Global Scans · Work · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: AI will replace 16% of jobs over the next decade. A billion people will enter the job market over the next ten years.

• [New] Up to 30,000 job taster opportunities lasting from half a day to a few weeks will be offered each year by 2030, giving young people first-hand exposure to different workplaces and industries. ST
• [New] The contract extension, awarded to BAE Systems, will support more than 4,500 workers across the UK in developing advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, advanced software, and augmented reality. UKAuthority
• [New] The Ada Lovelace Institute has warned that AI transcription tools are being rapidly adopted across social work despite limited and light-touch approaches to ethics and evaluation. UKAuthority
• [New] In 2026, effective workforce planning will depend less on reactive hiring and more on forward-looking demand modelling and flexible resourcing strategies. Huntress
• [New] By 2035, businesses will function as interconnected ecosystems where data, advanced platforms, and human capability seamlessly converge to redefine how work is executed. ETWorkplace.com
• [New] Manufacturers expect levels of tech enablement and automation to more than double by 2030, even as blind spots in skills, data infrastructure, and other areas threaten progress. PwC
• [New] The number of people in flexible employment will rise to 320 million in 2026, up from 160 million in 2019. / China The Guardian
• [New] By the end of 2030, in the rapid-progress world, AI systems are capable of competing with the best human minds and workers, and can surpass them. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] Almost half of UK employees expect AI to support them by sharing tasks as part of their role, while a further 46% expect to continue carrying out most of their work themselves, with only limited AI involvement. theHRDIRECTOR
• [New] Nearly half of UK employees expect AI to become a permanent workplace partner, yet only 28% have received AI training from their employer. theHRDIRECTOR
• [New] Employers expect 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030 and 59% of the workforce to need reskilling or upskilling. / USA Rewordin
• [New] U.S. organizations spent $102.8 billion on training in 2025 - about $874 per learner - while employers now expect 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030. Rewordin
• [New] There are nearly 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs today, a number projected to hit 1.9 million by 2033. Forbes
• [New] The U.S. could face a shortage of up to 157,000 full-time skilled workers by 2030. -
• [New] A nationwide shortage of skilled workers could slow the construction of new semiconductor manufacturing plants across the United States and limit future chip production unless industry and government take additional steps to strengthen the workforce. -
• [New] Workers in AI, data centers, enterprise infrastructure and strategic technology groups can still face job risk when companies push for focus, efficiency and different skills. The Grind Hotline
• [New] 80% of G1000 organizations will use a digital adoption platform by 2027 in order to address technical skill shortages. Userpilot
• [New] Of particular relevance to the world of work is the inclusion of AI emotion recognition systems in the workplace amongst AI practices and systems that pose unacceptable risks, and are therefore prohibited under Article 5, with two limited exceptions. Global Workplace Law & Policy
• [New] The awardees for the Maryland Lighthouse Industries Upskilling and Reskilling Program, a $1.2 3M investment that will help Marylanders build skills for careers in high-growth industries increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Maryland Department of Labor

Last updated: 03 August 2026