WEF Report: Shifting Global Trends to Generate 170m New Jobs by 2030, Displace 92m Others

•Says urgent upskilling needed to prepare workforce

Dike Onwuamaeze

The World Economic Forum (WEF) “Future of Jobs Report 2025” has projected that shifting global trends in technology, economy, demographics and the green transition would generate 170 million new jobs by 2030, while displacing 92 million others.

The report released January 7 also stated that some of the fastest-growing jobs would be found in technology, data and AI, adding that the fastest growing skills by 2030 would include technological skills alongside human skills, such as cognitive skills and collaboration.

The WEF report said, “Extrapolating from predictions shared by Future of Jobs Survey respondents, on current trends over the 2025 to 2030 period job creation and destruction due to structural labour-market transformation will amount to 22 per cent of today’s total jobs.

“This is expected to entail the creation of new jobs equivalent to 14 per cent of today’s total employment, amounting to 170 million jobs.

“However, this growth is expected to be offset by the displacement of the equivalent of 8.0 per cent (or 92 million) of current jobs, resulting in net growth of 7.0 per cent of total employment, or 78 million jobs.”

The report said the top fastest growing jobs included big data specialists, FinTech engineers, AI and machine learning specialists, software and applications developers, security management specialists and data warehousing specialists.

Others were autonomous and electric vehicle specialists, UI and UX designers, light truck or delivery services drivers, Internet of Things Specialists, data analysts and scientists, environmental engineers, information security analysts, DevOps engineers, and renewable energy engineers.

The report also said the top fastest declining jobs were postal service clerks, data entry clerks, bank tellers and related clerks, material-recording and stock-keeping clerks, door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers.

Others were accounting, bookkeeping and payroll clerks, administrative assistants and executive secretaries, legal secretaries, printing and related trade workers and legal officials, graphic designers, transportation attendants and conductors, cashiers and ticket clerks.

According to the report, technology trends that would be driving business transformation between 2025 and 2030 are AI and information processing technologies, robots and autonomous systems, energy generation, storage and distribution, new materials and composites, semiconductors and computing technologies, sensing, laser and optical technologies, quantum and encryption, biotechnology and gene technologies, as well as satellites and space technologies.

Analysing the job market in 2030, the report said frontline roles, including farmworkers, delivery drivers and construction workers, were poised to see the largest job growth in absolute terms by 2030.

The report stated: “Significant increases are also projected for care jobs, such as nursing professionals, and education roles, such as secondary school teachers, with demographic trends driving growth in demand across essential sectors.

“Meanwhile, advances in AI, robotics and energy systems – notably in renewable energy and environmental engineering – are expected to increase demand for specialist roles in these fields.

“But roles such as cashiers and administrative assistants remain among the fastest declining but are now joined by roles including graphic designers as generative AI rapidly reshapes the labour market.”

It added that skills gap would continue to be the most significant obstacle to business transformation in response to global macro trends.  

The report said, “If the global workforce were represented by a group of 100 people, 59 are projected to require reskilling or upskilling by 2030 even though 11 of them are unlikely to receive it; this translates to over 120 million workers at medium-term risk of redundancy.

“While technology skills in AI, big data and networks and cybersecurity are expected to see the fastest growth in demand, human skills such as analytical thinking, cognitive skills, resilience, leadership and collaboration will remain critical core skills.

“A combination of both skillsets will increasingly be required by many growing jobs.”

WEF  emphasised that collective action in the public, private and education sectors was urgently needed to address the growing skills gaps. According to Managing Director of World Economic Forum, Ms. Saadia Zahidi, the disruptions of recent years have underscored the importance of foresight and collective action.

Zahidi said, “We hope this report will inspire an ambitious, multi stakeholder agenda – one that equips workers, businesses, governments, educators and civil society to navigate the complex transitions ahead.”

Head of Work, Wages and Job Creation at WEF, Mr. Till Leopold, said, “Trends such as generative AI and rapid technological shifts are upending industries and labour markets, creating both unprecedented opportunities and profound risks.

“The time is now for businesses and governments to work together, invest in skills and build an equitable and resilient global workforce.”