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.
Reports
Research and analysis by experts from CIPD and partner organisations
11 Reports about Workforce trends
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
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
The people profession in Asia Pacific – 2018
A survey exploring the current state of the people profession in Asia Pacific, including career journeys and professional development
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
Developing the next generation
Explores how to develop the next generation in order to meet business and learner needs
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
11 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
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
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
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
Protecting young people from unemployment
Lizzie Crowley focuses on how the current pandemic will affect youth employment
Thought leadership
Economic transformation remains the biggest driver of change in organisations
Our latest research underscores the role economic transformation plays in driving organisational change. So what can people professionals do about it?
Thought leadership
Letters from America – jobs and employment insecurity
Is millennial job-hopping to blame for job worries in the US? Ian Brinkley explains what America’s labour market is really like
Podcasts
Listen to episodes from our podcast series on a range of topical workplace, HR and L&D issues.
2 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 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
