Future of Work: What Lies Ahead?
The Future of Work poses pressing questions for Washington’s workforce, employers, and our state. As automation increases, will there be enough jobs? How will workers fare as they turn to short-term, “gig economy” jobs, without the safety net of health insurance and retirement plans?
Or, on the bright side, how can we put technology to work for us? How will robots equipped with artificial intelligence reduce repetitive work so we can focus on our passions, and possibly shrink the work week as we know it?
Legislation creating the Future of Work Task Force sunset the task force June 30, 2020.
Washington in the Spotlight
These questions, and others, are the focus of a first-of-its kind Future of Work project funded by the 2018 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Inslee. We are on the cusp of exciting new prospects for our diverse workforce as we embrace future work opportunities for all Washingtonians. This project puts Washington in the spotlight as a thought leader. The framework used to answer these questions is also trailblazing: How can Washington’s workforce and employers prosper together?
How this Project Started and Where It’s Headed
In April 2018, Washington’s Legislature established the Future of Work Task Force. Made up of legislators, business and labor leaders, the 16-member Task Force has been developing a set of policy recommendations that help Washington businesses and workers prosper together. Read the initial Future of Work Plan of Action (PDF).
Open Meetings Allow for Stakeholder Input
The Future of Work Task Force uses an open meeting process that allows for a wide range of interested stakeholders to participate in task force learning, discussions, planning, and policy development. Required by statute, the Task Force is also establishing a set of success indicators and a measurement tracking system to go along with policy recommendations.
Future of Work Resources
How can business & labor navigate changes?
Workforce Board Executive Director Eleni Papadakis was interviewed in 2018 by TVW reporter Dave Martinson. View the video on the TVW website.
Talent Talks. We Listen.
Workforce Board Executive Director Eleni Papadakis talks about preparing the workforce and understanding the challenges of tomorrow with Maher & Maher: Listen to the Talent Talks podcast now!
Future of Work Task Force Co-Managers
The Workforce Board hired two staff to oversee the Future of Work Project. They are helping the Task Force better understand the challenges of “futurizing” our workforce as technology advances and more fully explore the intersection of business and work. Project staff are also helping the Task Force prioritize policy items to explore more deeply.
Joe Wilcox
Joe has substantial private sector experience spanning 13 years in dozens of countries around the world, having analyzed a wide range of industries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Through the course of this work, Joe has researched, analyzed and presented assessments on a variety of topics, including K-12 and higher education, workforce development, economic development, labor and industries, and health and human services. These detailed reports were heavily focused on gathering qualitative and quantitative data for analysis, with input gathered from all relevant databases, stakeholders, government officials, industry experts, think tanks and non-government organizations. This helped ensure a non-partisan, independent assessment of pertinent issues.
Prior to his role as co-manager of the Future of Work project, Joe was a country editor for the Oxford Business Group, managing a team to conduct extensive business intelligence projects in Bulgaria, Romania, and Jordan. Joe also acted as a senior analyst for Oxford Business Group, during which time he researched and analyzed hundreds of diverse sectors with a specialization in economic development of emerging economies. His primary regions of focus consisted of Eastern Europe and Asia. He was also a regular contributor to S&P Global Platts, a leading independent provider of energy and commodities information.
Born and raised in Olympia, Joe graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in International Business and later from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in Editorial Journalism. He is currently undertaking a master’s in public administration degree at The Evergreen State College. Joe lives in Olympia with his wife and two sons.
Lewis McMurran
Lewis (Lew) McMurran comes to the Workforce Board with over two decades of experience in government relations, advocacy, and external affairs for a wide range of employers in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Lew has extensive experience with policy development, lobbying, and policy implementation across a wide range of issue areas including education, economic development, financial services, insurance, intellectual property, privacy, security, technology, utilities, water, workforce and more.
Since 2013, Lew has been involved in a range of entrepreneurial ventures, mostly recently as COO of software startup MaxSet Worldwide Inc. He was instrumental in the recent award of an SBIR grant from the U.S. Air Force. He was a key member of the founding team responsible for administrative, business development, financial, marketing, operations and more.
Lew was the first Director of Government Relations for the Washington Software Alliance (now WTIA), rising to Vice President of Government and External Relations, (2000-2013). While there, he was involved in and led a number of initiatives, including Tech and Telecom Committee Chair for the Prosperity Partnership, Education Committee Chair for the AG Youth Internet Safety Task Force, Advisory Council of the Trade Development Alliance and remains Chair of the Career and Technical Education Foundation.