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Government Report on the Future, Part 1: A Shared Understanding of the Transformation of Work

Government Communications Department
Publication date 8.6.2017 13.40
Press release 279/2017

The transformation of work will require a re-examination of the link between work and income, as well as the boundaries between being an employee and an entrepreneur. At the same time, the reconfiguration offers new types of employment opportunities and places for meaningful activities. These themes are dealt with for example in Part 1 of the Government Report, which will be submitted to Parliament.

Part 1 of the Government Report on the Future, "A Shared understanding of the transformation of work", which was discussed on Thursday 8 June at a plenary session, provides insight into work of the future and the changes related to it. The report will be completed in two parts during the present government term, of which the latter part will be completed in summer 2018.

According to Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, the transformation of work is one of Finland's greatest future challenges, even though this will not happen quickly. The traditional link between growth, productivity and wellbeing can be broken. According to Mr Sipilä, it will however be possible to influence the content of change.

- The report brings to light the future's socio-political issues and possibilities, which we can and must grasp onto now, Prime Minister Sipilä says.

The known megatrends behind this transformation of work are particularly digitalisation, globalisation, aging population and urbanisation. Automation, robots and artificial intelligence as well as the development of a sharing and platform economy are at the core of the transformation. This will result in changes to i.a. labour, the content of work as well as the employer-employee relationship.

Five central paths of change

The report gives insight into the transformation of work with five central paths of change. These draw attention to various social issues and challenges: the contents and practices of work; the relationship between the employer and the employee; income; skills; and attachment to society. In the future the concept of work may have to be redefined.

The report sheds light on the societal process for the transformation of work that continues over generations. The transformation of work is very different in different sectors and professions and so the paths of change must be analysed critically.

The Prime Minister's Office launched preparation of the Report on the Future in March 2016. The report examines the future of work over a period of approximately 20 years. The work is based on VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.'s report Kohti jaettua ymmärrystä työn tulevaisuudesta , which examined more than 80 different research studies and reports on the future of work. Shared understanding on the future of work has also been built in over 40 workshops, seminars, discussion events and meetings between specialists.

Part 2 of the report, which will be published in 2018, will look into the readiness and alternative solutions for the challenges related to the transformation of work.  

Government Report on the Future (in Finnish)

For more information, please contact: State Secretary Paula Lehtomäki, Prime Minister's Office, tel. +358 295 160 280, paula.lehtomaki(at)vnk.fi, Head of Policy Analysis Unit Taina Kulmala, Prime Minister's Office, tel. 0295 160 184, taina.kulmala(at)vnk.fi , Senior Specialist Kaisa Oksanen, Prime Minister's Office, tel. +358 295 160 430, kaisa.oksanen(at)vnk.fi