The trends shaping economies, societies and the world of work have a direct impact on the HR profession in terms of who it includes, what it does and how it does it.
Explore our guides and reports for important insights into the labour market and trends shaping work and working lives. View our CIPD Good Work index for the latest annual snapshot of job quality in the UK.
Factsheets
Regularly-updated factsheets provide overviews and information on a topic
1 Factsheets about Workforce trends
Factsheets
Understanding the economy and labour market
Learn how an understanding of the macro-economic context can inform HR practice
Reports
Research and analysis by experts from CIPD and partner organisations
36 Reports about Workforce trends
Reports
Pay, performance and transparency 2024
Insight from the CIPD’s survey into factors driving pay decisions in UK workplaces and recommendations for practice
Reports
People Profession 2023: International report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in the UK, Ireland, Asia-Pacific, MENA and Canada
Reports
People Profession 2023: Asia-Pacific report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore
Reports
People Profession 2023: Middle East and North Africa report
Insight into how global issues are impacting people professionals in Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Reports
The gig economy: What does it really look like?
A policy report providing latest insights on the scale and nature of the UK’s gig economy
Reports
Working Lives Scotland
Dedicated analysis of job quality and its impact on working lives in Scotland
Reports
CIPD Good Work Index
The CIPD Good Work Index provides an annual snapshot of job quality in the UK, giving insight to drive improvement to working lives
Reports
Migrant workers and skills shortages in the UK
This report looks at the role of immigration in the context of the post-Brexit skills challenges
Reports
Employer views on skills policy in the UK
An analysis of the effectiveness of the skills system and whether it meets current and future needs
Reports
Gaps and opportunities: Employer views on skills policy in Scotland
Our survey report considers the challenges of Scotland’s skills and labour shortages, as well as the skills development system more broadly, and how employers and policy-makers can bridge the identified gaps
Reports
Understanding older workers in Scotland
Analysis and recommendations to support longer and more fulfilling working lives
Reports
Career aspirations of future people professionals
CIPD post-graduate students’ perceptions on what they want from a career as a people professional
Reports
Youth employment in the UK 2021
Analysis of young people’s experiences of education and accessing employment
Reports
Working Lives Northern Ireland
Dedicated analysis of job quality and its impact on working lives in Northern Ireland
Reports
Addressing skills and labour shortages post-Brexit
CIPD research reveals need for both short-term interventions and longer-term investment from the UK Government and employers to tackle skills and labour shortages
Reports
UK regions ranked by flexible working uptake
Our analysis of ONS data ranks UK nations and regions by use of flexible working arrangements
Reports
Flexible working arrangements and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Data shows a drop in all forms of flexible working arrangements - other than homeworking - since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
Reports
Global partnerships to support a global profession
Discover how our enduring partnerships with HR professional bodies across the globe inform our research
Reports
COVID-19 and the youth labour market
An assessment of the effectiveness of Government initiatives to support young people to access apprenticeships, traineeship and work placements
Reports
Globalisation
Curated content to support the third trend of the CIPD’s People Profession 2030 virtual Hackathon
Reports
Industrial change and organisational agility
Curated content to support the fourth trend of the CIPD’s People Profession 2030 virtual Hackathon
Reports
Individualism
Curated content to support the sixth trend of the CIPD’s People Profession 2030 virtual Hackathon
Reports
Workforce diversity and changing demographics
Curated content to support the fifth trend of the CIPD’s People Profession 2030 virtual Hackathon
Reports
Megatrends: Is work in the UK really becoming less secure?
This report challenges the notion that work in the UK is getting less and less secure
Reports
Flexible working in the UK
Reviews the evidence on the progress of flexible working in the UK, summarises and comments on the main findings and sets out policy recommendations
Reports
The road to good work: discussion paper
This discussion paper addresses why we need a quality of work strategy and how we can create one
Reports
Making the UK's skills system world class
Reviews skills policy and offers thoughts and recommendations on how the UK can improve its performance
Reports
The role of employers in unlocking workplace skills
Examines what the concept of employer ownership of skills means and the implications of a shift towards greater employer ownership
Reports
Over-qualification in the graduate labour market
Examines the evidence of graduate over-qualification in the UK and Europe, questioning the size of the higher education sector in relation to labour market needs
Reports
Labour supply and the ageing workforce
Reviews the impact an ageing workforce is likely to have on different industries and what employers need to do to meet the challenges of demographic change
Reports
Developing the next generation
Explores how to develop the next generation in order to meet business and learner needs
Reports
Employment regulation and the labour market
A comparison of the UK's employment rights framework with that of other OECD countries
Reports
Megatrends: Are UK organisations getting better at managing their people?
The report highlights the importance of good quality management and the need to improve leadership and management skills
Reports
Megatrends: Are we working harder than ever?
This report reveals that we are experiencing greater workloads and pressures to meet deadlines, customer demands and performance targets
Reports
Megatrends: The trends shaping work and working lives
The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the key trends that have been shaping our economies and the world of work
Reports
Engaging employers to tackle youth unemployment
Outlines challenges faced by employers of young people and the CIPD's approach to addressing some of these issues
Thought leadership
Insight and foresight from our experts in people and the world of work
36 Thought leadership about Workforce trends
Thought leadership
Navigating change with speed and agility is key for the C-suite
Peter Cheese, the CIPD's chief executive, looks at the challenges and opportunities faced by today’s business leaders and the strategic priorities needed to drive future success
Thought leadership
Could mismatch in desired and actual hours worked prompt early labour market exit?
We examine people’s desired hours and how this compares to the hours they actually work
Thought leadership
Pay awards set to fall in 2024 as employers set sights on the year ahead
The CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook – Winter 2023-24 reveals falling pay increase expectations for the first time since the pandemic
Thought leadership
Changes to UK immigration policy: What employers need to know
James Cockett outlines the newly announced changes to the UK’s immigration policy and explains what employers will now need to consider
Thought leadership
Takeaways from the UK Autumn Statement 2023
Iain Wright, Chair of CIPD Policy Forum, dissects what the UK Autumn Statement really means for the world of work, skills and the economy
Thought leadership
Public sector morale is in decline
Mark Beatson looks at the latest data on staff morale in the public sector and finds that it’s declining, driven by excessive workloads and staff shortages
Thought leadership
Is a National Living Wage of £11 per hour reasonable?
Charles Cotton addresses the question of what constitutes a reasonable National Living Wage, by analysing the CIPD Labour Market Outlook – Summer 2023 report
Thought leadership
Cost-of-living drives Living Wage accreditation
Charles Cotton and James Cockett discuss the CIPD’s summer 2023 Labour Market Outlook, specifically examining the ‘real’ living wage
Thought leadership
Is the UK getting sicker?
Jon Boys analyses the data to answer whether COVID-19 has changed the landscape of sickness absence in the UK
Thought leadership
Fair work and working lives in Scotland in 2023
Marek Zemanik analyses the CIPD’s newly published Working Lives Scotland 2023 report
Thought leadership
How to boost the UK labour supply
Jon Boys, the CIPD’s senior labour market economist, investigates potential sources of labour and public policy changes to maximise labour market participation
Thought leadership
New EU workforce reporting requirements likely to have implications for the UK
In her CIPD Voice article, Susannah Haan highlights the importance of the forthcoming European Sustainability Reporting Standards for HR and discusses how they might impact UK companies.
Thought leadership
Wading through the talent puddle, where money talks
James Cockett analyses findings from CIPD’s Winter Labour Market Outlook, showing hard-to-fill vacancies are rife and are contributing to expected pay rises not seen in over 10 years
Thought leadership
The compensation revolution: Incentives to motivate and retain future talent
Matt Burney of Indeed outlines three potential drivers to shape how and why people work in future, and what these would mean for work-life balance and employee empowerment
Thought leadership
Population dynamics: Creating pathways for your future workforce
Discover the future opportunities for workforce diversity and how to remove barriers
Thought leadership
The cost of living crisis – what next?
Marek Zemanik’s CIPD Voice article examines the cost of living crisis and the impact it will have on employees
Thought leadership
The latest Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD
In his CIPD Voice article, Jon Boys analyses and explains the findings from the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook
Thought leadership
A season of discontent? Working in partnership in times of crisis
Are unions still beneficial? Drawing on the CIPD’s latest research ‘Collective Employee Voice’, Rachel Suff discusses the role of trade unions and how organisations can work effectively alongside them
Thought leadership
Should we be worried about the drop in older workers?
Jon Boys poses this question in his latest CIPD Voice article by analysing our latest report, Understanding Older Workers
Thought leadership
Horizon-scanning: How to plan for alternative business futures
Wilson Wong, Head of Insight and Futures at the CIPD, discusses how to use foresight research for long-term success
Thought leadership
Labour shortages in Scotland
Marek Zemanik reflects on the Scottish Government’s labour shortages debate, specifically looking at the range of issues raised and how CIPD research has provided support
Thought leadership
Working Lives Northern Ireland
Marek Zemanik’s article reflects on our new Working Lives Northern Ireland report, which focuses on job quality in Northern Ireland
Thought leadership
Is work becoming less secure?
Jon Boys discusses this question by looking at the CIPD’s recent report
Thought leadership
Mounting recruitment difficulties point to higher pay inflation in 2022
Gerwyn Davies’ article investigates the official labour market and migration statistics to see how EU migrant and older workers have been affected
Thought leadership
Tracking back to the workplace using Google mobility data
Jon Boys' article looks at Google statistics to see the increase of the population now going into the workplace since the decrease in Covid-19 cases
Thought leadership
New labour shortages research highlights need for a temporary immigration ‘safety valve’ and long-term reform of skills policy
Gerwyn Davies discusses CIPD’s latest report Skills and labour shortages, specifically focusing on the reasons for challenges, the positives but also what the UK Government can do to overcome these issues faced
Thought leadership
CIPD launches a campaign to open up youth opportunities
In her article, Lizzie Crowley discusses how young people have been affected by the economic fallout from the pandemic and how the CIPD’s new campaign, One Million Chances, aims to support more young people trying to get into the workplace.
Thought leadership
Let's go round again: Should we abolish zero-hours contracts?
Mark Beatson’s explores the argument of whether zero-hours contracts work
Thought leadership
The labour market post-furlough
What will life be like after furlough? Jon Boys looks at the ways the pandemic has impacted the workforce and the challenges that lie ahead after the furlough scheme has ended.
Thought leadership
Employers and the UK Government are sleep-walking into a labour supply crisis
Gerwyn Davies’ article looks at how EU workers in the UK have been affected by the pandemic and what organisations can be doing to help attract and retain job-seekers
Thought leadership
People Profession 2030: the role of organisational culture in future workplace trends
People professionals must recognise the importance of positive culture to prepare their organisations for the future of work
Thought leadership
People Profession 2030: taking an ecosystem approach to future workplace trends
Exploring how people management, leadership and culture interact with future work trends
Thought leadership
Employee monitoring: What's acceptable?
Hayfa Mohdzaini and Jonny Gifford highlight what employers should consider before implementing monitoring software
Thought leadership
Rishi turns up the volume on employment of young people
Mark Beatson’s article focuses on how the COVID-19 inspired recession has affected employment, especially for young people
Thought leadership
Employment in HR soars over past decade
New CIPD analysis highlights which occupations have seen the biggest employment growth in the UK over last 10 years
Podcasts
Listen to episodes from our podcast series on a range of topical workplace, HR and L&D issues.
3 Podcasts about Workforce trends
Podcasts
Look ahead 2023: What’s keeping your people up at night?
Episode 191: Explore the real issues keeping your people up at night and the role people professionals can play in supporting employees with the challenges ahead.
Podcasts
Look ahead: Key business challenges 2020
Episode 155: We explore what organisations need to prepare for in 2020 and offer top tips to help you tackle the key business challenges
Podcasts
Look Ahead 2018
Episode 132: We hear from HR, L&D and business experts on what they see as the biggest challenges and opportunities in 2018
Bitesize research
Your regular overview of current research, inspiring insights and cutting-edge ideas in bitesize
7 Bitesize research about Workforce trends
Bitesize research
How will COVID-19 change the world of work
Exploring how people practices might change post-pandemic
For Members
Bitesize research
HR and the rise of populism
The relationship between populism and contemporary employment practices
For Members
Bitesize research
Learning from trends in youth employment across Europe
Discover the trends in youth employment across Europe
For Members
Bitesize research
CIPD Applied Research Conference 2017 papers review
We summarise a selection of published papers following the 2017 Applied Research Conference
For Members
Bitesize research
Taking action to shape the future of work
Explore ideas to help HR and L&D take a lead
For Members
Bitesize research
Building trust – and a common purpose
Check out this analysis of a loss of trust and confidence
For Members
Bitesize research
The hidden costs of flexible employment
Far from being the cause of a UK 'jobs miracle', flexibility in employment brings costs in job quality and productivity that are detrimental to individuals, society and the economy
For Members
