Tech-enabled platforms that connect supply and demand - of goods, of services, and of people - have brought about extraordinary advances in efficiency, for better or for worse, and as a result have grown into enormous companies. Consider what Deliveroo or JustEat have done to how we get take out; what Uber or Lyft have done to how we get taxis; how Tinder or Bumble have impacted dating; how Airbnb has disrupted travel accommodation - you get the idea. All of these have made it possible for person A to connect with person or good/service B more quickly and easily than was possible before, alongside other services that improve the quality of those interactions.

These companies use many of the technologies listed above in their products, but they are not successful because they are AI or VR or Mobile companies. They are successful because they leverage them to provide services more efficiently than their competitors, and in so doing deliver an amazing user experience. They also leverage masses of data points in continuous feedback loops to constantly innovate and improve their offerings and enhance this experience. This shift, from simple digitisation to innovation based on combinations of technologies powered by data [https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/de/Documents/human-capital/Deloitte_Review_26_Fourth_Industrial_Revolution.pdf], is forcing companies to reexamine the way they do business.

This is just part two in a series on the New Collar Workforce, which will be posted weekly. To read the whole research piece click here. If you would like to find out more about the New Collar Workforce and how inploi can help you communicate with them, then please email baz@inploi.com.