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20 years of workmonitor. For two decades, Randstad has served as the voice of the global workforce through its Workmonitor research, one of the largest surveys of its kind around the world. There have been many periods of disruptive and exciting events throughout the past 20 years. 2003 2023 The research began in the Netherlands in 2003 and turned global in 2010. In 2003 the recession of the early 2000s was coming to an end and workers had a renewed optimism and an appetite for career mobility. Four in five people were confident they could find a new job, and 54% were ready for a new challenge in their careers. Through ups and downs we arrived at the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, which brought confidence down to the lowest level (64%) yet, with just 49% ready for a new challenge. The subsequent recovery led to greater prosperity but also pressures on employers, with 80% of the workers surveyed saying they needed a better work-life balance in 2013. In the same year, technology, the internet and the rise of smartphones started thinning the line between work and personal life and about half said their personal devices tethered them to emails from work. Gen Z started entering the workforce in 2014 and technology began to play an even bigger role in how work got done. 87% said technology allowed them to collaborate more, with 61% spending more time working with colleagues than they did five years prior. A few years later, in 2017 a truly entrepreneurial mindset settled into the world of work, with 57% wanting to become an entrepreneur but fearing failure — many were concerned of operating small businesses in an increasing global economy. Digital skills and remaining up to speed with technology were recurrent themes throughout the 20 years of research. In 2019 more than two-thirds said they wanted employers to invest more in digital skills and just a year later these same skills were put to the test in the wake of COVID-19 in 2020. Luckily though, a significant majority (79%) felt they were well equipped to do their jobs digitally. With the challenges and lessons from the pandemic still fresh in people's minds, learning and development, personal well-being and values will surely continue to remain important considerations in their career decisions. foreword about the survey key findings global themes looking ahead appendix workmonitor 2023 3