The future of work is being reshaped by several big forces at the same time: faster digital change, artificial intelligence, automation, the green transition, higher living costs, slower economic growth in some places, geopolitical tensions, and major demographic shifts. These forces are not moving separately. They are overlapping, pushing businesses to change how they operate, what kinds of workers they need, what skills matter, and how people move through their careers. The overall message is not simply that technology will take jobs away, or that new jobs will automatically replace old ones. The picture is more mixed. Many jobs will grow, many will shrink, and many will change in ways that make training, redeployment, and better workforce planning much more important than before.

Digital access is one of the strongest drivers of change. As more people, businesses, and systems become connected, work becomes more digital, more data-driven, and more open to automation. Artificial intelligence and information-processing tools are expected to affect almost every sector, with generative AI making advanced technology easier for non-specialists to use. Robots and autonomous systems are also spreading, especially in manufacturing, logistics, transport, and other industries where machines can take on repeated or physically demanding tasks. At the same time, energy technologies, new materials, semiconductors, sensing technologies, quantum tools, biotechnology, and space technologies are all expected to influence parts of the economy. The biggest near-term impact, however, comes from AI, digital access, and automation because they touch so many jobs and tasks.

The labour market is expected to grow overall, but with a lot of churn. Across the jobs covered in the analysis, new job creation and job loss together are expected to affect about one fifth of current formal employment by 2030. The number of new jobs is expected to be larger than the number of jobs displaced, leaving a positive net gain. But that positive headline does not remove the difficulty of transition. Millions of people may need to move into different roles, learn new skills, or work alongside new technologies. Growth will not be evenly spread. Some workers will be in expanding fields, while others will be in jobs where demand is falling because software, AI, self-service systems, or automation can now do more of the work.

The fastest-growing jobs by percentage are mostly technology jobs. These include big data specialists, financial technology engineers, AI and machine learning specialists, software and application developers, data warehousing specialists, information security analysts, DevOps engineers, internet of things specialists, data analysts and scientists, and user experience designers. Security-related jobs are also growing because digital systems are more important and geopolitical risks are rising. Green and energy-related roles are also expanding, including renewable energy engineers, environmental engineers, sustainability specialists, electric and autonomous vehicle specialists, renewable energy technicians, and solar energy installation specialists. These roles show how the green transition is not only an environmental issue but also a labour-market issue.

In absolute numbers, many of the largest job gains are expected in everyday frontline and care roles rather than only in advanced technology roles. Farmworkers, delivery drivers, construction workers, shop salespersons, food processing workers, car and motorcycle drivers, food and beverage workers, nursing professionals, social workers, personal care aides, teachers, project managers, general operations managers, and software developers are all expected to add many jobs. This matters because the future of work is not only about coders and AI specialists. It also includes food systems, transport, building, healthcare, education, retail, and personal services. Many growing jobs are tied to basic needs, aging populations, rising demand for care, growing working-age populations in some regions, and the need to build and maintain infrastructure.

The jobs most likely to decline are concentrated in clerical, administrative, and routine information-processing work. Data entry clerks, bank tellers, postal service clerks, cashiers and ticket clerks, administrative assistants, executive secretaries, accounting and payroll clerks, material-recording clerks, telemarketers, legal secretaries, claims adjusters, and some printing-related roles are expected to shrink. These jobs are vulnerable because the tasks involved can often be standardized, digitized, automated, or shifted to self-service platforms. Some creative and professional support roles, such as graphic designers and legal secretaries, also face pressure as AI tools become better at producing drafts, images, summaries, and routine analysis. This does not mean that all human work in these areas disappears, but it does mean fewer people may be needed for the same tasks, and the remaining roles may require higher judgment, stronger client skills, or better ability to use digital tools.

An important question is not only whether machines replace people, but how people and machines work together. Today, nearly half of work tasks are still done mainly by people, with a smaller share done mainly by technology and another share done by people and technology together. By 2030, the balance is expected to be much more even. More tasks will be done by technology alone, and more will be done through human-machine collaboration. This shift can take two different paths. One path is deeper automation, where technology replaces human work. The other is augmentation, where technology helps people do more, make better decisions, work faster, or handle more complex tasks. The outcome will depend on business choices, worker training, job design, and public policy. If technology is used only to cut labour, disruption and inequality may grow. If it is used to raise human productivity and create better work, more people can share in the gains.

Technology is not the only force changing work. High living costs and economic uncertainty are pushing businesses to rethink prices, wages, productivity, staffing, and operating models. Even where inflation is easing, many households and companies still feel the pressure of higher costs. Slower growth can reduce hiring in some areas and lead firms to search for efficiency. At the same time, it can also increase demand for business development, sales, logistics, and AI-related roles that help organizations find new markets, lower costs, or improve operations. Economic pressure therefore creates both job loss and job growth, depending on whether a role is seen as a cost to reduce or a capability needed to adapt.

Geopolitical tension and fragmentation are also changing the labour market. Trade restrictions, industrial policy, subsidies, and conflict risks are leading some companies to rethink supply chains, where they locate work, and how much control they want over production. Some firms expect to reshore, nearshore, or friendshore parts of their operations, while others may still offshore where it helps them compete. These pressures raise demand for supply chain specialists, business intelligence analysts, business development professionals, strategic advisers, security managers, and cybersecurity workers. They also make resilience, leadership, flexibility, and global awareness more important because businesses need people who can operate in uncertain and divided conditions.

The green transition is another major source of change. Businesses expect investments in cutting emissions and adapting to climate change to reshape their operations. This is especially important in sectors such as energy, transport, construction, manufacturing, mining, metals, chemicals, agriculture, and infrastructure. Climate action is expected to create demand for environmental engineers, renewable energy engineers, sustainability specialists, electric vehicle specialists, energy engineers, and technicians who can install and maintain cleaner systems. It will also change existing jobs, especially in industries with high emissions or high exposure to climate risks. Workers will need green skills, but supply is not keeping up with demand. This means the green transition could create good opportunities, but only if training systems help people move into those jobs.

Demographic change is pulling labour markets in two directions. In many higher-income economies, populations are aging and the working-age population is shrinking. This creates pressure on healthcare, care services, pensions, and labour supply. It increases demand for nurses, personal care aides, social workers, healthcare managers, and workers who can support older populations. It may also push companies toward automation because there are fewer available workers. In many lower-income economies, the working-age population is growing. This can be a major advantage if enough good jobs are created, but it can also become a serious challenge if young people enter the labour market faster than economies can absorb them. Education, training, and job creation are therefore important to whether demographic change becomes an opportunity or a source of instability.

The skills picture is just as important as the jobs picture. Employers expect a large share of workers’ skills to change by 2030. The pace of disruption is slightly lower than in some earlier years, partly because more workers have already completed training and many companies have become more used to digital change. Even so, the scale is still large. If the global workforce were represented by 100 people, more than half would need some form of training by 2030. Many could be upskilled in their current jobs. Others could be trained and moved into different roles inside their organizations. But a significant group may not receive the training they need, leaving their employment prospects at risk.

Analytical thinking remains the most important core skill. Employers still need people who can understand problems, weigh evidence, and make sound decisions. But the next most important skills show that technical ability alone is not enough. Resilience, flexibility, agility, leadership, social influence, creative thinking, motivation, self-awareness, empathy, active listening, curiosity, lifelong learning, talent management, service orientation, and technological literacy all matter. The strongest future workers are likely to be those who combine human judgment with comfort using technology. The fastest-rising skills are AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, technological literacy, creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, curiosity, lifelong learning, leadership, talent management, analytical thinking, systems thinking, and environmental stewardship.

Some skills are expected to become less prevalent, especially manual dexterity, endurance, and precision where machines can take over repetitive physical tasks. Reading, writing, and mathematics remain basic and important, but some routine uses of these skills may be supported by AI. Dependability, attention to detail, and quality control remain useful, but employers expect other skills to grow faster. The difference between growing and declining jobs is especially clear in resilience, flexibility, resource management, operations, quality control, programming, technological literacy, and analytical thinking. In other words, workers moving into growing roles often need to be more adaptable, more comfortable with technology, and better able to manage complex work.

Generative AI is changing the skills debate because it can help with writing, summarizing, translating, coding, analyzing information, and producing drafts. But its limits are also important. Many skills still require physical presence, human judgment, trust, responsibility, empathy, creativity in context, and the ability to work with people. The most realistic near-term effect of AI is not full replacement across most skills, but a growing need for people to use AI well. Workers will need to know when AI is useful, when it is unreliable, how to check its output, how to ask better questions, and how to combine AI support with their own expertise. This makes AI literacy a general workplace skill, not only a specialist skill.

The biggest barrier to business transformation is the skills gap. Employers across most industries and economies say they cannot transform as quickly as they need to because workers with the right skills are hard to find. Other major barriers include organizational culture, resistance to change, outdated regulations, weak data and technical infrastructure, difficulty attracting talent to industries or firms, lack of investment capital, and weak understanding of new opportunities. This shows that the problem is not simply individual workers needing to try harder. Systems have to change too. Companies need better training and job pathways. Governments need stronger education and reskilling policies. Industries may need to cooperate because many talent shortages are shared across firms, not caused by one employer alone.

Most employers plan to respond by upskilling their current workforce. This is the most common strategy because it is often easier and more responsible to train existing workers than to replace them. Many employers also plan to automate tasks, hire people with new skills, use technology to augment workers, transition staff from declining roles into growing roles, and reduce staff where skills become less relevant. In response to AI specifically, many companies plan to train workers to work alongside AI, hire people who can design or adapt AI tools, hire people who can use AI effectively, and reorganize parts of their business around new AI-related opportunities. At the same time, a large share also expects to reduce headcount where AI can replicate human work. This means AI will be both a growth tool and a displacement risk.

Talent availability is becoming a serious concern. Fewer employers now expect hiring conditions to improve than in the past, and many expect it to become harder to find the right people. To attract and keep workers, employers are putting more attention on health and well-being, reskilling and upskilling, better promotion paths, higher wages, flexible work, better working hours, support for caregivers, safer workplaces, and broader talent pools. Skills-based hiring is gaining attention because relying too heavily on degrees can limit access to talent, especially when many growing roles can be reached through work experience, short courses, vocational training, apprenticeships, or practical assessment. Work experience remains the most common way employers judge skills, but pre-employment tests and skills assessments are becoming more important.

Employers also increasingly see broader hiring as a way to deal with talent shortages. Many have diversity, equity, and inclusion measures in place, and many plan training, targeted recruitment, pay reviews, anti-harassment policies, support for workers with caregiving responsibilities, and goals for improving representation. The practical reason is clear: when labour is scarce and skills needs are changing, businesses cannot afford to overlook qualified people. This includes women, workers with disabilities, younger workers, older workers, workers from low-income backgrounds, migrants, refugees, displaced workers, and people from groups that have been left out of opportunity. The broader point is that fairer access to work is not separate from workforce planning. It is part of how companies widen their talent base.

Wages are expected to take a larger share of revenue for many employers by 2030, mainly because companies need to retain talent and connect pay more closely to productivity and performance. Many employers also want to reduce wage inequality or protect workers’ purchasing power, although cost control still matters. The evidence also points to a wage premium for higher levels of preparation, training, and experience, meaning that workers in roles requiring more preparation generally earn more. But wage gains are not distributed equally, and there can be gaps between groups even at higher skill levels. This strengthens the case for better training access, fair pay systems, and clearer career pathways.

Public policy has a major role to play. Employers most often point to funding for reskilling and upskilling, direct provision of training, stronger public education systems, more flexible hiring practices, wage-setting flexibility, remote work rules, immigration policy, wage subsidies, transport infrastructure, pension changes, and support for caregivers. The right mix will differ by country. Aging economies may need policies that keep older workers connected to the labour market and make care work more sustainable. Younger economies may need large-scale job creation and better school-to-work transitions. Countries with high digital ambitions need stronger technology infrastructure and cybersecurity skills. Countries exposed to climate risks need green skills and transition support for workers in affected industries.

The impact of these changes differs across regions and industries. Some regions are more affected by aging populations, some by growing youth populations, some by trade tensions, some by climate risks, and some by shortages of investment or infrastructure. Europe and Eastern Asia face stronger pressure from aging and talent shortages. South-Eastern Asia and Southern Asia face major opportunities from digital growth, industrial change, and large workforces, but also need training and job creation at scale. Northern America is highly exposed to AI and climate adaptation, with strong demand for technical and cybersecurity skills. Latin America and the Caribbean are focused on digitalization, labour and social issues, and climate mitigation. The Middle East and Northern Africa face high skill disruption and stronger wage and training pressures. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a mix of labour-market growth, high need for skills, investment constraints, and the chance to build future-ready workforces if education and training improve.

Industries also face different futures. Information technology, financial services, telecommunications, insurance, and professional services are highly exposed to AI, data, and cybersecurity needs. Manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, electronics, mining, chemicals, oil and gas, energy, and utilities face strong pressure from automation, new materials, energy technologies, climate rules, and supply-chain changes. Healthcare and education will grow because of demographic change, social needs, and digital tools, but they also face culture, regulation, and talent challenges. Retail, hospitality, accommodation, food, leisure, logistics, and transport will continue to rely heavily on people while also adopting automation and digital systems. Agriculture and food systems face climate, technology, and labour pressures at the same time. Across almost every sector, the same pattern appears: routine tasks are under pressure, technical and adaptive skills are rising, and companies need better ways to move workers from shrinking tasks into expanding ones.

The main lesson is that the future of work is not fixed. The same technologies and trends can lead to very different outcomes depending on how businesses, governments, schools, and workers respond. If companies automate without investing in people, many workers will be pushed out of jobs without a clear path forward. If training remains too slow, skills gaps will block growth and leave people behind. If education systems do not adjust, young people may enter the labour market without the skills employers need. If climate policy does not include worker transition plans, green growth may be uneven and unfair. But if organizations invest in upskilling, use technology to support rather than simply replace workers, broaden access to opportunity, and build practical pathways into growing jobs, the next phase of labour-market change can create more work, better work, and more resilient economies.