The Davos Jobs Report: What AI Means for Your Career

After attending Davos 2025, I’ve been delving into the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025. The insights are both inspiring and eye-opening. They surveyed over 1,000 companies across 22 industries and 55 countries to determine what work will look like by 2030.

The headline? We’re looking at 170 million new jobs created globally by 2030. But here’s the plot twist: 92 million jobs will also disappear due to AI automation. That leaves us with a net gain of 78 million jobs by 2030. The real story isn’t just the numbers but understanding what’s changing and why.

Four forces reshaping work

1. AI and automation are everywhere. 86% of companies expect AI to impact their operations by 2030. This isn’t speculation. It’s inevitable.
2. Economic pressure is mounting. Half of employers say rising costs are forcing them to rethink their business strategies. Translation: they’re looking for ways to do more with less.
3. The green transition is accelerating. Companies are aiming to hit climate goals, which means a massive demand for renewable energy engineers, sustainability consultants, and carbon auditors.
4. Demographics are shifting. Developed countries are aging fast, while younger populations in developing nations are entering the workforce. This mismatch is creating opportunities everywhere.

AI creates new business models, opportunities, and industries

Remember when people said the Internet would destroy jobs? Instead, it created entire industries we couldn’t even imagine. Every major technological shift—from Electricity to the Internet—was met with skepticism and concern over job loss. But each wave ended up creating more jobs than it destroyed:

• The Internet brought us social media managers, SEO specialists, and the entire creator economy
• Mobile unlocked app developers, digital product designers, and gig economy platforms
• Cloud computing created DevOps, SREs, and new SaaS categories

AI is following the exact same pattern. The data backs this up: initial displacement, massive creation, net positive growth. We’re right at the beginning of the creation phase.

Take ChatGPT, or any “autonomous” AI tool. Every response you see required an army of people to make it work:

• Machine learning engineers to design and implement algorithms
• Data scientists and data engineers to clean, curate, and label vast datasets
• AI ethics and policy experts to ensure responsible, fair, and explainable use
• AI infrastructure architects to scale and deploy models across cloud systems

The more AI we deploy, the more specialists we need to build, maintain, and improve these systems.

The jobs that are exploding vs. disappearing

If you’re wondering where to focus your energy, here are the roles growing fastest:

• Big data specialists
• AI and machine learning engineers
• Fintech developers
• Software engineers
• Environmental and renewable energy specialists
• Care workers and educators

Notice a pattern? These jobs require deep technical skills or human-centered work that’s hard to automate.

On the flip side, these roles are getting squeezed:

• Cashiers (self-checkout will be everywhere)
• Administrative assistants (AI will handle scheduling)
• Accountants and auditors (software will do the math)
• Graphic designers (AI will create logos in seconds)

If you’re in one of these fields, don’t panic. Start thinking about how to evolve your skills.

The skills that matter

What caught my attention is that employers think 39% of workers’ core skills will change by 2030. That’s massive. The skills that got you hired five years ago might not keep you relevant five years from now.

The skills in highest demand?

1. AI and Big Data proficiency — you don’t need to be a programmer, but you need to understand how these tools work.
2. Cybersecurity — as everything goes digital, someone needs to keep it safe.
3. Creative thinking — the more AI handles routine work, the more valuable human creativity becomes.
4. Resilience and adaptability — change is the only constant now.
5. Environmental stewardship — every company needs sustainability expertise.

Where will new jobs be created?

It is helpful to think about job creation in terms of problems that need solving.

• AI advancement paradoxically creates more jobs than it destroys. Yes, AI can write code, but someone needs to train it, maintain it, and figure out how to use it responsibly.
• Digital transformation keeps accelerating. Every company needs software developers, UX designers, and people who can bridge the gap between technology and business needs.
• Demographic shifts are driving demand in healthcare, education, and eldercare. An aging population needs more nurses, while a digital-native generation needs new kinds of educators.
• New business models require new roles. ESG compliance, experience design, and supply chain resilience didn’t exist as job categories 10 years ago.
• The green transition is creating entirely new industries. Someone has to design solar farms, audit carbon emissions, and figure out how to make supply chains sustainable.

The bottom line

Yes, AI and automation will displace some jobs. But they’re also creating massive opportunities for people who are willing to adapt. The key is understanding which direction the wind is blowing and positioning yourself accordingly.

The companies that participated in this survey are already making plans for 2030. The question is: Are you?

Over the next few months, I will share my perspective on why AI will create new jobs in every horizontal business function and vertical industry. Stay tuned!