IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Work 2025 Predictions
This IDC study provides IT and business leaders with insights into key trends around work transformation trends over the next five years. It includes predictions across the three pillars of work augmentation, work culture, and the dynamics between physical and digital work environments. Together, these pillars probe the areas of work automation, digital and physical locations, and work culture. They consider the key driving factors for these changes possible and, in some cases, inevitable. All geographies, industries, business sizes, and organizations must adapt to new work and leadership models to remain competitive."Organizations find themselves at a pivot point in shifting to more automated ways of working and leading organizations," said Amy Loomis, research vice president, Future of Work at IDC. "The shift to more AI-enabled business models will require organizations to address the complexity of their application infrastructure in parallel with shifting to new work models."
IDC FutureScape Figure
Executive Summary
IDC FutureScape Predictions
Summary of External Drivers
Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers
Prediction 1: By 2027, Agentic Workflows Will Reshape How Tasks Are Delivered and Performed, Impacting at Least 40% of G2000 Knowledge Work and Doubling Productivity
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 2: To Bridge the Digital Accessibility Gap, in 2026, 50% of G500 Will Invest in AI-Powered Solutions and Services, Spending $3.5 Billion Annually
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 3: By 2027, 60% of G1000 Will Use AI to Create New Metrics from Collaboration, Integrated Applications, and Behaviors, Linking Them to Business Outcomes Not Currently Measured
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 4: Driven by Facility Staff Reductions and an Increasing Appetite for Flexible Work Environments, 45% of G2000 Organizations Will Use AI-Infused Applications to Optimize the Workplace by 2028
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 5: By 2029, 40% of Knowledge Workers Will Use Adaptive Digital Workspaces, Redefining Productivity as the Ability to Observe, Orient, and Make Decisions Enacted by Agentic Workflows at Enterprise Scale
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 6: By 2028, 70% of G1000 Employee Content Will Be Enhanced with Visual, Auditory, and/or Tactile Modalities That Will Boost Effective Collaboration, Create New Insights, and Drive Time-Savings
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 7: By 2028, G2000 Organizations That Invest in a Culture of Continuous Learning and Technologies That Support It Will Outperform Their Competitors by Up to 68%
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 8: Driven by the Adoption of New AI-Enabled Work Models, 95% of Current IT and LOB Job Roles Will Be Redefined or Eliminated by 2030
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 9: By 2026, Organizations That Rely Exclusively on Command-and-Control Leadership Models Will See a 20% Drop in Profitability Because of a Lack of AI Innovation and Adaptability
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Prediction 10: By 2028, 40% of G1000 Companies That Provide a Digital Twin Profile of Employee Skills, Behaviors, and Requirements Will Cumulatively Save $7 Billion per Year in Recruitment Costs
Associated Drivers
IT Impact
Business Impact
Guidance
Advice for Technology Buyers
External Drivers: Detail
AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization
The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future
AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today
Regulatory Flux — Navigating Compliance Challenges in a Shifting Policy Landscape
Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise
Battling Against Technical Debt — Overcoming Hurdles to IT Modernization
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