On January 7, 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published its 5th edition of “Future of Jobs Report 2025 – Insights Report January 2025,” revealing that job disruption will equate to 22% of jobs by 2030 globally. This transformation is driven by technological advancements, demographic changes, economic pressures, and geopolitical tensions.
- The report forecasts the creation of 170 million new jobs and the displacement of 92 million, leading to a net increase of 78 million jobs.
- This analysis is based on the perspectives of over 1,000 global employers, representing more than 14 million workers from 55 economies.
- The report highlights key macrotrends shaping jobs and skills and discusses the workforce transformation strategies that companies will adopt from 2025 to 2030.
Skill Demand and the Need for Reskilling:
By 2030, around 40% of existing skills are expected to become outdated. Employers recognize that skill gaps are a major barrier to business transformation, with 63% of employers identifying this issue.
- According to the report, if the global workforce were composed of 100 people, 59 would need training by 2030.
- However, 11 of these workers are unlikely to receive the necessary training, putting them at risk of redundancy.
- To meet the demand for emerging roles, 85% of employers plan to prioritize workforce upskilling, with 70% seeking talent with new skills.
Highlights of the Report:
i.Broadening Digital Access: By 2030, 60% of employers expect expanding digital access to transform their businesses.
- This trend, coupled with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), information processing, and robotics, will drive the creation of new roles and change existing job functions.
- AI and big data is expected to be the leading catalyst for these shifts.
ii.Impact of Advancing Technologies: AI and robotics are among the top technologies anticipated to be transformative.
- 86% of employers foresee AI and information processing to have a profound impact, followed by 58% anticipating the influence of robotics and automation.
- Additionally, 41% of employers expect advancements in energy generation, storage, and distribution to drive transformations.
iii.Economic Shifts: The rising cost of living is the 2nd-most transformative trend, with 50% of employers expecting it to reshape businesses by 2030.
- The global inflation is expected to decrease, the general economic slowdown will continue to affect 42% of businesses.
- These economic factors are predicted to displace 1.6 million jobs globally, while also driving demand for roles requiring creative thinking, resilience, and agility.
- Employers are expected to face job displacement globally, with an estimated 92 million jobs being lost by 2030, despite an expected 7% net growth in total employment, creating 78 million new jobs.
iv.Climate Change Mitigation: Climate-related trends are the 3rd-most transformative trends that are expected to drive demand for roles in renewable energy, environmental engineering, and electric vehicles.
- These roles are expected to grow alongside climate change adaptation, with 47% of employers expecting it to transform their businesses in the next 5 years.
Fastest Growing and Declining Roles:
i.Fastest Growing Jobs:
- Frontline job roles include Farmworkers, Delivery Drivers, Construction Workers, Salespersons, and Food Processing Workers.
- Technology-related roles such as Big Data Specialists, FinTech Engineers, AI & Machine Learning Specialists, and Software Developers.
- Green transition jobs like Autonomous & Electric Vehicle Specialists,Environmental Engineers and Renewable Energy Engineers.
- Care economy jobs, such as Nursing Professionals and Social Work roles, will grow as populations age.
ii.Fastest Declining Jobs:
- Clerical and secretarial roles, including Cashiers and Ticket Clerks, Administrative Assistants and Executive Secretaries are expected to see the largest decline in absolute numbers.
- Similarly, businesses expect the fastest-declining roles to include Postal Service Clerks, Bank Tellers and Data Entry Clerks.
About World Economic Forum (WEF):
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Børge Brende
Headquarters- Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland
Established – 1971
