Leap Trends · Structure · Labour market and flexible workforce
Theme
Labour market and flexible workforce
The publications focus mainly on fewer entry-level hires, the shortage of technicians, less use of self-employed contractors and job losses in the car industry.
The conclusions and topics were compiled with AI from the publications on this page, with the sources alongside. How that works · How we count
What the publications show
Stanford finds that employment among 22- to 25-year-olds in AI-exposed occupations in the US is 19 per cent lower than among their peers in other occupations, mainly because employers are hiring fewer entry-level workers. PwC sees AI splitting the labour market in two directions.
Stanford Digital Economy Lab, 2026 (opens in a new window) · PwC, 2026 (opens in a new window)
Publications on law and accountancy see the bottom layer of large firms narrowing, and according to the FT the Big Four are recruiting more AI specialists than accountants. At the same time, NALP reports that the intake of newly qualified lawyers as a whole remains strong.
Accountant.nl (NBA), based on the Financial Times, 2026 (opens in a new window) · NALP, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Financial Reporting Council, 2026 (opens in a new window)
Netbeheer Nederland, the association of Dutch grid operators, expects grid operators and contractors to need some 30,000 extra technicians by 2030 and names the capacity to train new people as the biggest bottleneck. German research among 230 installation firms finds the main brake in how the firms are run.
Netbeheer Nederland, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Netbeheer Nederland, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Netbeheer Nederland, 2025 (opens in a new window) · IEA, 2025 (opens in a new window) · Technische Universität Berlin, 2026 (opens in a new window)
After years of growth, the number of self-employed workers in construction fell in 2025, while labour shortages persisted. The Dutch construction economics institute EIB reports that over 40 per cent of building and infrastructure firms hired fewer self-employed contractors, and Statistics Netherlands (CBS) counts 62,000 fewer self-employed contractors across the country as a whole.
EIB with Koninklijke BNA, Bouwend Nederland, NLingenieurs and Techniek Nederland, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw (EIB), 2026 (opens in a new window) · CBS, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw (EIB), 2025 (opens in a new window)
CLEPA counts 104,000 announced job losses at European automotive suppliers over two years. ACEA and Adecco see companies approaching reskilling reactively and involving HR late, and EY reports continuing job losses in German industry.
CLEPA, 2026 (opens in a new window) · CLEPA, 2026 (opens in a new window) · ACEA and The Adecco Group, 2026 (opens in a new window) · EY, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 2026 (opens in a new window)
Topics within labour market and flexible workforce
This list shows what the publications on this theme are about, with the number for each topic. Open a topic to see its publications; if a topic has a briefing, the link is underneath.
- Briefing: Entry-level jobs for young workers in AI-exposed occupations →
Entry-level jobs and AI2 publications
- Briefing: Graduate hiring and how juniors learn the trade in law and accounting →
Law and accountancy3 publications
- FT: Big four bieden inmiddels meer vacatures aan voor AI-specialisten dan voor accountants · Accountant.nl (NBA), based on the Financial Times, 2026
- Strong Entry-Level Legal Employment Persists Despite Sharp Drop in Federal Government and Public Interest Hiring · NALP, 2026
- Key Facts and Trends in the Accountancy Profession 2026 · Financial Reporting Council, 2026
- Briefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them →
Technicians for the power grid6 publications
- Stand van de Uitvoering eerste helft 2026 · Netbeheer Nederland, 2026
- Stand van de Uitvoering 2025 · Netbeheer Nederland, 2026
- Netbeheerders en aannemers zetten samen in op 5.000 extra technici voor uitbreiden elektriciteitsnet · Netbeheer Nederland, 2025
- World Energy Employment 2025 (executive summary) · IEA, 2025
- Ontwikkeling krapte naar beroep 2024-2030 · UWV (with forecasts from ROA), 2025
- Beyond the 'skills gap': German installation enterprises need organisational restructuring to implement low-carbon transitions · Technische Universität Berlin, 2026
- Briefing: Self-employed contractors in construction and the crackdown on false self-employment →
Self-employed in construction4 publications
- Monitor bouwketen voorjaar 2026 · EIB with Koninklijke BNA, Bouwend Nederland, NLingenieurs and Techniek Nederland, 2026
- Schijnzelfstandigheid in de bouw en infra · Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw (EIB), 2026
- Aantal zzp'ers in 2025 gedaald met 62 duizend · CBS, 2026
- Trends op de bouwarbeidsmarkt 2025-2029 · Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw (EIB), 2025
Permanent and flexible staff3 publications
- Blended teams in a changing workplace: how permanent employees perceive collaboration with non-permanent workers · Europa-Universität Flensburg, 2026
- Aantal zzp'ers in 2025 gedaald met 62 duizend · CBS, 2026
- De arbeidsmarkt in cijfers 2025 · Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2026
- Briefing: Job losses and reskilling in the European car industry →
Jobs in the car industry5 publications
- Job losses slow, but Europe's automotive trade imbalance deepens (Data Digest #27) · CLEPA, 2026
- Structural pressures on Europe's suppliers: policy delivery is key (Data Digest #24) · CLEPA, 2026
- The race to reskill: Speeding up the European automotive workforce transition (executive summary) · ACEA and The Adecco Group, 2026
- Arbeitsplatzabbau in der Industrie hält trotz leichtem Umsatzplus an (EY-Industriebarometer Q1 2026) · EY, 2026
- Fostering just transition in the Italian automotive ecosystem: Firm-level insights on EV transition risks and pathways · Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 2026
Briefings on this theme
Where several organisations publish roughly the same thing on a topic, we have used AI to compile a briefing. Click a card for the key point, the figures with their sources and what it means for the leadership team.
Graduate hiring and how juniors learn the trade in law and accounting
- Law and accounting
- Graduate hires
- How juniors learn
At large law and accounting firms the bottom layer is shrinking: US firms with more than 500 lawyers hired 540 fewer graduates, and the Big Four are recruiting more AI specialists than auditors. 71 per cent of professionals say new starters need extra guidance.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 2 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 7 publications
Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Technicians for the grid
- Training capacity
- Grid operators
Grid operators are building more than ever, but the work is growing faster than the workforce. By 2030 grid operators and contractors need some 30,000 extra technicians, and the sector names the capacity to train and supervise new people as the biggest bottleneck. The IEA sees the same worldwide.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 2 |
| May 2026 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 6 publications
Entry-level jobs for young workers in AI-exposed occupations
- New starters and AI
- Entry-level jobs
- Graduate hiring
In the US, employment of 22 to 25-year-olds in AI-exposed occupations is 19 per cent lower than if it had kept pace with peers in other occupations, mainly because employers hire fewer new starters. The entry-level jobs that remain call for skills that used to belong to senior staff.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 8 publications
Self-employed contractors in construction and the crackdown on false self-employment
- Self-employed in construction
- False self-employment
- Hiring contractors
After a decade of near-annual growth, the number of self-employed workers in construction fell in 2025, while labour shortages persisted. Over 40 per cent of construction and infrastructure firms hired fewer self-employed contractors, and half changed the way they hire them. Most contractors want to stay self-employed.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 1 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 4 publications
Briefings on other themes that touch on this one
These briefings belong to another theme but also cover labour market and flexible workforce.
Job losses and reskilling in the European car industry
- Jobs in the car industry
- Reskilling
- The role of HR
The European car industry is shedding jobs while shifting towards more highly skilled technical and digital work. CLEPA counts 104,000 announced job losses at suppliers in two years; ACEA and Adecco find that companies approach reskilling reactively and involve HR late.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 2 |
| February 2026 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 1 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 2 |
| June 2026 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 2 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 10 publications
The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboarding
- Knowledge on the factory floor
- Shortage of technicians
- Onboarding with AI
Demand for technicians in manufacturing is growing faster than demand for production staff, and in the Netherlands machine fitters are very scarce. Deloitte sees AI as a way to build knowledge into the work, so that new people can work independently sooner. One in five AI applications has been scaled widely.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 6 publications
All publications on labour market and flexible workforce
This list shows every publication on this theme, including those not (yet) part of a briefing. Choose a period; a title opens the publication at its source.
- Microsoft’s Voluntary Exit Is Not a Layoff. It’s a New Model of Management (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforce
- Unmet demand for flexibility: remote work preferences of office workers in Poland (opens the publication in a new window)Work designLabour market and flexible workforce
- Key Facts and Trends in the Accountancy Profession 2026 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Graduate hiring and how juniors learn the trade in law and accounting
- Stand van de Uitvoering eerste helft 2026 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Job losses slow, but Europe's automotive trade imbalance deepens (Data Digest #27) (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Job losses and reskilling in the European car industry
- Managing Through Crisis: Understanding Personnel Stability in the States During Economic Downturns (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Cuts to the Dutch civil service and the choice of which tasks to drop
- Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Entry-level jobs for young workers in AI-exposed occupations
- Strong Entry-Level Legal Employment Persists Despite Sharp Drop in Federal Government and Public Interest Hiring (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Graduate hiring and how juniors learn the trade in law and accounting
- Blended teams in a changing workplace: how permanent employees perceive collaboration with non-permanent workers (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforce
- Fostering just transition in the Italian automotive ecosystem: Firm-level insights on EV transition risks and pathways (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Job losses and reskilling in the European car industry
- Monitor bouwketen voorjaar 2026 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Self-employed contractors in construction and the crackdown on false self-employment
- AI reshapes global labour market into two distinct paths, rewarding human skills: PwC 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceSkills-based organisationBriefing: Entry-level jobs for young workers in AI-exposed occupations
- FT: Big four bieden inmiddels meer vacatures aan voor AI-specialisten dan voor accountants (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Graduate hiring and how juniors learn the trade in law and accounting
- Arbeitsplatzabbau in der Industrie hält trotz leichtem Umsatzplus an (EY-Industriebarometer Q1 2026) (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Job losses and reskilling in the European car industry
- De arbeidsmarkt in cijfers 2025 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforce
- Beyond the 'skills gap': German installation enterprises need organisational restructuring to implement low-carbon transitions (opens the publication in a new window)Organisation designLabour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Stand van de Uitvoering 2025 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Schijnzelfstandigheid in de bouw en infra (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Self-employed contractors in construction and the crackdown on false self-employment
- Meer ontslagen verwacht bij banken (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceWork designBriefing: Restructuring at Dutch banks and AI in anti-money laundering and customer service
- Aantal zzp'ers in 2025 gedaald met 62 duizend (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Self-employed contractors in construction and the crackdown on false self-employment
- Structural pressures on Europe's suppliers: policy delivery is key (Data Digest #24) (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Job losses and reskilling in the European car industry
- The race to reskill: Speeding up the European automotive workforce transition (executive summary) (opens the publication in a new window)Skills-based organisationLabour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Job losses and reskilling in the European car industryBriefing: Entry-level jobs for young workers in AI-exposed occupations
- Ontwikkeling krapte naar beroep 2024-2030 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboardingBriefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Kamerbrief over lerarenstrategie december 2025 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforce
- World Energy Employment 2025 (executive summary) (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboardingBriefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Netbeheerders en aannemers zetten samen in op 5.000 extra technici voor uitbreiden elektriciteitsnet (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Grid technicians and the capacity to train and supervise them
- Trends op de bouwarbeidsmarkt 2025-2029 (opens the publication in a new window)Labour market and flexible workforceBriefing: Self-employed contractors in construction and the crackdown on false self-employment
No publication matches this combination. Choose a longer period or clear a filter.