Motivating futures: Helping young people from low-income backgrounds to thrive in a changing world of work

This report by the Institute for the Future of Work, in partnership with the EY Foundation, explores the intersection between the impact of three diverse but related areas: (1) AI and automation’s impact on work and skills; (2) motivation among young people; and (3) the experience of having a low-income background. The research shows that across occupations and sectors, AI and automation are raising demand for, and the importance of, human-centric skills such as creativity, problem-solving, collaboration and initiative. It highlights that intrinsic motivation is a key enabler of the development of these human-centric skills and helping those from low-income backgrounds get better work in an age of AI labour market disruption.