In the next five years, about 170 million new jobs are projected to be created by global macro trends, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that the global labor market is being reshaped by current trends that include technological development, the green transition, geo-economic fragmentation, and economic and demographic shifts.
Over the period 2025 to 2030, about 22% of today’s total jobs are seen to get caught up in creation and destruction due to structural labor-market transformation.
The insight paper, released in January 2025, says the jobs to be created are equivalent to 14% of today’s employment, amounting to 170 million jobs.
On the other hand, 8% or 92 million of current roles will be displaced by these same trends, leaving a net employment increase of 78 million jobs.
The report surveyed more than 1,000 of the largest employers around the world, representing 22 industry clusters and more than 14 million workers, to identify what these future jobs are and what skills people will need to land one of them.
In percentage terms, the fastest growing jobs are technology-related roles, including big data specialists, fintech engineers, artificial intelligence (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, also feature within the top fastest growing roles.
In terms of numbers, the largest growing jobs are dominated by roles that are core to many economies.
Farmworkers top the list. Green transition trends, including efforts to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to the climate crisis, will drive growth that will create 34 million additional jobs by 2030, adding to the 200 million farmworkers today. Widening digital access and the rising cost of living are also contributing to the profession’s growth.
Delivery drivers, software developers, building construction workers, and shop salespersons complete the top five.
Food processing workers also feature among the largest growing jobs, while care jobs—including nursing professionals, social workers and counselling professionals—are projected to grow significantly over the next five years. This can be explained by demographic trends, especially aging working-age populations, the report says.
On the other hand, jobs expected to decline the most in absolute numbers terms are clerical and secretarial workers, including cashiers and ticket clerks, administrative assistants, and executive secretaries.
Similarly, businesses expect the fastest declining roles to include postal service clerks, bank tellers, and data entry clerks.
On average, workers can expect that two-fifths or 39% of their existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated over the 2025-2030 period, down from 44% in 2023 and a high point of 57% in 2020 in the wake of the pandemic.
“This finding could potentially be due to an increasing share of workers (50%) having completed training, reskilling or upskilling measures,” says the WEF publication.
Regarding what skills are highly prized by employers, technological skills are projected to grow in importance more rapidly than any other skills in the next five years. AI and big data are at the top of the list, followed by networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy.
Creative thinking and resilience, flexibility and agility are also rising in importance, along with curiosity and lifelong learning.
Rounding out the top 10 skills on the rise are leadership and social influence, talent management, analytical thinking, and environmental stewardship.
Conversely, manual dexterity, endurance, and precision stand out with notable net declines in skills demand, with 24% of respondents foreseeing a decrease in their importance.
Skill gaps are considered the biggest barrier to business transformation by the respondents, with 63% of employers identifying them as a major barrier over the 2025-2030 period.
Thus, businesses are increasingly investing in reskilling and upskilling programs to align their workforce with evolving demands, the report says. “Helping workers achieve the right mix of technical and human skills will be vital as the future of work continues to evolve.”