusive economic gains—a less well understood aspect of the technology. The political risks and benefits of digital ID are potentially significant and deserve careful attention but are beyond the scope of this report. Here, we develop a framework to understand the potential economic impact of digital ID, informed by an analysis of nearly 100 ways in which digital ID can be used in Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.