About the research

In 2020, with the world in general – and the world of work specifically – gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Adecco Group launched Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work, a substantial piece of research that set out to investigate how the new normal would look post-pandemic. The 2020 research surveyed 8,000 office-based workers, aged 18-60 across eight countries. That report was followed up with an expanded scope a year later with Resetting Normal 2021.

In 2021, the number of respondents increased to 14,800 office-based workers across 25 countries.

The 2022 report, the Global Workforce of the Future 2022, is the third iteration of this research, though the name has changed to reflect the fact that while Covid-19 is still prevalent globally, there are many factors influencing the pace of change currently shaping the future of work.Each year, the depth of the study and the number of people surveyed has grown. This year is no different.

Importantly, the 2022 research surveyed both office-based and non-office-based workers to highlight any differences between desk workers and non-desk-based workers. Over 30,000 people were surveyed globally, of which 15,000 were office-based and 15,000 were non-office-based. Respondents must have had a non-desk or desk job, employed by the same employer for at least two months, with contracts of at least 15 hours for non-desk workers and 20 hours for desk workers.

The fieldwork was conducted between 8 April – 30 May 2022 in local languages, with respondents from 25 countries answering a 20-minute online survey. The results that follow provide insights into the attitudes of the current workforce and offers food for thought to help organisations future-proof their talent.

The research result highlights:

• Globally, three in five (61%) of all workers fear their salary won’t cope with the rising cost of living.
• `Quitfluencers’ threaten a mass exit contagion, as seven in 10 workers admit that seeing colleagues resign makes them consider quitting themselves, with half of workers actually following their colleagues out of the door
• Of the 27% of all workers globally planning to quit their job in the next 12 months, almost half (45%) are already actively looking for jobs.
• Six out of ten workers (61%) feel confident that they would be able to find a new job in six months or less even as a recession looms. Despite a macroeconomic environment in flux, a large share of workers feel they hold the power over the jobs market.
• Gen Z are driving flexibility demands, with nearly half already working a four-day week (47%) and 64% taking a pay cut to do so.