The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 acknowledges the 4.9% global unemployment rate — the lowest since 1991. Behind this figure, though, is a decrease in the rate for middle-income countries but an increase for low-income countries. In addition, the fall in women’s unemployment to 5.2% lags behind the fall to 4.8% for men from the 2020 peak of 6.6% for both men and women.
The report — based on a survey of more than 1,000 employers across 55 economies — projects that in the next five years to 2030, 170 million formal jobs could be created and 92 million jobs displaced. This, the report says, amounts to a net increase of 7% or 78 million jobs globally.
The report identifies the jobs projected to grow the fastest on a percentage basis (big data specialists, fintech engineers, and AI and machine learning specialists) and the jobs expected to decline at the fastest rate (postal service clerks, bank tellers and related clerks, and data-entry clerks).
In absolute terms, the projected largest net gains in employment are for agricultural workers, light truck or delivery drivers, and software developers. Cashier and ticket clerks; administrative assistants and executive secretaries; and building caretakers, cleaners, and housekeepers are the groups of workers expected to decline the most, the report says.
In addition, the report notes 12 trends identified by employers as likely to drive business transformation. The top five are: broadening digital access; the rising cost of living, higher prices, or inflation; increased efforts and investments to reduce carbon emissions; increased focus on labour and social issues; and slower economic growth.
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