A study by International WorkplaceGroup reveals that Generation Alpha expects their future jobs to be radically different from those of their parents, with hybrid work that does away with daily trips to the office and the regular use of robots and new technologies.
The research, carried out among young people aged 11 to 17 and their parents, analyzes how they believe the workplace will have evolved in 2040, when this generation makes up the majority of the workforce, and shows that almost nine in ten (86%) anticipate a complete transformation of their work lifeto the point that the office is unrecognizable from the one we know today.
Daily commutes will disappear by 2040
One of the most notable changes expected is related to commuting to work. Less than a third (29%) of Generation Alpha expect to spend more than 30 minutes a day commuting to work, the current pattern for many parents, and most expect to have the flexibility to work closer to where they live.
Three quarters (75%) said that reducing time lost in travel would be a priorityas it would allow them to spend more time with their families if they decided to become parents in the future.
In Spain, travel time to work continues to be significant, especially in large metropolitan areas, where the average daily journey is now above average, according to INE data, which reinforces the attractiveness of more flexible work models closer to the place of residence.
Robots and AI will become commonplace and email will become a thing of the past
The study also explored major technological predictions, which, unsurprisingly, largely focused in artificial intelligence. 88% of Generation Alpha expect to use smart assistants and robots on a regular basis.
Other technological advances are expected, such as virtual reality glasses for 3D virtual meetings (38%), game zones (38%), sleeping pods (31%), personalized temperature and light settings (28%) and augmented reality meeting rooms (25%).
In perhaps the boldest prediction of all, a third (32%) say email will disappear, replaced by new platforms and technologies that enable more efficient collaboration.
Hybrid work will support the new reality
The investigation also revealed that hybrid work will be the standard work model. 81% say flexible working will be the norm in 2040 and that employees will have the freedom to choose how and where they work.
Only 17% of Generation Alpha expect to work from a main office all the time and most will split their time between home, local workspaces and a headquarters to ensure they can complete the tasks at hand as efficiently as possible. Among the top benefits of moving away from a rigid office model are reduced commute stress (51%), spending more time with friends and family (50%), improved health and well-being (43%), and increased worker productivity (30%).
This flexibility is expected to boost productivity to such an extent that a third (33%) of Generation Alpha say they The four-day work week will be the norm by 2030. In Spain, although there are still no official figures on the implementation of this model, the Government has promoted a reform to reduce the maximum working day from 40 to 37.5 hours per week, a measure that could benefit around 12.5 million workers in the private sector and whose full application is planned from 2026.
