Background Work and working life are changing rapidly. The changes affect also occupational safety and health and well-being at work. The occupational safety and health administration should be aware and present actions which have to be taken by today in order to be able to meet the future challenges in time. The aim is to avoid undesired development, change the anticipated development or to achieve a course of development that is better than expected.

Description of the problem Several reviews considering changes in future’s working life have been published in Finland and elsewhere in the world. They have not, however, described changes from the perspective of occupational safety and health and well-being at work, nor proposed any actions to be taken by the occupational safety and health administration. The Working Life 2025 review which the occupational safety and health administration drew up responds to this need.

Results The future review looks at working life comprehensively starting from the question what kind of work will be done and who will be the future employees and ends up considering the employees’ health and safety at work, well-being at work and the effects of new technologies on work.

Conclusions The technological development is more and more quickly, the risks of occupational safety and health are changing and they grow ever more complex as well as totally new risks will arise. The working life in future needs widely recognised perspective and flexibility. The diversification and the polarisation of the working life require a change also of the occupational safety and health administration.