A new survey of employees' views in the public and private sectors found that 75 per cent were willing to increase their responsibilities, accept new technologies and upskill.

However, the same survey found that employees' willingness to accept change was not being reciprocated by management in terms of informing or consulting employees concerning change.

The survey, conducted by the ESRI on behalf of the Forum on the Workplace of the Future, also found evidence of a serious opportunities divide in the workplace, linked to educational attainment and social class.

A related survey found three out of four private sector employers were feeling under intense pressure. Insurance costs were the biggest source of pressure. Innovation was seen as the most appropriate response to pressure, with 80 per cent of respondents saying they were introducing new products and increasing marketing promotion.

More than half of public sector employers surveyed believed their inability to reward individual performance was a barrier while 40 per cent regretted they could not deal with underachievers.

Also 80 per cent of the public sector employers surveyed felt the centralisation of finance and HR systems was a barrier, or major barrier, to organisational change. The survey involved more than 5,000 respondents.