Female workers to dominate the workplace by 2033

According to The Future Laboratory, who conducted a report for Microsoft Windows Mobile to explore the future of business working in Britain over the next 25 years, there is a shift towards the utilisation of female and female-oriented soft skills, like flexibility, collaboration, creativity and lateral thinking.The report also reveals that both men and women feel new mobile technology will make it easier for women to compete in the working environment (62%) and that a huge rise in mobile technology will see the workplace become dominated by females and female orientated working practices. “As these skills and creativity become the currency for tomorrow’s economy, coupled with the advantage mobile technologies will provide women with, we’ll see a greater shift towards more equal opportunities for women,” says James McCarthy, mobile working expert at Microsoft. “However, it is not just about being female, as these skills will need to be honed by both men and women working in this new mobile age.” This highlights that female thinking, and with it, female career prospects will rise as the century progresses. The Microsoft Windows Mobile report also found that 70% of those surveyed believe that work in the 21st century is increasingly about a work/life balance and being given the opportunity to work flexible hours as required. An overwhelming 79% of respondents cite convenience as the biggest advantage of remote working, with two thirds (66%) saying that mobile technologies allow them to determine their own schedules.