Advances in technology and the future of work

Advances in technology are fundamentally altering the occupational demands placed on the worker. The dystopian future for work predicts massive unemployment and income inequality as certain jobs are eliminated due to automation; whereas the utopian view predicts the creation of new occupations, work losing its central role in our lives, and adults not having to work as much and gaining more time to pursue leisure and creative activities (West, 2019). High-income earners and those with a postgraduate degree (53%), and 36% of middle and low earners, report the centrality of work to their identity (Horowitz & Parker, 2023). Regardless of which view one takes, automation will likely result in loss and/or changes to worker identity, roles, and routines. In a culture where the majority define themselves by their work, identity loss will impact physical and psychological health.