Future of Work Executive Learning Journey

Understanding the future of work is not a matter of abstract forecasting; it requires direct exposure to the places where transformation is already unfolding at scale. 

Shenzhen, a global technology hub in Southeastern China, stands as one of the world’s most dynamic laboratories of change. From AI and automation to emerging skills ecosystems, platform-based work, industrial upgrading, and demographic transitions, Shenzhen offers a unique point for leaders seeking to understand how work—and, consequently, labour markets—are being reshaped, and how to respond strategically. 

This journey will explore  

• the realities of rapid ecological and technological skills shifts   
• how traditional industrial relations are evolving under the pressure of technological acceleration 
• the implications and governance challenges of algorithmic management 
• the policy and business responses to demographic change 

Designed as a strategic foresight experience, this executive learning journey combines curated exposure, visits to leading Chinese companies, expert dialogue, peer exchange, and structured reflection. It enables business leaders to interpret emerging trends, challenge assumptions, and translate insights into actionable strategies. 

Using Shenzhen—a megacity that has transformed from the world’s low-cost assembly hub into a global epicentre of automation in just three decades—as a living laboratory, participants will decode both the speed and the systemic consequences of the transitions shaping the future of work. 

Few places illustrate the future of work more vividly than Shenzhen.

A global technology hub in Southeastern China, Shenzhen stands as one of the world’s most dynamic laboratories of change and offers a one-of-a-kind window into the future of work, learning and innovation. From AI and automation to emerging skills ecosystems, platform-based work, industrial upgrading, and demographic transitions, Shenzhen offers a unique entry for leaders seeking to understand how work—and, consequently, labour markets—are being reshaped, and how to respond strategically.

In just three decades, Shenzhen has transformed from the world’s low-cost assembly hub into a global epicentre of automation, innovation, advanced manufacturing and technological entrepreneurship. Today, the city is home to global technology leaders, cutting-edge research institutions and some of the most advanced applications of artificial intelligence, robotics and digital platforms.

Using Shenzhen as a living laboratory, participants will decode both the speed and the systemic consequences of the transitions shaping the future of work. 

This is not a conventional exposure visit. It is a curated executive journey built around eight guiding threads and three methodological pillars. 

GUIDING THREADS

New models of leadership and organization 

• Workforce transformation and reskilling 
• Green transitions 
• Innovation ecosystems 
• Open-source factory 
• Workplace protection in the “gig economy” 
• Evolution of industrial relations 

METHODOLOGICAL PILLARS

Our methodological pillars frame our complementary approach, transforming the journey into a strategic learning experience where participants can translate insights into concrete outcomes for their organisations and professional contexts.  

1. On-the-ground inspiration

Participants will 

• Visit at least 5 top Chinese Companies based in Shenzhen.
  For the full details about the learning trip, please contact us at learninginnovation@itcilo.org
• Curated immersion into the world largest electronics market and Mawan Smart Port

2. Strategic foresight

Before the China visit, participants will engage in a structured preparatory phase combining selected pre-readings and guided reflections to identify signals of change, interpret key drivers, and consider their implications for the future of their organisations. This phase shifts participants from passive observation to active sensemaking and provides the foundation for the scenario-development work during the visit. By linking on-the-ground observations to broader strategic questions about transformation and adaptation, the pre-journey phase ensures the visit becomes part of a wider futures-oriented learning process, aligned with ITCILO’s “Learning in Motion” approach.

Using a structured foresight methodology, participants will:

• identify signals of change
• cluster them into strategic driving forces
• explore future scenarios and impact in their own countries 
• reflect on the implications for leadership, business models, national markets (back home) and international markets 

3. Actionable executive outcomes

The journey is designed to produce more than inspiration. 

Starting from the Chinese case, participants will discuss potential evolutions of the New Social Contract and explore how institutions can build human-centred, sustainable frameworks for a fairer society. Participants leave with:

• sharper strategic insight
• a clearer language for discussing future transitions
• a set of implications for their organization or market

a concrete output capturing key signals, scenarios and leadership reflections 

This programme is designed for: 

• CEOs and senior executives 
• Corporate strategy and innovation leaders 
• Senior HR, learning and transformation executives 
• Employers and Business Membership Organizations leaders 

The ITCILO preferably organizes Executive Learning Journeys for groups of business leaders from the same country, in close collaboration with the national employers’ organization. 

To ensure deep interactions and meaningful discussions, the ideal format brings together two or three national groups, each composed of 8–10 participants. A selected group ensures meaningful conversations, trusted exchanges and high-value networking. This mirrors the premium small-group format used by leading executive immersion programmes, which emphasize curated access and peer learning. 

Pre-journey

A light-touch executive preparation phase to align expectations, frame key questions and introduce the future-of-work transitions lens.

In China

A five-day immersive learning experience combining:

• curated company and ecosystem visits
• dialogues with innovators, policymakers and academic actors
• keynote inputs and facilitated reflection
• foresight workshops and peer exchange

Post-journey

A focused follow-up moment to consolidate insights, identify strategic implications and capture key takeaways for action.

Each executive national group will co-produce a concise output, such as: 

• Future of Work Signals from China 
  A curated set of emerging signals and trends observed during the journey. 
• Executive Implications Brief 
  A short synthesis of what leaders should start, stop or rethink now. 
• Strategic policies briefs  
  A reflection on policies and frameworks businesses should advocate for to ensure a sustainable, fair, and competitive transition. 

A premium learning experience for executives 

Participants can expect: 

• a curated, high-level programme 
• expert moderation and facilitation 
• access to relevant organizations and thought leaders 
• a trusted cohort of peers 
• a strong link between insight, reflection and executive action