De toekomst van werk: Over ecologische, technologische en politieke ontwikkelingen en het belang van strategische keuzes en politieke strijd

This article discusses several factors that we believe will have an important impact on the future of work. We highlight three important factors: ecological, technological, and political influence factors. Our analysis presents a mixed picture of the future of work. We see growth in craftsmanship and decent work, for instance related to the energy transition and in the micro-electronics industry, but also the continuation of work that does not meet the (ILO) standards of decent work such as night work in distribution centers and platform work. The ongoing process shaping the future of work is subject to strategic choices and political struggles of different stakeholders in the context of ecology, technology, and politics. The form (contractual relations) and content of work, the occupational structure, and labor relations are changing due to particularly AI and government policies. European politics choose a more active stance. The European Commission’s policy aimed at regulating AI, for instance, is not a stand-alone policy but is also guided by the Commission’s aspiration to protect the European type of open society with democratic freedom for citizens, an independent judiciary and free media. Stakeholders who, like us, have decent work and an open society as a reference point for the desired future of work will have to fight for it in the political arena.