From ChatGPT to DALL-E and all the technologies in between, the new wave of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) systems is transforming business at a rapid pace. While employees are optimistic about how AI—and generative AI, in particular—will affect their work, feelings vary considerably by seniority and by country, according to new research released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

A decade ago, women’s economic participation grew in many countries and Africa was making significant strides in closing the gender gap. Since 2016, however, a wave of macro-economic challenges, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, has caused women’s economic participation to decline more in Africa than in other parts of the world. 

Most companies report that their workforce includes relatively few employees with disabilities: just 4% to 7% on average. But in a major survey by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) of nearly 28,000 employees in 16 countries (across all regions and various industries) some 25% of people globally and 24% of South African respondents said they have a disability or health condition that limits a major life activity.

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, global and South African employers are still feeling the impact of the Great Resignation. Over three-quarters of South African employees (77%) are actively looking for a new job, and it’s not easy to win over top talent, especially in high-demand fields.

The effects of climate change are widespread, rapid, and intensifying. In a new report, Boston Consulting Group has examined how education can improve climate literacy, impact behavioural change, and be an integral element of other systemic initiatives to combat climate change.

One of the major legacies of the pandemic is an expectation by workers that they will be allowed to work remotely more often, according to a new study Decoding Global Ways of Working by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, including local partner organisation CareerJunction, which included almost 209,000 participants in 190 countries and 1,421 in South Africa. It’s the second in a series of publications that BCG and The Network are releasing about the pandemic’s impact on worker preferences and expectations.