Business world faces radical changes with 'golden collars' redefining it

ISTANBUL

Stellantis Türkiye Chief Commercial Officer Ayça Furth predicts significant transformations in the business landscape over the next five years.

Out with the white collars, in with the “golden collars”—a new breed of worker poised to shake things up, according to Furth.

“The concept of white collars has been replaced by ‘golden collars’,” Furth said.

“Being a gold collar is not about understanding a little bit of everything, but about knowing a job deeply.”

As the talent pool shrinks, she predicts these deep-diving experts will carve out their own brands, leveling the playing field for companies hungry for top-tier skills.

The numbers back her up. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report, the global labor market will churn out 170 million new jobs by 2030—while 92 million fade away. It’s a radical makeover, and Furth sees it as a chance to rethink how businesses operate.

“Companies’ path to success lies not in controlling their employees more, but in making space for their originality,” she said.

“The white-collar concept, which deepens with experience, is being replaced by creative and courageous gold-collar workers who are aware of their own limits.” She’s dubbed it the “White Collar Freedom Manifesto”—a bold, human-centered twist on the old corporate grind.

Furth’s not just talking big-picture trends—she’s got a game plan.

“In the traditional business world, there are businesses that do the same job with a high number of employees,” she noted.

“However, as Stellantis, which serves as a foreign investor and mobility provider in the Turkish automotive industry, we can achieve the same success with a small team of experts.”

The trick? Matching the right person to the right role, ditching bloated teams for lean, mean efficiency.

Also, golden collars won’t be chained to one desk.

“Individuals will now be able to work in more than one company at the same time,” Furth explained.

“They will work 3 days a week in one company and 1 day in another. Some days, They will even spend time in nature without working at all.”

She’s convinced these freewheeling experts will transform business life.

“In the new business world where the talent market is shrinking, golden collars will create their own brands,” she added.

“This will create opportunities for many organizations to have equal access to talent.”

Türkiye’s already stepping up, Furth says, with a flexible workforce catching global eyes.

Artificial intelligence is the secret sauce for this formula.

“Artificial intelligence is becoming a necessity for both employees and leaders,” she said.

Stellantis is collaborating with Silicon Valley on a cutting-edge project—digital twins to streamline hiring.

“We are currently working with an initiative in Silicon Valley on how we can make recruitment processes more efficient by creating our digital twins,” she shared.

“While the amount of data that the human mind can read or analyze is limited, using artificial intelligence in the process of finding the right person for a position is an exciting step for us.”

Her takeaway? “We believe that the working model we derive from here will transform the way of doing business all over the world in the near future.”

From unshackling talent to embracing AI, Furth’s vision is reflecting a business world on the brink of reinvention.