Future Of Work Report 2023: Activism In The Workplace

Eighty-one percent of employers say economic headwinds have reduced the prospects of activism over the last 18 months, as employees become more anxious about their jobs and less willing to rock the boat.

Even so, activism is diminished not departed, a reality underlined over the last 12 months by a series of high-profile strikes in some sectors, particularly in the UK. Employers certainly believe any reprieve is temporary: 59% expect employee activism to increase in the future. That represents a significant drop from the 72% who expected growing activism in 2021. However, the share of employers forecasting less activism in future has nearly halved, now at just 10% (down from 18% in 2021). In the politically polarised US, only 3% of employers expect a decline in activism.