Workplace of the future

Article

The workplace of the future

How digital technology and the sharing economy are changing the Swiss workforce

The study "The workplace of the future: How digital technology and the sharing economy are changing the Swiss workforce" investigates trends in the composition of the Swiss workforce and the effect they will have on the workplace of the future.

One in four people in Switzerland currently work as a freelancer. Of the remaining 75%, one third would like to do so in the next year. The rise of the sharing economy – which incites people to offer and provide services via online platforms – is the main driver of the freelancing trend. At the same time, knowledge-intensive careers and mobile working are becoming increasingly important. 28% of the Swiss already work at least half a day per week from home. And this number is likely to increase: Half of all employees have the potential to perform their jobs on a mobile basis. Many companies have recognized this trend and promote various forms of workplace models, from working from home to the new trend of coworking spaces.

The workplace of the future

Key findings

About the study

This study investigates trends in the composition of the Swiss workforce and the effect they will have on the workplace of the future.

Face-to-face interviews were conducted between December 2015 and January 2016 with executives from the following companies and associations: AXA Winterthur, Basler Versicherungen, Coworking Switzerland, Die Schweizerische Post, economiesuisse, Microsoft Schweiz, PopupOffice, SBB, Swiss Re, Swisscom and ZKB.

In collaboration with the research institute Research Now, a representative survey of 1,000 Swiss residents was carried out, representative according to age, gender and region. In addition, in collaboration with Coworking Switzerland, a survey was conducted among 38 Swiss coworking spaces.

Similar topic

The sharing economy: Share and make money - How does Switzerland compare?

The “sharing economy” is currently the talk of the town, thanks largely to the international success of Airbnb and Uber. In the last few years, companies in the sharing economy have been transforming ‘traditional’ business sectors, most notably hotels and transport. The concept of the sharing economy is impressively simple: anything that is not being used can be rented out. Direct contact between the supplier and customer is established via an online platform.

Read the study

Did you find this useful?