The World Economic Forum’s bi-annual survey reveals significant expectations for AI’s impact on employment, with a dual focus on job displacement and skill augmentation. By 2030, 41% of employers predict AI will reduce their staffing levels due to automation, although a majority, 77%, plan to train staff in AI competencies, indicating AI’s dual impact on job transformation and human workforce collaboration. Covering 1,000 employers and 14 million workers across 22 industries, the report underscores a skills gap with AI, big data, networks, and cybersecurity as burgeoning areas. Creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, curiosity, and lifelong learning also emerge as crucial skills. Notably, roles like graphic designers and legal secretaries are poised for decline due to AI’s growing capabilities, such as generating complex graphics easily. Despite this, the report forecasts a net job growth of 78 million jobs, driven by new job creation outpacing employment displacement, equating to a 7% growth in total employment by 2030. Employers also stress health and well-being in attracting talent, especially pertinent in the U.S. due to its unique healthcare system. The report highlights increased productivity from AI-augmented human tasks, suggesting concerns over job scarcity may be unfounded as technology enhances human productivity by performing higher-value tasks.
41% of employers worldwide say they’ll reduce staff by 2030 due to AI
