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The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 was released two weeks ago and it’s already captured plenty of headlines

The report surveyed more than 1,000 companies worldwide—representing 22 industry clusters and more than 14 million workers—to assess the job market and uncover how organisations expect it to evolve between now and 2030.

A selection of the headline results are:

  • Global macro trends will create about 170 million new jobs this decade (equivalent to 14% of today’s employment) while 92 million roles will be displaced by these same trends, leading to a net employment increase of 78 million jobs.
  • Growing digital access is expected to create 19 million jobs by 2030 and replace 9 million.
  • AI and data processing alone will create 11 million roles and replace 9 million.
  • Robots and automation, meanwhile, are forecast to displace 5 million more jobs than they create.
  • The fastest growing jobs (in percentage terms, see list above) are dominated by those that leverage and support AI capabilities while the job categories most under threat are those that GEN AI has already taken over large parts of what humans have been doing in those roles.
  • The largest increases in job numbers (see list below) are in many traditional jobs, such as farmworkers, drivers, tradespeople, nurses, teachers and social workers.
  • 39% of workers’ key skills are expected to change by 2030 and technological skills are projected to grow in importance more rapidly than any others in the next five years.
  • Technological skills are projected to grow in importance more rapidly than any other skills in the next five years. AI and big data are at the top of the list, followed by networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy.
  • Creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, and agility are also rising in importance, along with curiosity and lifelong learning. Leadership and social influence, talent management, analytical thinking, and environmental stewardship round out the top 10 skills on the rise.
  • Analytical thinking remains the most sought- after core skill among employers, with seven out of 10 companies considering it as essential in 2025.
  • Skill gaps are categorically considered the biggest barrier to business transformation, with 63% of employers identifying them as a major barrier over the 2025- 2030 period.
  • The potential for expanding talent availability by tapping into diverse talent pools is highlighted by four times more employers (47%) than two years ago (10%).

Of particular interest to me was the Business Practises to Increase Talent Availability 2025 – 2030. The top six practises were:

  1. Supporting employee health and well being (nominated by 64% of respondents)
  2. Providing effective reskilling and upskilling (63%)
  3. Improving talent progression and promotion processes (62%)
  4. Offering higher wages (50%)
  5. Tapping into diverse talent pools (47%)
  6. Offering remote and hybrid work opportunities within countries (43%)

I see little evidence locally for significant progress in numbers 3, 4 and 5 and remain skeptical about substantial executive support for these practises.

I hope I’m wrong but there seems very little appetite for a majority of Australian employers to significant improve the efficacy of their talent practises, even with unemployment hovering four per cent.

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sharon vandermeer

Great blog full of awesome data and info – thanks Ross

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