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Technically Speaking

New PARADIGMS. New HORIZONS.

by Dave Trecker

et’s set aside some of the troubling stuff – the wars, the But wherever people work, they’re grumpy. A BambooHR
L viruses, the crime, all of the unhappiness out there. analysis of 57,000 employees showed job satisfaction was in the
Let’s be positive, hope for the best and take a look
toilet, the lowest in years.
at some changes the experts say will define the future – new Why? Not clear, but it probably has something to do with
parameters that will determine how and where we live and work. higher prices wiping out salary gains everywhere. Surveys
First the view from 20,000 feet. uniformly show that workers want more pay – not prestige or
Everything got a bit more crowded in 2023 as the promotion or even security. That’s not so important anymore.
United States, the planet’s third most populous country, added Wages are everything.
0.5% more people and the world overall grew at 1%, reaching My daughter, a working mom who’s a manager at a Fortune
a population milestone of 8 billion people. The United Nations 500 corporation, says company loyalty is a thing of the past. Job
estimates that it will increase by nearly 2 billion over the next 30 jumping is common. Money is what matters.
years and peak at over 10 billion sometime in the 2080s. How about living quarters? What kind of abodes should we
Why the continuing growth? Improved health driven by gains look for in the future?
in medicine, nutrition and hygiene. Or so say the experts. Global Although this might not apply in affluent coastal Florida,
life expectancy is now about 73 years, 76 in the United States much of the rest of the country will see big changes in housing.
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with Simply put, think small. Bigger isn’t better.
women outliving men by nearly 6 years. Owning will decline as incomes get squeezed, and renting
Within the United States, demographic projections show will become the default, according to the Wall Street Journal. And
ethnic Whites continuing to decline and Hispanics and Latinos renting will be a long-term choice, a conscious lifestyle change.
continuing to grow. With that will come more diversity in politics If you can’t afford big or if you’re a migrant, you may have
and government. No big surprise. little choice. It’s small or nothing. A Zillow report says this has
What about the workplace? already begun. Reduced affordability is forcing the middle class
What does the future hold in store? into smaller, even tiny homes – a bifurcation depending on your
Several trends, some expected, some not. earning status.
First off, working from home at least 2-3 days a week is here Amazon advertises pint-sized sheds as full-time residences.
to stay for a good many jobs. Two of my working children have Zoning changes are allowing more living units to be crammed
been doing that since before COVID. A Stanford University into single lots. Furnishing specialists are designing miniature
study showed remote work saved commuters $5,000-6,000 a year appliances and petite beds and sofas.
and reduced a lot of angst. According to WFH Research, 1 in 3 Love it or hate it, it’s coming and it’s less than a decade away.
Americans now work at least part time away from the office. For much of the country, most new housing will have to be
One of the by products is that a staggering 20% of United affordable, an unexpected and, perhaps, welcome outcome.
States office space is now vacant, although not so much in Florida These are some of the new paradigms. And we haven’t even
where robust business growth continues to fill the space. begun to talk about artificial intelligence.
Dr. Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Naples.

70 Life in Naples | March 2024