A global pandemic, world-wide recession, high U.S. wage inequality and social unrest, large-scale corporate and country debt…and yet my 17th economic employment forecast for the next 12-24 months is:

1. U.S. and global employment nature will permanently change with AI and DIGITAL assuming a larger and growing share of all previous labor activities of a LOW TOUCH, LOW THOUGHT nature (yes, my 2017-2019 Forecast that AI and computers would be replacing labor/people in certain work was correct).
2. Corporations, private/public, will integrate EESG (Employees, Environment, Sustainability, Governance) stakeholders.
3. AI’s and DIGITAL transformation’s impact and corporations’ acceptance of employees as stakeholders will shift employees’ focus towards personally MEANINGFUL work with “meaningful work” defined as activities/tasks/physical or mental exertion for a corporate purpose that the person is naturally best at performing and enjoys doing those activities/tasks/exertions.
4. The U.S. GDP pie grows larger as labor shifts to meaningful work as artificial barriers lessen for positions—from entry to corporate C-suite to corporate boards—due to corporate acceptance of EESG.

Given that the U.S. and China account for nearly 40% of global GDP, nearly 25% of global trade, and even larger shares of capital goods AND the U.S., European Union, and China are the world’s largest economies, A GROWING U.S. GDP should encourage a GROWING GLOBAL GDP.

These 4 incredibly unbelievable outcomes will occur because of…a global pandemic, world-wide recession, high U.S. wage inequality and social unrest, large-scale corporate and country debt—the “here’s why” white paper (all of 2 pages long!) is available as a PDF With Sources OR PDF White Paper Only.

BTW, here’s some of my notable (other years are just boring or the same) previous forecasts:

• 2019: Foresaw the dangers of 100% of U.S. pharmaceutical fillers/masks/etc. made in China, plus predicted the overall supply chain risks to U.S.
• 2017+: AI/technology assumes rote component of people’s jobs; how to protect your business, job, career. Education = online life-long learning.
• 2014+: New trend: women’s numbers & profile on boards just changed; companies’ investors/clients will show board gender composition interest.<
• 2013+: Social media is here to stay, changing how we communicate and having significant privacy ramifications.
• 2008: Forecasted that 2008 would be the year that the Great Financial Crisis would finally occur (my 2007 positive forecast had caveats looming).
• 2006: A great economic employment year!
• 2004: Globalization blooms and it’s an opportunity or your worst nightmare because strategic outsourcing is finally here and growing.
• 2003: After the dotcom bust, others thought jobs would get better; my forecast: economy is at the bottom and staying there, no more sinking…and it did from an economic employment perspective stay at the bottom—it was “the jobless recovery.”

Here’s hoping that I’m correct with this forecast, too, because the alternatives look really bleak (which is why I think that people will coalesce around this answer, as they usually do when an opportunity for more emerges after a period of crisis).