The nature of work is changing. As companies grapple with forces—such as rapid technological change, shifting global product and labor markets, evolving regulatory regimes, outsourcing, and the fast emergence of the gig economy—they must overcome challenges and tap opportunities to attract, retain, and improve the productivity of their human assets. And they must do so in partnership with policymakers, educators, and nonprofits as well as in collaboration with other companies.

Tackling the changing nature of work will require companies to move beyond outdated workforce development models and human resource practices. Instead, they will need to embrace new ideas, create new institutions, and forge new alliances with external stakeholders—in ways that build competitive advantage for the firm and strengthen the communities in which they operate.

Harvard Business School’s Project on Managing the Future of Work pursues research that business and policy leaders can put into action to navigate this complex landscape. The Project’s current research areas focus on six forces that are redefining the nature of work in the United States as well as in many other advanced and emerging economies:

• Technology trends like automation and artificial intelligence
• Contingent workforces and the gig economy
• Workforce demographics and the “care economy”
• The middle-skills gap and worker investments
• Global talent access and utilization
• Spatial tensions between leading urban centers and rural areas

We are grateful to our research partners, who have provided pro bono or in-kind support as well as expertise and thought leadership:

• Accenture
• BCG
• Burning Glass Technologies
• Grads of Life

Harvard Business School gratefully acknowledges the support of alumni and friends for the Managing the Future of Work Project:

• Tony Tamer (MBA 1986) Research Fund for Managing the Future of Work
• Career Pathways Support Fund
• Fund for the HBS Project on Managing the Future of Work