Jobs for bank tellers, tellers, postal workers and administrative assistants are among those projected to shrink by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report released ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. month
Overall, the World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that “job creation and job displacement” will account for 22% of today’s total jobs, and specifically 170 million jobs will be created, or 14% of current employment. is equal to This increase is expected to result in a net gain of 78 million jobs by 2030, offset by a loss of 92 million jobs.
The report is based on data from more than 1,000 leading global employers, representing more than 14 million employees in more than 20 fields in 55 global economies. The data looked at how macrotrends are affecting jobs and skills, and what strategies employers plan to implement to respond to the emerging work landscape in 2030.
According to the report, technological advances, demographic changes, geo-economic tensions, economic uncertainty and the green transition are the main drivers of these changes, which are expected to reshape industries and professions around the world.
Here is a summary of some key findings:
Jobs are decreasing
Clerical and secretarial workers, including cashiers, ticket clerks, administrative assistants, and executive secretaries, are expected to see the biggest drop in absolute numbers. The fastest declining roles are also expected to be postal service workers, bank clerks and data entry workers.
Jobs are predicted to increase
Frontline job roles are predicted to see the biggest growth in absolute terms, including: farmers, delivery drivers, construction workers, salespeople and food processing workers. Along with teachers, care economy jobs such as nurses, social workers, counselors and personal care assistants are also expected to grow significantly over the next five years.
Technological roles in the age of artificial intelligence
Technology-related roles are the fastest growing jobs by percentage and include: big data specialists, fintech engineers, AI and machine learning specialists, and software and application developers. Green and energy transition roles, including autonomous and electric vehicle specialists, environmental engineers and renewable energy engineers, are also among the fastest growing roles.
Skills most in demand by employers
The report also found that the most in-demand skills and growth areas are AI, big data and cybersecurity technology, with 41% of employers planning to make layoffs as AI automates existing tasks.
But human skills such as critical and creative thinking, including resilience, agility and flexibility, are still in high demand. In fact, it is analytical thinking the most a key skill sought after by employers, with 7 out of 10 companies naming it essential.
On average, employees can expect 39% of their existing skill sets to be replaced or obsolete over the next 5 years. However, “skills volatility” has slowed from 44% in 2023, as identified in the WEF’s Future of Jobs report. This is most likely due to “up-skilling” or additional training of employees.