The think tanks and the World Economic Forum for advocacy organizations predict a strong demand for skills to automate what AI can do, in addition to the strong growth of jobs that AI cannot replace.
This week's ORG (WEF) has deleted its annual future Jobs report [PDF]based on a survey of more than 1,000 employers collectively representing more than 14 million workers across 22 industrial clusters and 55 economies.
Respondents told WEF that the three skills that are most in demand when hiring are AI and big data, network and cybersecurity, and overall technology literacy.
“Half of employers will redirect their businesses in response to AI. Two-thirds plan to hire talent with specific AI skills, while 40% hope to reduce the workforce that AI can automate tasks,” the report found.
Increased AI use is bad news for administrative and secretary workers, as other administrative roles that automation can easily replace are expected to see the sharpest decline in work numbers over the next five years.
That's scary, but it could be even worse. “On average, workers can expect two-fifths (39%) of their existing skill sets to be transformed or outdated between 2025 and 2030,” the report found. “However, this measure of 'skill instability' has been slower than the previous edition of the report, from a higher point of 2020, starting from 44% in 2023 and a 57% higher point in 2020 due to the pandemic. ”
The report also offers good news for people who have difficulty replacing computers. This is the form of prediction that the fastest growth in employment will lead to the forefront roles of farm workers, delivery drivers, construction workers, salespeople, food processing workers and more. Care economy jobs, including nursing professionals, social workers and personal care aides, are also expected to increase significantly. The same goes for the role of the education industry.
However, if you are an IT worker, if you are not accustomed to your skills in AI, big data or software development, you may be left behind. WEF also predicts strong employment growth in roles in robotics, autonomous systems and energy generation, and is expected to enjoy greater employment security for professionals in areas such as renewable energy engineering and electric vehicle technology.
The report assesses rising costs of living as the second most transformative trend, suggesting that it will cost 1.6 million people.
However, respondents' opinions suggest that those jobs will replace them.
“In the current trend over the 2025-2030 period, job creation and disruption due to structural labor market transformation is 22% of total jobs today, which is expected to involve the creation of new jobs, equivalent to 14% of 170 million jobs,” according to the report. “However, this growth is expected to be offset by a displacement equivalent to 8% (or 92 million) of current employment, resulting in a net increase of 7% (78 million jobs).”
Trade issues are also in the minds of employers, with over a fifth of those surveyed saying that increased trade and investment restrictions also form the business.
The report also mentions WEF's Chief Economist's outlook for September 2024. In this outlook, practitioners of gloomy science have predicted the short-term stability of the global economy, but have deteriorated in the long term, especially in developing countries. ®
