Every two years for the last decade, the World Economic Forum has released a comprehensive, and oft cited report proffering insights into the changing nature of the jobs economy.

The latest Future of Jobs Report, which covers 2025–2030, combines the viewpoints of more than 1,000 prominent international businesses, who together account for over 14 million workers in 22 sector clusters and 55 economies worldwide.

Here are a few key takeaways:

Gen AI & robots

According to the report, by 2030, 60% of employers anticipate that broadening digital access will revolutionise their industry.

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• Software Engineer, Mercor, FR
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Employers agreed the following areas were likely to drive business transformation: artificial intelligence and information processing (86%), robotics and automation (58%), semiconductors and computing technologies (20%), and satellites and space technologies (9%).

Gen AI remains the hottest and most accessible tech trend, and has received a rapid surge in both investment and adoption across various sectors.

Since ChatGPT was released in November 2022, investment into AI has increased nearly eightfold. And that doesn’t include the significant investment in the physical infrastructures required for AI, including servers and data centres.

Some 40% of businesses expect to reduce their personnel in areas where AI can automate jobs, two-thirds aim to hire talent with specialised AI capabilities, and half of employers plan to reorient their business in response to AI.

Interestingly, the report features data from Coursera, which shows a steep incline in AI upskilling from April 2023 onwards.

Meanwhile, robots and autonomous systems have seen steady growth of 5-7% annually since 2020. Worldwide, the average robot density was 162 units per 10,000 workers in 2023, which is twice as many as it was seven years prior.

However, 80% of robot installations are taking place in China, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Germany, making this technology trend highly concentrated.

Skills to pay the bills

The report also highlights the increased demand for both technology-related skills and broader workplace skills.

In terms of tech skills, big data and AI (yes, again), networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy are all predicted to be the top fastest-growing skills.

Despite all this, AI and big data only placed 11th in the list of core skills for 2025. In top billing is analytical thinking (69% of employers agree).

Resilience, flexibility, and agility come next, followed by leadership and social influence, highlighting the vital role that flexibility and teamwork play in modern workplaces.

Creative thinking, plus motivation and self-awareness come in fourth and fifth.

Completing the top ten are: technological literacy, empathy and active listening, curiosity and lifelong learning, talent management, and service orientation and customer service.

Changing priorities

There have been several notable changes in essential skills since this report’s previous edition in 2023.

Relevance has significantly increased for leadership and social impact, AI and big data, talent management, as well as customer service and service orientation.

Overall, the most significant increases in relevance have been observed in the areas of leadership and social impact, resilience, flexibility and agility, and AI and big data.

Looking further to 2030, tech skills are increasing in importance. Some 87% of employers consider AI and big data to be important during the next five years, 70% say networks and cybersecurity are hot topics, while 68% say technological literacy will be paramount.

Systems thinking also ranks highly (51%), and design and user experience does too (45%).

Programming ranked lower overall at 27%, though this was higher in the technology services sector and the telecommunications industry.

Technological literacy was most valued in automotive and aerospace, financial services and capital markets, followed by medical and healthcare services.

When it comes to the importance of networks and cybersecurity, financial services and capital markets unsurprisingly is the top industry, followed by insurance and pensions management, and energy technology and utilities.

With all this data, it might be difficult to narrow down where your next upskilling opportunity should lie. However, AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy all sound like safe bets.

It can be helpful to look at what roles are in demand. In percentage terms, the fastest-growing occupations are those in the technology sector, such as software and application developers, fintech engineers, big data specialists, and experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Over six million software and applications developer roles are expected to open up between now and 2030, the third highest growing jobs after farm workers and truck drivers.

If you already have transferable skills and you’re ready to start your job search, the House of Talent Job Board is the perfect place to start. It features Robin, a conversational AI job search agent that can help you to locate your next tech position, fast.

Robin pops up on the bottom right hand side of your screen when you’re on the job board, and allows you to search for best-matched jobs using your resume. Not quite sure what you want to do? You can tell it a bit about yourself, your skills, and where you’d like to work to generate some ideas.

Ready to find your next software job? Check out The Next Web Job Board