World Economic Forum sees net job growth by 2030, but warns of sweeping churn
GENEVA, Switzerland — The World Economic Forum projects the global economy will add 170 million new jobs and eliminate 92 million roles by 2030, a net gain of 78 million jobs, as employers reshape work across industries, Jan. 8, 2025. The forecast, published in the WEF’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, says the shift will be a major reshuffling of work, rather than a simple boom in hiring.
22% of jobs affected
The report estimates the total change equals 22% “labor market churn” across about 1.2 billion formal jobs in its dataset, counting jobs expected to be added and jobs expected to be eliminated.
WEF says the outlook covers 2025-2030 and is based on employer expectations combined with labor market data, including International Labour Organization figures used in its modeling.
Beyond AI: Many forces at work
WEF says the changes are driven by more than AI alone. It points to a mix of new technology, the shift to cleaner energy, aging and changing populations, trade and geopolitics, and economic uncertainty as forces changing what employers need and what skills workers must have.
Technology adds jobs, and removes them
The report says some technologies will create new work while also cutting other roles.
WEF estimates AI and information processing will add about 11 million jobs and eliminate about 9 million, making it one of the biggest sources of both job growth and job losses in the technology category.
It also says robotics and autonomous systems are expected to lead to the largest net job loss, with an overall decline of about 5 million jobs.
Digital access is a big driver
WEF also highlights wider digital access as a key factor. It estimates that expanding access could add about 19 million jobs while eliminating about 9 million by 2030, as more work moves online and some tasks become easier to automate.
Where the new jobs may grow fastest
WEF says growth is expected to be strongest in roles tied to data and software. Examples it lists among the fastest-growing include Big Data Specialists, FinTech Engineers, AI and Machine Learning Specialists, and Software and Applications Developers.
The main challenge: Helping workers shift
WEF says the main issue is not only the net job gain, but whether workers can move quickly enough into new roles as older ones shrink.
The report also points to the need for more training and reskilling, as employers adopt new tools and respond to wider economic and geopolitical pressure.
WEF said the report draws on input from more than 1,000 employers, covering more than 14 million workers across many countries and industries.