Elite workers will be able to demand more pay and benefits by 2020

Employees in technical, professional and managerial roles will be able to demand more in salary and benefits by 2020, according to research by Friends Provident.

Its Visions of Britain 2020 report, conducted in conjunction with the Future Foundation, found that future workplaces could be starkly different to those of today, with a polarised workforce of two distinct groups: the elite – workers in technical, professional and managerial roles – and the excluded – typically younger, unskilled males.

According to its findings, by 2020, 59% will expect a salary increase every year, which could have serious implications for businesses, and HR in particular, with people management becoming a critical skill within the organisation.

Some 83% agreed the HR function will have to become more strategic to meet the challenges of the 2020 workforce. These challenges include: recruiting people with very specialist skills, monitoring intellectual productivity, increasing the quality of people management to meet the needs for fulfillment at work, and developing tailored and continuous training.

When looking at the attitudes of today's employees towards work, 48% said enjoying their job is the most important factor, followed by job satisfaction (38%) and salary (30%).

Gillian Fox, Friends Provident’s HR director said: “A new breed of elite worker is beginning to emerge, who by 2020 will carry more power than ever before. Businesses will have to think both creatively and strategically about how best to retain and motivate this group of workers in the future.

"Our study showed that salary ranked the third most important factor for British workers with enjoying the job taking the top spot. With pay proving less popular, employers might have to consider how enjoyable and flexible roles are for employees to satisfy them longer term.”