Gen Alpha predicts an unrecognisable work future

Nearly 90 per cent of Generation Alpha say their working lives will differ “dramatically” from those of their parents, with a shorter commute, greater use of AI, and largely hybrid work, research has found.

For its research, International Workplace Group (IWG) collected survey responses from 1,000 children aged 1–17 and 1,000 parents of children aged 11–17 across the UK and the US to explore predictions on how the workplace will change in 2040. IWG findings revealed that nearly nine in 10 (86 per cent) of Gen Alpha believe their jobs will differ dramatically from their parents’.

A shorter commute

According to its findings, most of Gen Alpha predict that they would have a shorter commute to work compared to their parents. This was highlighted by its research, which showed that only 29 per cent of Gen Alpha believe they would commute for more than 30 minutes to work. Despite Gen Alpha predictions, however, Real Insurance’s 2025 Commute Report revealed a recent rise in commute timing, with Aussies spending on average 64 minutes a day commuting, which is up from 61 minutes in 2019.

Gen Alpha was not alone in their desire for shortened travel, as IWG unveiled that three in four (75 per cent) respondents said reducing commuting time would be a priority, as many wanted to have more time to spend with their families when they become parents.

Evolution of technology use

Nearly nine in 10 Gen Alpha respondents expect they will use AI, smart assistants, and robots on a regular basis at work, IWG found. Further, Deloitte data from 2024 showed that 38 per cent of Australian employees already used generative AI tools in their work, “a figure expected to rise sharply in the coming years”, IWG said.

Gen Alpha also predict that other technologies will be prevalent during their working lives, which will include VR headsets for virtual meetings (38 per cent), gaming areas (38 per cent), sleeping pods (31 per cent), personalised temperature and light settings (28 per cent), and augmented reality meeting rooms (25 per cent).

Additionally, 32 per cent of Gen Alpha said email will no longer be used in the workplace and will be replaced by new platforms and technologies to enable more efficient collaboration.

A hybrid or 4-day work week

Eighty-one per cent of Gen Alpha respondents predict that flexibility will be foundational in the standard working model of 2040, and employees will be given the freedom to choose how and where they work, the report revealed. Similarly, the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) found that four in five (82 per cent) of employers forecast that hybrid working will stay the same or increase over the next two years, highlighting the potential progression of these working arrangements.

IWG’s findings also revealed that only 17 per cent of Gen Alpha believe they will be working from the main office all of the time, with the rest believing that their time will be split between being at home, in local workspaces, and a central office.

Fifty-one per cent of Gen Alpha suggested that moving away from a rigid office model would result in less travel stress, more time spent with friends and family (50 per cent), improved health and wellbeing (43 per cent), and greater productivity (30 per cent).

In addition, 33 per cent of Gen Alpha believe that the four-day working week model will be the norm. If their predictions are correct, the current proportion of employees working in a four-day model (11 per cent) will continue to rise.

IWG founder and chief executive Mark Dixon (pictured) noted that Gen Alpha demands flexibility and sees long and expensive commutes to work redundant.

“Technology has always shaped the world of work and will continue to do so. Thirty years ago, [we] saw the transformative impact of the widespread adoption of email, and today the advent of AI and robots is having an equally profound impact and will influence how and where Gen Alpha [will] work tomorrow,” he said.