Artificial intelligence, upskilling, and an older workforce are a few of the workplace trends we're likely to see in 2018.

With unemployment at a 42-year low of 4.3pc, the jobs market remains competitive: the Office for National Statistics recently revealed that UK businesses are struggling to find workers as the pool of potential staff dries up.

As a result, employers are having to evolve and develop new strategies to attract top talent. Set against this, the broader outlook is relatively uncertain, with sluggish wages, rising inflation and concerns about Britain leaving the EU dominating the debate.

So what will the workplace of 2018 look like? Here are our five predictions...

1. There will be an increase in older workers

Soaring life expectancy is forcing many workers to delay their retirement and stay in employment longer. The reasons are two-fold: squeezed savings rates have diminished pension returns, putting additional pressures on retirement income, and older generations want to continue to stay active and stave off boredom and loneliness at home.

Many people already work well beyond the traditional retirement age. Almost 15pc of men and 8pc of women over 65 are currently in employment. The number of over-65s in work has almost doubled over the past 10 years and nearly tripled over the past two decades.