Need to Know
10 : 01 : 22

US – With Tax Day looming on the horizon, financial service TurboTax is appealing to a new generation of gig workers with its You Do Your Thing campaign. Capitalising on the rise of self-employed workers in 2021, the playful campaign highlights the unconventional professions that have gained ground during the pandemic.

Shedding light on the shifting nature of self-employment, the campaign includes a crypto-investor, gamer, musician and influencer. By catering for professions that aren’t normally associated with – but are not exempt from – tax filing, the campaign is aiming to capture the 16% of Americans that have earned money for a ride-hailing app or delivering groceries during 2021. With 31% of current or recent gig workers relying on independent employment as their main source of income over the past 12 months, self-employment is becoming a more prominent feature of the American economic landscape.

By appealing to freelance workers that might need help navigating the complicated process of tax filing without the support of a traditional employer, TurboTax is aligning itself with the rise of Accredited Influencers.

Las Vegas – The device, which is being launched in the US market at the 2022 edition of CES, combines children’s love of video gaming with exposure to nature. Created as a set of hand-held devices that mirror the design of typical gaming controllers, Picoo uses coloured lights, haptics and sounds to bring outdoor games to life without the need for a screen.

To use Picoo, kids scan a card associated with a specific game – including Hide-and-seek, Zombierun and Spy Hunt – before the device springs to life. The concept, according to its founders, is to get kids off their screens and rediscovering the joys of playing outside and making social connections, albeit in a more interactive way than traditional schoolyard games. Originally launched in The Netherlands and now expanding into the US, it’s aimed at both at parents and schools.

Next-gen toys such as Picoo represent the need for brands to take inspiration from the gaming world and apply this interactivity to physical play. Find out more about how Gen Alpha are pioneering Edu-play-tion in our microtrend.

According to research from Natwest, British employees increasingly recognise the need to adapt in order to remain relevant. A majority (94%) of Britons agree that workers are likely to need a more diverse skillset in the businesses of the future.

Meanwhile, almost two thirds (64%) said their jobs would need to adapt within the next 10–15 years to keep up with new developments, but only 4% said that they thought their job would become totally obsolete. Interestingly, more than half of those polled (52%) said they would like to work with robots in 2036.

While global employees have previously shown reticence about automation and robotics in workplaces, these figures indicate people’s changing mindsets. To prepare for the changing needs of work environments, platforms such as The Internet of Skills are democratising work – and enabling remote collaboration – through 5G.