Shuvasish Sharma

This regular roundup brings you essential news and updates on the labour market from the World Economic Forum’s Centre for New Economy and Society. Top stories: The return-to-office debate; flexible working as a talent imperative; economic shifts expose risks for entry-level workers and vulnerable nations. How would you feel if your company told you to come back to the office?

The global gig economy is expanding rapidly, offering an opportunity to reimagine work models while prioritizing inclusion, resilience and well-being. Empowering gig workers is crucial to sustain the model and requires collaborative action from platforms, governments and worker organizations to ensure fairer outcomes for all. Asia, at the epicentre of the gig economy’s growth, is uniquely positioned to lead with innovation, offering scalable solutions tailored to its diverse workforce.

New technology can help organizations improve job matching. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto/skynesher Insights Specialist, Work, Wages and Job Creation, World Economic Forum Insight Lead, Education, Skills and Learning, World Economic Forum The global labour market is transforming due to shifting demographics, new technology and economic disruption. Conventional job-matching systems are becoming outdated as a result, leading to prolonged unemployment and reduced productivity.