An Oracle software demo just showed me what a truly global workforce might look like.

At the HR Technology Conference and Exposition this week in Chicago, Oracle presented a test version of its WebCenter technology, which can allow employees to set up informal networks devoted to a particular topic, as well as alert colleagues about job openings.

It’s noteworthy that Oracle is keeping abreast of the push for more peer-to-peer interaction in the work world. But in a way, the more intriguing aspect of the demo was its international flavor.

Gretchen Alarcon, Oracle’s vice president for human capital management strategy, showed audience members how a U.S. employee of a fictitious software firm might link up with a colleague based in Shanghai on the basis of a shared work interest. As part of that cross-Pacific bonding, Alarcon had the Shanghai employee zap information on a job opening to the U.S. worker. The U.S. employee applied and landed the position.

What struck me was how nonchalantly the hypothetical U.S. employee decided to move to Shanghai. Of course, that was partly a result of the way the software demo condenses time. Alarcon didn’t call attention to details like visa hurdles, whether an expatriate compensation package would be involved and the way a real employee would wrestle with issues like leaving family and friends for what could be an extended stint, or the health impacts of China’s air pollution.

But it seems to me Oracle’s presentation could be a window into a future of ever easier and ever increasing globe-hopping by workers. When I graduated from college nearly 20 years ago, spending a few years in New York was a common adventure. Now we’re reading about U.S. college grads going to India to work in its tech sector for a spell.

Speaking of the shrinking globe: On the flight from San Francisco to Chicago, I was sitting next to Amy Wilson, director of human capital management strategy for Oracle, who was largely responsible for the WebCenter demo. We realized that we grew up in the Buffalo area, attended the same high school and have the same sad memories of the Bills losing Super Bowls. Small world indeed.