The trends shaping economies, societies and the world of work have a direct impact on the HR profession in terms of who it includes, what it does and how it does it.  

Explore our guides and reports for important insights into the labour market and trends shaping work and working lives. View our CIPD Good Work index for the latest annual snapshot of job quality in the UK.

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Reports

Research and analysis by experts from CIPD and partner organisations

21 Reports about Workforce trends
Report
Labour Market Outlook
Read our latest Labour Market Outlook report for analysis on employers’ recruitment, redundancy and pay intentions
Report
CIPD Good Work Index
The CIPD Good Work Index provides an annual snapshot of job quality in the UK, giving insight to drive improvement to working lives
Report
People Profession 2023: International report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in the UK, Ireland, Asia-Pacific, MENA and Canada
Report
People Profession 2023: Asia-Pacific report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore
Report
People Profession 2023: Middle East and North Africa report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Report
People Profession 2023: A Canadian perspective
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in Canada
Report
People Profession 2023: UK and Ireland report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in the UK and Ireland
Report
Migrant workers and skills shortages in the UK
This report looks at the role of immigration in the context of the post-Brexit skills challenges
Report
People Profession 2022: International survey report
Insight from senior leaders on how they have led responsibly and maintained trust and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
Report
Trends in flexible working arrangements
Data shows homeworking continues to increase while other forms decrease or remain low
Report
Understanding older workers
Analysis and recommendations to support longer and more fulfilling working lives
Report
Megatrends: Working from home – what’s driving the rise in remote working?
This report examines the key drivers behind the rise in homeworking and the factors that hold back wider implementation
Report
Megatrends: Ageing gracefully – the opportunities of an older workforce
This report examines the opportunities afforded by extending working lives as the UK’s ageing population continues to expand
Report
The Future of Talent in Malaysia 2035
Four scenarios for the future of Malaysia in 2035 are considered here, together with the implications for the state, society, organisations and individuals
Report
Megatrends: Flexible working
This report looks at recent trends in flexible working, concentrating on when and where work is done
Report
The role of employers in unlocking workplace skills
Examines what the concept of employer ownership of skills means and the implications of a shift towards greater employer ownership
Report
Over-qualification in the graduate labour market
Examines the evidence of graduate over-qualification in the UK and Europe, questioning the size of the higher education sector in relation to labour market needs
Report
Developing the next generation
Explores how to develop the next generation in order to meet business and learner needs
Report
Megatrends: Are we working harder than ever?
This report reveals that we are experiencing greater workloads and pressures to meet deadlines, customer demands and performance targets
Report
Megatrends: The trends shaping work and working lives
The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the key trends that have been shaping our economies and the world of work
Report
Engaging employers to tackle youth unemployment
Outlines challenges faced by employers of young people and the CIPD's approach to addressing some of these issues

Thought leadership

Insight and foresight from our experts in people and the world of work

14 Thought leadership about Workforce trends
Thought leadership
Navigating change with speed and agility is key for the C-suite
Peter Cheese, the CIPD's chief executive, looks at the challenges and opportunities faced by today’s business leaders and the strategic priorities needed to drive future success
Thought leadership
Is a National Living Wage of £11 per hour reasonable?
Charles Cotton addresses the question of what constitutes a reasonable National Living Wage, by analysing the CIPD Labour Market Outlook – Summer 2023 report
Thought leadership
New EU workforce reporting requirements likely to have implications for the UK
In her CIPD Voice article, Susannah Haan highlights the importance of the forthcoming European Sustainability Reporting Standards for HR and discusses how they might impact UK companies.
Thought leadership
Wading through the talent puddle, where money talks
James Cockett analyses findings from CIPD’s Winter Labour Market Outlook, showing hard-to-fill vacancies are rife and are contributing to expected pay rises not seen in over 10 years
Thought leadership
The compensation revolution: Incentives to motivate and retain future talent
Matt Burney of Indeed outlines three potential drivers to shape how and why people work in future, and what these would mean for work-life balance and employee empowerment
Thought leadership
Population dynamics: Creating pathways for your future workforce
Discover the future opportunities for workforce diversity and how to remove barriers
Thought leadership
Horizon-scanning: How to plan for alternative business futures
Wilson Wong, Head of Insight and Futures at the CIPD, discusses how to use foresight research for long-term success
Thought leadership
Has work become less secure?
Examining the evidence on employment security
Thought leadership
People Profession 2030: the role of organisational culture in future workplace trends
People professionals must recognise the importance of positive culture to prepare their organisations for the future of work
Thought leadership
People Profession 2030: taking an ecosystem approach to future workplace trends
Exploring how people management, leadership and culture interact with future work trends
Thought leadership
Employee monitoring: What's acceptable?
Hayfa Mohdzaini and Jonny Gifford highlight what employers should consider before implementing monitoring software
Thought leadership
Protecting young people from unemployment
Lizzie Crowley focuses on how the current pandemic will affect youth employment
Thought leadership
Economic transformation remains the biggest driver of change in organisations
Our latest research underscores the role economic transformation plays in driving organisational change. So what can people professionals do about it?
Thought leadership
Letters from America – jobs and employment insecurity
Is millennial job-hopping to blame for job worries in the US? Ian Brinkley explains what America’s labour market is really like

Podcasts

Listen to episodes from our podcast series on a range of topical workplace, HR and L&D issues.

Three Podcasts about Workforce trends
Podcast
Look ahead 2023: What’s keeping your people up at night?
Episode 191: Explore the real issues keeping your people up at night and the role people professionals can play in supporting employees with the challenges ahead.
Podcast
Look ahead: Key business challenges 2020
Episode 155: We explore what organisations need to prepare for in 2020 and offer top tips to help you tackle the key business challenges
Podcast
Look Ahead 2018
Episode 132: We hear from HR, L&D and business experts on what they see as the biggest challenges and opportunities in 2018

Webinars

Webinar recordings providing expert guidance

One Webinar about Workforce trends
Webinar
In conversation with Peter Cheese and David Collings
CIPD LIVE webinar series: Leadership in a virtual environment

Bitesize research

Your regular overview of current research, inspiring insights and cutting-edge ideas in bitesize

Seven Bitesize research about Workforce trends
Bitesize research
How will COVID-19 change the world of work
Exploring how people practices might change post-pandemic
For Members
Bitesize research
HR and the rise of populism
The relationship between populism and contemporary employment practices
For Members
Bitesize research
Learning from trends in youth employment across Europe
Discover the trends in youth employment across Europe
For Members
Bitesize research
CIPD Applied Research Conference 2017 papers review
We summarise a selection of published papers following the 2017 Applied Research Conference
For Members
Bitesize research
Taking action to shape the future of work
Explore ideas to help HR and L&D take a lead
For Members
Bitesize research
Building trust – and a common purpose
Check out this analysis of a loss of trust and confidence
For Members
Bitesize research
The hidden costs of flexible employment
Far from being the cause of a UK 'jobs miracle', flexibility in employment brings costs in job quality and productivity that are detrimental to individuals, society and the economy
For Members

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