Demand for AI skills, farmworkers, delivery drivers to grow as clerical jobs decline – Report

The 2025 Future of Jobs report by the World Economic Forum shows that skills in AI, big data and networks and cybersecurity, technological literacy, creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility will be on high demand in the global workforce. 

While these skills will be in high demand, agricultural workers, delivery service drivers, software and application developers and construction workers are set to witness the largest job growth by 2030. 

These jobs, which have for long been classified under unskilled labour, grow in demand, clerical jobs are set to be less captivating for the job market. 

Cashiers, ticket clerks, administrative assistants and executive secretaries, caretakers, cleaners and housekeepers, record and stock keepers, printing workers will be less needed by 2030. 

Drawn from the perspective of over 1,000 global employers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies, the report examines how trends in technology, geoconomics and economic uncertainties will impact the workforce from 2025 to 2030. 

The report found that while technological skills will be a next frontier in the job market, the automation and delegation of tasks to machines has to be accompanied by human skills. 

“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,” the World Economic Forum states.

The Future of Jobs survey found that AI is reshaping business models, with half of employers globally planning to restructure their business to harness opportunities from the technology. In response to this shift, 71% of employers plan to upskill their workers, while another 41% plan to reduce their workforce and apply AI automation in human-held tasks. 

“Almost half of employers expect to transition staff from roles exposed to AI disruption into other parts of their business, an opportunity to alleviate skills shortages while reducing the human cost of technological transformation,” says the World Economic Forum. 

The findings also show that by 2030, there will be a net increase of 78 million jobs. Job disruption will equate to 22% of jobs by 2030, with 170 million new roles set to be created and 92 million displaced.

Skill gaps in the labour market remain the largest barriers to business transformation. Businesses are also unable to transform due to organizational resistance to changes, outdated regulatory frameworks, inability to attract talent, lack of data and infrastructure among other reasons.  

According to the survey, initiatives to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workforce are on high gear, as 47% of employers focus on a diverse work force. 

Companies have considered diversity and inclusion among their business practices to increase talent availability. This is through diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programmes.

Firms also aim to achieve DEI through training for managers and staff, targeted recruitment, setting DEI goals, equity reviews, anti-harassment policies and supporting caregiving responsibilities. 

The Future of Jobs Survey also finds that adoption of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives remains

on the rise. 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%). Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have become more prevalent, with 83% of employers reporting such an initiative in place, compared to 67% in 2023.