Big Ideas 2023: 20 bold predictions for the year ahead

2022 was not a year for the faint of heart. We welcomed an easing of pandemic restrictions in many parts, but were quickly hit by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, soaring inflation and reminders that the consequences of climate change aren't coming, they're already here. The UK faced political turbulence, a depleted workforce and a "summer of discontent" as workers across sectors went on strike and staff shortages caused travel delays.

However, the past year also made clear how the global community can band together, with new commitments and pacts to protect our natural world, efforts to aid those displaced by war in Ukraine and the delivery of close to two billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to areas in need across the world. 

2022 showed us that while our challenges grow more daunting by the day – we have the potential to meet them. What can we expect for the coming year?

Every December, LinkedIn editors ask our community of Top Voices and creators to share the Big Ideas they believe will define the year ahead. This year, as we face challenges on several fronts, we offer a selection of thoughts on where we go from here – at work, at home and everywhere in between. 

This is by no means a complete list, and we invite you to join us. What Big Ideas do you think will emerge in 2023? Share your thoughts in the comments or publish a post, article or video on LinkedIn including the hashtag #BigIdeas2023. — Scott Olster and Emma Hudson

Brace yourself for a global recession – but it won’t be as severe as 2008 

The global economy is at a tipping point.

The three largest economies – the US, China and the euro area – are "slowing sharply," warns the World Bank. "The worst is yet to come," declares the International Monetary Fund. Business leaders across the globe agree, with 86% of CEOs detecting a recession on the 12-month horizon, according to a survey by KPMG. 

But whether due to dogged optimism at the tail end of a pandemic or persistent faith that central banks will release their restrictive grip on borrowing costs, the downturn in the offing is not likely to be an economic tailspin. In the same CEO survey, 58% of global business leaders said they expect an impending recession to be mild and short. In other words: This isn't 2008.

"Here in the UK, a recession is deemed unavoidable by the Bank of England and the Office of Budget Responsibility," says Janet Mui, a UK-based economist and one of LinkedIn's Top Voices for 2022. But Mui's assessment is that the recession in the UK "will be mild instead of severe, akin to the one in the 1990s". 

According to Mui, the British economy enters the recession with a robust labour market, well-capitalised financial institutions, healthy credit growth and a government that is "shielding" the most vulnerable from surging energy costs. "These will help cushion economic headwinds," she says. 

"Once inflation comes down, we can anticipate better times ahead," Mui concludes. –– Devin Banerjee, CFA and Manas Pratap Singh

💡 Looking for more on the economy? Follow Ken Okoroafor, Paul Plewman and Mohamed El-Erian

Retail will get physical again

When the pandemic hit and stores shut their doors, many observers began writing obituaries for bricks-and-mortar retail. Some predicted that stuck-at-home consumers would become hooked on the convenience of online shopping and physical stores would disappear.

It didn’t work out like that. Shoppers flocked back to stores as Covid-19 restrictions lifted, rediscovering the joys of trying before buying. The number of vacant shops on UK high streets and in shopping centres fell for three consecutive quarters in 2022, while developments such as London's Elizabeth Line should bring an additional £1.55bn to businesses in the capital's West End. Meanwhile, though the pandemic accelerated online shopping, the Office for National Statistics showed a shift back towards shopping in-store this year, and companies that bet big on wild online shopping growth have been forced to make layoffs. 

Despite economic headwinds, bricks-and-mortar will continue to grow in 2023, powered in part by direct-to-consumer brands looking to make a physical connection with customers. None of this means that e-commerce will fade. Instead, we'll see a blending between online and in-person, with stores serving as spaces for retailers to interact with customers and fulfil online orders. 

Physical retail is having a "renaissance", says Harley Finkelstein, president of e-commerce firm Shopify, which has launched its own point-of-sale system for bricks-and-mortar stores. "But it's not just about physical retail, it's actually a bigger idea." No longer will we talk about online retail competing with in-person. "The future of retail," Finkelstein says, "is retail everywhere." –– Jessy Bains and Aaron Toumazou

💡 Looking for more on the future of the UK high street? Follow Ben Francis, Mary Portas and Mark Faithfull

The metaverse revolution will go professional

2022 wasn't a good year for the metaverse. 

Two of the most prominent metaverse platforms – Decentraland and Sandbox, with valuations of over $1bn each – were revealed to have under 1,000 daily active users. And Meta's Horizon World was so unpopular that even staff had to be pressured to use it. 

AR and VR remain in their infancy. And while a handful of people might be snapping up virtual condos, this branch of the tech world is a long way from mainstream adoption. 

But metaverse enthusiasts should take heart. In 2023, we will see the metaverse take off – in the professional world.

The metaverse is not just "flying around like Mario Kart listening to Ariana Grande," says Anthony Day, a tech consultant and Web3 advocate based in Lisbon. 

VR and AR are being used right now to train pilots and surgeons. And during the pandemic, automakers began to embrace this tech to design new vehicles. Expect employers, universities and training programmes to jump into the metaverse in even bigger ways in the coming year.   

"This is happening now. That is a commercially valuable, technically viable and user experience-feasible use-case of the metaverse. But nobody talks about it," says Day. –– Orlando Crowcroft

💡 Looking for more on the metaverse? Follow Lex Sokolin, Kris Hunt and Benjamin Desai

We'll be wearing mushrooms and seaweed

Some 60% of the material we use to make clothing is plastic, releasing around half a million tons of plastic microfibers into the ocean each year, according to the UN. To ease this environmental burden, designers and manufacturers are increasingly turning to plant-based solutions, making clothing out of algae, pineapple skins and mushrooms, among other novel ingredients.

Plant-based fabrics are especially appealing as leather alternatives, considering the environmental impact of livestock farming. "Fashion designers and retailers will increasingly see faux leather as a quick win in greening their credentials," says sustainability expert and author Dr Wayne Visser.

Danish label Ganni plans to go leather-free by 2023, turning to alternatives like VEGEA, which is made of grape skins, vegetable oil and a water-based polyurethane. Mycelium, the threadlike roots of mushrooms and other fungi, is the basis for several leather alternatives, with Hermès and Stella McCartney emerging as early adopters. The makers of Mirum, a fully plastic-free fabric made using coconut and cork, has received $85m (£69.7m) in funding from investors including BMW.

Algae and seaweed will make in-roads in the technical fabric space. UK-based fabric firm Pangaia is making leisurewear with seaweed powder, and it's at work on an algae-based sweat-wicking material.

Many plant-based fabrics, especially the ones that are fully plastic-free, are still in their experimental phases, says sustainability consultant Sonya Parenti. In the meantime, expect to see new fabrics with a higher proportion of biobased materials that can break down more easily. "Though it won't solve fashion's plastic crisis, they could be part of a mix of solutions to move away from fossil fuels altogether," she says. –– Siobhan Morrin

💡 Looking for more on sustainable fashion? Follow Alec Leach, Charlotte Morley and Rachel Arthur

The 'great reflection' will change when, and how, we work

Recession is looming and with it concerns are growing about cost-cutting measures. LinkedIn research shows that more than two-thirds of execs globally think that progress on flexibility, employee wellbeing and skills development is at risk due to cost pressures. But has the workplace been so fully reshaped that a return to pre-pandemic ways is impossible? Research on worker attitudes suggests it has: LinkedIn data shows more than a third of workers say they would quit if they had to return to the office full-time, and research by Future Forum found 65% of UK knowledge workers want significant flexibility in their work schedule.

"There's been a shift of mindset and behaviour, a 'great reflection'," says Kelly Swingler, an executive coach and consultant. The pandemic has changed things for good. "We saw a lot of people and organisations prove that it's possible for people to work from anywhere, and lots more people want that." Swingler points to Twitter as an example, where given the option to hustle harder or quit, many took the severance. "I think people want to feel there is a fair deal and leaders understand balance. That's how we create sustainable businesses and engaged people," she says.

Work-life balance is now a vital consideration: 65% of workers globally say it's the most important aspect of work, according to Capgemini research. Claudia Crummenerl, managing director at Capgemini Invent, says that understanding this is essential for employers, particularly when it comes to staff retention – but also results. "Presenteeism doesn't mean you deliver quality or have an impact," she says.

Multiple studies show how in-demand flexibility is – and, despite a reduction in the number of remote roles advertised on LinkedIn, 20% of job applications in the UK are for remote work. Ultimately, those employers that offer flexibility will have greater appeal to attract and retain the talent that will get them through 2023. –– Siobhan Morrin

💡 Looking for more on the future of work? Follow Henry Stewart, Phil McParlane and Get Hired by LinkedIn News UK

The healthcare worker shortage will grow, and we’ll turn to tech for help

The world is running low on doctors and the UK is no different. 

A July 2022 report by MPs found that England had a shortfall of 12,000 hospital doctors and 50,000 nurses and midwives. It also predicted that an extra 475,000 healthcare jobs would need to be filled by the early part of the next decade. Punitive pay and pension rules are forcing some 44% of senior doctors to consider quitting their jobs, and nurses across the UK have voted to strike in pursuit of better pay. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the UK is lagging behind many European countries in the total number of nurses available and must strive to recruit more workers within the next decade. 

In 2023, expect hospitals, tech firms and government agencies across the globe to band together to address this shortage in two key ways: by sharing the limited staffing resources on hand and by embracing new tech to provide for patients and train new healthcare workers.

"We've seen a lot of movement into virtual care, remote monitoring and hospital at home to try and offset some of that need," says Dr Rowland Illing, chief medical officer for international public sector health at Amazon Web Services. "There's also a need for training the health workforce of the future, and we're seeing a lot of products focusing on new ways of digital health education."

In the US, AWS is providing funding to startups like Seattle-based Hurone AI, which is testing an app in Rwanda that will help the country's less than two dozen oncologists treat patients across the 13 million-person nation. The American College of Cardiology is partnering with Osso VR, a virtual reality surgical training company, to create a global curriculum for specific cardiac procedures – knowledge that tends to live only in academic medical centres.

Tech alone won't solve this problem. One solution has been to recruit workers from abroad. Yet as concerns about health equity mount, expect a renewed focus on efforts to reduce the healthcare "brain drain" from low-income regions through a combination of education, recruitment and financial incentives, according to the WHO. –– Beth Kutscher and Yessi Bello Perez

💡 Looking for more on healthcare? Follow Tara Donnelly and Nick Watts

We'll see a rise in 'vertical' urban farming …

An estimated 6.5 billion people will be living in urban spaces by the middle of this century. A new crop of indoor farms now taking root in cities around the world could help feed this booming population. In the first half of 2022, investors pumped more than $800m (£662.8m) into so-called vertical farms: warehouses converted into growing spaces for crops ranging from leafy greens to herbs and strawberries. By 2030, this indoor ag business could be worth $33bn (£27.3bn).

Climate-controlled indoor farms have key advantages over traditional farms, proponents argue. They can grow year-round, produce more food on less land because plantings can be stacked, and aren’t as vulnerable to pests or extreme weather. Bringing the farm closer to consumers also reduces the need for transportation and refrigeration. The industry is "creating a food source that is available, affordable and accessible," says Nona Yehia of Vertical Harvest Farms.

The UK imported around 46% of the food it consumed in 2020, and in part to combat this, new vertical farms are now sprouting up frequently. One such firm, Jones Food Company, has built a facility said to have the equivalent of 70 tennis courts' worth of growing space. Through its research into which crops are suitable for vertical farming, the company is hoping it can end the need for some of those imports. Another firm, InFarm, opened its first UK "high-capacity growing centre" in June.

In the US, AeroFarms recently opened a 150,000-square-foot facility in Virginia. Plenty Unlimited is planning to construct the world’s largest vertical farming campus on 120 acres outside Richmond, Virginia. Plenty CEO Arama Kukutai says he expects "to see the evolution of indoor ag as an asset class", as investors seek to fuel the farms that will feed future cities. –– Josh M. Carney and Vicky McKeever

💡 Looking for more on the future of agriculture? Follow Harry MacKenzie, Christine Gould and Tobias Peggs

… But saving the soil will become a priority in rural agriculture

Regenerative agriculture was one of the strongest themes emerging from COP27, but 2023 will be the year it truly goes mainstream.

Currently, we are dependent on enormous mono-crop farms that artificially fertilise the land, but this farming approach is unsustainable due to the damage it is causing to soil. According to NGO Kiss The Ground, within 50 years there may not be enough soil left to feed the world.

Momentum is building to finance a transition to regenerative agriculture – which focuses on improving the health of soil so that it can produce more food and nutrition, store more carbon and increase biodiversity. AXA, Unilever and Tikehau Capital have already announced their ambition to create a €300m (£258m) private equity impact fund dedicated to investing in projects and companies supporting the regenerative agriculture transition. Additionally, Nestlé is investing CHF 1.2bn (£1.02bn) in regenerative agriculture across its supply chain.

However, the US-based research body Croatan Institute estimates that more than $700bn (£579.4bn) in net capital expenditure is needed over the next 30 years to implement regenerative agriculture and restore landscapes. This is a truly epic-sized transition; significantly more funding is required to cover the costs for farmers to change their methods and support the whole supply chain. 

Investment into regenerative farming will act as a short-term bridge to enable farmers to sustainably achieve higher returns in the longer term. If regenerative farming was implemented in Africa, crop yields could rise by up to 40%. Additionally, farmers globally could boost their incomes by between €1.9bn (£1.64bn) and €9.3bn (£8.04bn) a year. 

The imperative is clear, and so is the business case, and now the impetus in 2023 must encourage adequate funding for our transition. For all the goodwill in the world, if we don’t rapidly devise a path to the required investment, then we can kiss goodbye to the ground. –– Richard Foster-Fletcher, founder and executive chair of Morality and Knowledge in Artificial Intelligence, a global community and development agency. 

💡 Looking for more on sustainable initiatives? Follow Chris D'Agorne and Harry Farnsworth, and check out LinkedIn Top Voices Green 2022

Menopause will become big business

Michelle Obama is talking about it. Actors Courteney Cox and Naomi Watts have been vocal about their experiences with it. That’s right, menopause is going mainstream. 

The "menopause conversation", which was long considered taboo and shameful, has been fuelled, in part, by changing demographics. The global population of menopausal and postmenopausal women is projected to grow by 47 million women a year, to 1.2 billion by 2030.

With numbers like these, menopause is fast becoming very big business. Brands will capitalise on the menopause market in 2023. Femtech startups are looking to offer treatments to ease the symptoms – and delay the onset – of menopause. Naomi Watts has started a community for women to share their stories, with a product line to boot. And retailer Primark launched its first ever menopause clothing line, designed to ease symptoms like hot flushes. 

Bearing in mind that some 10% of women in the UK who worked during the menopause said they quit their jobs because of the discomfort of their symptoms, we should expect to see employers focusing on the issue in new ways in 2023. Bank of Ireland announced in October that it would offer paid leave for women experiencing menopause. Meanwhile, Deloitte included menopause in its global diversity, equity and inclusion agenda, encouraging employers to consider how it responds to the growing risk of exodus among skilled mature-age workers. –– Solange Uwimana

💡 Looking for more on women's health? Follow Amantha King, Helen Normoyle and Kate Usher

AI will gain multiple "senses"

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has transformed from an academic curiosity to a form of technology that is redefining how people work and businesses operate across industries. Nurses are using AI to keep tabs on patients whose health is likely to deteriorate, and investors are using it to adjust investment portfolios. It even played a critical role in the development of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine. 

What's next? AI will grow more intuitive and increasingly use multiple "senses" at once. Multi-modal AI applications will allow AI systems to process audio, visual and language data in combination with and in relation to each other. A tool like DALL-E, which can generate original art based on text prompts, is just an early example of this approach. 

Expect multi-modal AI to take off in new applications in the coming years, allowing AI systems to analyse data and the environment in highly sophisticated, nuanced ways. In medicine, multi-modal AI could examine a combination of patient imaging and histories, and data from biosensors to craft diagnoses and treatment recommendations.

The transition to multi-modal systems will also give AI even more creative power than it has today. "It's like Netflix creating a whole new film based on your preferences, versus just surfacing recommendations," according to Madrona Venture Group's Matt McIlwain.  –– Tanya Dua and Scott Olster

💡 Looking for more on AI? Follow Theo Priestley, Maria Luciana Axente and Martin Harbech

Cities will turn to new – and very old – tech to beat the heat

From hurricanes in the US and Cuba, to record heatwaves in Europe and flooding in Pakistan, the world endured at least 29 instances of billion-dollar weather disasters by October of this year.

Earth's thermostat is inching higher. And researchers say it's not likely that we can keep global warming within the 1.5C ceiling many world leaders have focused on. With around 70% of the world population expected to live in cities by 2050, urban centres will need to double down on keeping everyone cool.

We will see cities invest in traditional techniques like public fountains, tree planting and large awnings over streets to create "cool corridors". But expect to see cities embrace new solutions, like using real-time data to identify hot spots in specific parts of cities, and solar paint technology – currently being tested in Los Angeles and Phoenix – that acts as a "sunscreen" for streets. 

Seville recently went especially old school, unveiling underground canals based on Persia's 1,000-year-old "qanat" technology to lower street temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Celsius.

Upgrading our buildings is another key approach to keeping cities liveable, says Nyasha Harper-Michon, a Netherlands-based architect. She points to "cool roofing" – covering the tops of buildings with white, highly reflective paint – as an especially effective heat reducer. And green roofs, which are covered with vegetation, can keep the heat down, all while cleaning our air and reducing storm runoff. –– Pieter Cranenbroek and Katarina Lukač

💡 Looking for more on urban sustainability? Follow Marco Te Brömmelstroet and Lubomila Jordanova

Money will rush into women's sports

Women’s football scored big in 2022. The Women's Euro Championship in July was watched by some 365 million people worldwide, more than double the 2017 viewership. Three months later, nearly 77,000 fans packed into London's Wembley Stadium for a US-England showdown – record attendance for a US women's friendly match. 

With women's football fans more engaged than ever, brands have rushed to sign partnerships with teams and players. Now companies are also waking up to the untapped marketing potential of other women’s sports. Sponsorship deals for women across major US sports climbed 20% year-on-year in 2022, and that number is likely to climb higher in 2023. 

"The opportunities are enormous," says Jon Patricof, CEO of Athletes Unlimited, a network of women's basketball, softball, volleyball and lacrosse leagues. "The audience for women's sports is very diverse, young and represents the vision many brands have for the future." 

Sponsorship can help kick off a "virtuous circle", says Karen Carney, a veteran England women's footballer and broadcaster. Investment enables women athletes to train and play full-time, which lifts the quality of the sport, in turn attracting more fans and sponsors. Money poured into women’s football following the 2019 Women's World Cup, Carney notes: "And now, in 2022, the product has improved as a result." With investment and audiences growing for other women's sports, more virtuous circles are on their way. –– Manas Pratap Singh

💡 Looking for more on sport? Follow Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu and Seema Jaswal

Luxury firms will court the VIC (Very Important Customer)

As luxury brands expand their appeal to an ever-wider customer base, with offerings that go beyond expensive products, they face the thorny problem of how to keep their highest spenders feeling special. In 2023, these retailers will place greater emphasis on hyper-exclusive propositions to retain the loyalty of their VICs: very important customers.

Fashion house Chanel has unveiled plans to open invite-only boutiques in Asia next year, while British luxury retailer Harrods already operates "Residence" private shopping suites in Shanghai and Beijing. Such ultra-exclusive stores are ideal venues for industry events and special product presentations, and they double as elite social clubs. 

"These are closed spaces where brands can inject whatever cultural content they want their super spenders to know, allowing them to form very special relationships," says Selvane Mohandas du Ménil, managing director of the International Association of Department Stores. "It's almost engineering a whole new social sphere. If you're an ultra-high-net-worth individual living somewhere where only 10 people are part of a club, you'll want to be part of it, so you'll spend more to gain access."  

Invite-only stores could soon start appearing outside Asia, Mohandas du Ménil says. After all, jet-setting VICs don't just shop in a single country. And if they receive exclusive treatment in one location, they'll expect the retailer to provide it wherever they are in the world. –– Aaron Toumazou

💡 Looking for more on the luxury retail sector? Follow Yana Bushmeleva and Christopher-Jacques Morency

Social media users will carve out more intimate communities

Turned off by the trolls and burnt out by the pressure of chasing "likes", in 2022 consumers began to reconsider their relationship with big social networks. We won't see a mass exodus from all of the big social players in 2023, but a growing share of users will turn to smaller platforms in the next year. 

Sites like Discord, Mastodon, Geneva, Substack and Patreon emphasise community building in private spaces. A search for safe spaces and nostalgia for the internet of the early 2000s – when the word "algorithm" wasn't part of everyone's vocabulary – has fuelled interest in these more intimate digital environments, says UK-based social media consultant Matt Navarra. "People now know the risks and dangers of algorithms," he says, "but they can't really escape them through traditional social media platforms." 

Though some of these niche platforms imitate traditional social media, many cater to users who don't want to spend hours scrolling: BeReal embraces ephemerality, allowing users to take one photo a day, while WeAre8 gives people eight minutes of scrolling time a day. Users are taking to these ideas – BeReal’s member base increased 315% between January and April alone. 

Social media continues to evolve at such a quick pace that the most popular community-based offering may not yet exist – but such a platform will most likely emerge in 2023 now that an appetite has been established. In 12 months' time, the social media landscape could look very different, as users seek out safer, more welcoming communities. –– Emma Hudson

💡 Looking for more on the future of social media? Follow Ben Jeffries, Natalia Cortazar and Lindsey Gamble

More nations will give animals, trees and rivers the rights of people

In 2023, as world leaders negotiate measures to protect the natural world from the climate crisis, nations will give equal rights to animals, trees and rivers. This will transform these elements of our natural world from legal objects to legal subjects, imbuing them with rights that courts can enforce. 

"Instead of having laws that only limit human actions with respect to nature, which is the way environmental law works now, nature would have the right to enforce its own rights," says Dr Erin O'Donnell, water law and policy specialist and fellow at the University of Melbourne.

A few nations have already led the way. New Zealand, the US, Bolivia, Ecuador and Bangladesh have granted rights to elements of the natural world. In New Zealand, the Whanganui river was granted personhood in 2017, meaning it can now sue those who pollute it, and in 2019, Bangladesh declared all of its rivers should be treated as people. Companies are also tapping into the movement: in September 2022, Edinburgh-based Faith In Nature appointed a nature director to its board, to represent the natural world in the eco beauty company's business strategy.

Such an extension of rights could have major implications for how companies and governments operate. In the US, the Sauk-Suiattle tribe is suing the city of Seattle through tribal court on behalf of salmon. The tribe argues the city's plans for a new dam will block the fish from their spawning ground. The case could pave the way for future similar cases. –– Polly Dennison

💡 Looking for more on regeneration and the policy movements to protect the natural world? Follow Minou Schillings, Tijn Tjoelker and David Carlin

We'll embrace faith-based inclusion 

2023 will finally be the year that the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) space wakes up to the importance of 'faith-based inclusion'. As workplaces become more diverse, the corresponding increase in religious diversity is too often forgotten. Our planet will have 2.3 billion more religiously affiliated people by 2050, compared with just 0.1 billion more religiously unaffiliated people.

While the importance of faith-based inclusion has long been recognised, there's still a long road to travel for employers to reach this destination. Research in the UK suggests Muslims face some of the the highest levels of job discrimination.

Zero tolerance should be a given: what employees are looking for is employers to 'get' the importance faith plays in both their personal and professional lives. In the UK, 91% of HR managers thought their organisation promoted an understanding of diversity and inclusion on religion and belief, but only 25% of workers agreed this was the case. 

Perception versus reality is important here, and organisations are beginning to recognise this gap and close it. New policies will accommodate religious inclusion, ensure training is made available to improve religious literacy and empower staff faith group contributions more prominently. It can be done. Salesforce is an early adopter of how to embed faith-based inclusion at events, from everything from timing (avoiding religious holidays) and logistics (providing a multi-faith room) to catering (offering alternatives). Meanwhile, the Bar Standards Board has produced a practical toolkit aimed at increasing faith-based inclusivity amongst the barrister profession. 

A truly inclusive DEI space and workplace can no longer afford to keep faith on the outside. –– Sal Naseem, regional director for London at the Independent Office for Police Conduct, independent advisor on EDI for the Electoral Commission and Tell MAMA board member. 

💡 Looking for more on DEI in the workplace? Follow Shereen Daniels and Suraiya Rasheed

The school-to-work path will be turned on its head

University fees are eye-wateringly expensive, the cost of living is starting to bite and graduates are facing an unemployment rate of 12% (which equates to about 96,000 unemployed graduates every academic year). That’s compared to September 2022's UK overall unemployment rate of 3.6%.

Those factors alone may be convincing young people that going to university isn't the best financial start in life. Coupled with that, we're also seeing workplaces offer education benefits, so people can start work first and then get an education, or "learn while they earn".

This has come about in part because businesses are recognising that offering benefits outside of your salary is a game-changer in terms of attracting, engaging and retaining great talent – and that those benefits need to be better than a pool table and Friday beers. Employees are likely to be more content as learning is linked to happiness, and in turn that means a more productive and positive workplace. It's a win-win.

While businesses offering educational opportunities to staff members may not be a new concept, more companies are adding this perk to their suite of employee benefits and this will become even more commonplace in 2023.

This is tempting people to join the workforce rather than go to university, whether that's in entry-level jobs, paid internships or apprenticeships. On a practical level, it makes absolute sense. You get a solid financial start to your career while also having access to further education should you want it, and likely also a personal development plan and career growth. You're also demonstrating your commitment to a company and a strong work ethic – both attributes that employers look for. –– Victoria McLean, CEO of City CV and Hanover Talent Solutions

💡 Looking for more on nontraditional career paths? Follow Helen Tupper, Felicity Halstead and Dan Mian

We will extract carbon dioxide from the air by just doing what we’re doing

The concept of extracting carbon dioxide from the air isn't new. Governments and industries around the world are building and planting direct carbon capture installations and algae farms to draw out and store carbon. But what if we could all contribute to this goal by integrating carbon capture tech into our daily routine?

Earlier this year, the Eindhoven University of Technology unveiled an electric car that extracts more carbon than it emits, capturing CO2 from the air as it drives and purifying it through a special filter. Eindhoven students are now working to introduce the technology to other vehicles. "Imagine the potential: buses, planes, boats and motorcycles could be reducing our carbon footprint instead of adding to it," says team lead Louise de Laat.

These efforts go way beyond transportation, though. Already, solar panels and street art paintings are absorbing carbon dioxide. And with fashion brands like H&M getting in on the act, we may soon be sucking CO2 out of the air with our clothes. The added bonus: Extracted carbon can be used to make vodka, activewear and even diamonds.

In the battle against climate change, what role will carbon capture play? On its own, it won't have enough impact, de Laat says. "But if we combine it with other solutions, like planting trees and renewable energy, it can contribute a lot." –– Melvin Captein

💡 Looking for more on the environment? Follow Thomas Panton, Tara Shirvani, PhD and Gihan A.M Hyde

We’ll learn to hang out at work, without the office

The question of how to optimise the hybrid office is still open for debate. Companies that figure out how to increase informal conversations for the purpose of learning and development will be the ones to thrive in the continued hybrid environment. 

Informal conversations take the form of quick conversations in the hallway or in the backseat of a cab on the way to the airport. While most research has focused on the importance of these interactions for belonging, these interactions are also critically important for learning and development. 

Some businesses are already catching on. Studies show that hybrid management consulting firms that schedule remote 15-minute, no-agenda meetings between interns and managers are more likely to retain their interns. Managers who leave five to 15 minutes at the end of hybrid meetings for open conversation end up with less misalignment between senior and junior staff and faster onboarding to projects. 

In highly technical professions like data science, virtual team rooms could become a requirement. Every day, remote teams could join the same Zoom room without video. They could chat with each other throughout the day and leave recordings of themselves fixing code in real-time.  

Firms that stay ahead in hybrid will be intentional about how they use the virtual office – and be sure to schedule time for informal interactions – not just for the water cooler chat but also for learning. –– Ashley Whillans, assistant professor at Harvard Business School and author of "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life"

💡 Looking for more on the future of hybrid work? Follow Molly Johnson-Jones and Erika Brodnock

Taxis will take to the skies, for the wealthy

Imagine an electric-powered drone big enough to carry people that flies you to a destination autonomously. They're known as eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing), and they are coming to a city near you. 

There are about 300 eVTOL designs in development around the world and the industry has attracted more than $6bn in private investment in the past two years. Although no designs have been certified by regulators, earlier this year, California-based Joby Aviation received one of three certifications it needs from the US Federal Aviation Administration to begin commercial operations, slated for 2025. France is also testing air taxis with the aim of providing an eVTOL service during the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Global airlines are already lining up with orders. In September, United Airlines signed a conditional $15m pre-purchase agreement with Eve Air Mobility for at least 200 aircraft. 

To start with, air taxis will likely be a plaything for the wealthy. "The first adopters for every major mobility revolution have always been wealthy people," says Jack Withinshaw, co-founder of London-based Airspeeder. "We've seen it in the automotive industry, the aviation industry and we're experiencing it now in … space travel."

Other early uses could include tourism, medical transport (especially to and from remote areas) and sport. Airspeeder has partnered with Australia's Alauda Aeronautics to build eVTOLs for an air racing league. Airspeeder will hold an offibcial race series in 2023 using remote-piloted eVTOLs, and plans to follow that up with a piloted series in 2024. –– Marty McCarthy

💡 Looking for more on mobility? Follow Roger Atkins, Jason Pritchard and Hanna Poole

What Big Ideas do you think will emerge in the year ahead? Share your thoughts with #BigIdeas2023.

Reported and proofread by: Emma Hudson

Creator Manager: Patrick Shea-Stamford

Managing Editor: Emily Spaven

Special Projects Leads: Marie Malzac (EMEA), Michele Pierri (International)

Regional Lead: Julien Wettstein

International Executive Editor: Sandrine Chauvin