Drawing on data from more than 1,000 companies, the report finds that the skills gap remains the most significant barrier to business transformation today.
Changing global trends in technology, economics, demographics and ecological transition are expected to generate 170 million new jobs by 2030, while eliminating 92 million positions, says a new report from the World Economic Forum (FEM).
Titled “Future of Jobs Report 2025,” the report estimates that some of the fastest growing jobs are in technology, data and artificial intelligence (AI), but are also expected to affect critical roles in the economy, including including delivery drivers, care workers, educators and agricultural workers. Among the skills that will grow the fastest between now and 2030 are technology skills as well as people skills, such as cognitive skills and collaboration.
Drawing on data from more than 1,000 companies, the report finds that the skills gap remains the most significant barrier to business transformation today. And to indicate that almost 40% of the skills required in the workplace are set to change and 63% of employers already cite this deficit as the main obstacle they face.
Technology skills in AI, big data and cybersecurity are expected to see rapid growth in demand, but human skills, such as creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, will remain essential. “It will be increasingly crucial to combine these two types of skills in a rapidly changing jobs market” while collective action across the public, private and education sectors “is urgently needed” to fill growing skills gaps, say the report’s authors.
Professions in decline, others will emerge
According to the WEF report, frontline jobs, including agricultural workers, delivery drivers and construction workers, are expected to see the highest growth in absolute terms by 2030. Significant increases are also predicted for jobs in care, such as nursing, and education, such as secondary school teachers, with demographic trends driving demand growth across all essential sectors.
Furthermore, advances in AI, robotics and energy systems, particularly in the field of renewable energy and environmental engineering, are expected to increase demand for specialist positions in these fields of application.
On the other hand, occupations such as those performed by cashiers and administrative assistants as well as graphic designers will experience rapid decline. However, the crucial problem in the coming years, according to the report, remains the skills gap for transforming businesses in response to global macrotrends.
63% of employers consider it to be the main obstacle to the sustainability of their activities. Many employees are expected to need reskilling or upskilling by 2030. Which means those who don’t will be at risk of redundancy in the medium term.
Additionally, AI is reshaping business models, with nearly half of employers planning to shift staff from functions exposed to AI disruption to other areas of their business; an opportunity to alleviate skills shortages while reducing the human cost of technological transformation.
Finally, the rising cost of living is another key driver of the changing labor market, with half of employers expecting it to transform business models. Although global inflation has fallen, price pressures and slowing economic growth are expected to result in the loss of 6 million jobs worldwide by 2030.
These challenges increase the demand for resilience, agility, flexibility and creative thinking. Demographic changes and geopolitical tensions will also reshape the labor market. Pressures which will also increase the demand for skills, such as cybersecurity.
