For all but a few, work has been something people have been obliged to do, rather than chose to do. But as productivity continues to rise, choices proliferate.
For an increasing number of people, work can combine effort and purpose. Any activity requiring deliberate intention and action to achieve a valuable purpose is work – whether compensated financially or not.
With the advancement of AI, and its ability to increase economic productivity and make time for other pursuits, an increasing number of individuals can now pursue vocation as a career.
In this episode of The Better Question podcast, EYQ Fellow Chris Meyer and Yassmin Abdel-Magied are joined by Aaron Maniam, Senior Principal Researcher, Singapore Civil Service College, and Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine.
In a world increasingly influenced by AI and digital technology, the two guests discuss the meaning of work and its value and risks to society to help business leaders remain attractive to the future workforce.
Our relationship with work will fundamentally shift from something we need to do to live, to something we choose to do, based on an individual sense of vocation and purpose. If companies need the services of people motivated by a purpose, they will come to ask what their vocations are as well.
Learning outcomes
- Individuals will develop multiple skills and talents, providing them with multiple options – namely where they work, and for how long – creating challenges for how the work of a company gets done.
- Changes happening in the way work gets done today will lead to a new set of social arrangements about how value is created and distributed in the future.
- If increased expectations are to be met, organizations will need to consider how gains from new technology get evenly and fairly distributed.
- Organizations will have to make their transformation projects work harder and be more attractive to an increasingly purpose-driven workforce.
For your convenience, full text transcript of this podcast is also available. Read the transcript.
Presenters

Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Writer, engineer and broadcaster
Christopher Meyer
Author. Innovator. Consultant. Entrepreneur.Organizers
Gautam Jaggi
Director, Global Insights, Research Institute | Global Markets – EY KnowledgePodcast
Episode 10
Duration 30m 05s
In this series
Series overviewHow will personal purpose shape the future of work?
Episode 10
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Episode 09
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Episode 08
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Episode 07
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Episode 06
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Episode 05
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EY Global Health Sciences and Wellness Industry Leader and Life Sciences Industry Leader
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Episode 04
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Episode 03
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