
In our “New Technology Shaping the Future of Work” report, we discovered that the shift to Work Tech is mandated by the need for people data and capabilities to be integrated into the flow of work with data from systems of work and collaboration.
Work Tech is augmenting and extending HR technology into the flow of work with innovation from new tech providers and market incumbents. Work Tech will ultimately displace traditional HR technology from the market as businesses adopt new models over old ones.
Work Tech has emerged as a new category from the foundation of traditional enterprise technology categories, most notably HR technology. Not replacing HR tech but taking it into the flow of work with new employee-first design principles that drive inclusion and promise agility in anticipation of the next unknown challenge to confront the workplace.
Work Tech, Defined
Long-standing workforce trends met several market accelerants, another dynamic made the emergence of Work Tech a reality: the enabling core tech necessary for this shift was already in the market.
Many of us experienced increased use and dependency on communications tools like Zoom, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. Work Tech’s emergence is also a story of increased adoption, starting with existing technology products that embody the six core themes that have emerged via this research. These themes exemplify Work Tech’s definition and the differentiation between Work Tech and traditional HR tech.

New Market Leaders Will Emerge
We are seeing the beginning of a shift to new market leaders in Work Tech, starting with Hiring Work Tech. As employers continue to forecast headcount growth in a market with fewer workers and a skills gap, Hiring Work Tech providers will see strong adoption and growth as they support new strategies and enable hiring teams. These new market leaders will not just be emerging startups or scaleups. Market incumbents are also innovating in the Work Tech model.
Our “New Technology Shaping the Future of Work” report illuminates the six core themes we discovered that define Work Tech and differentiate it from HR tech.