Worldwide, 170 million jobs are expected to be created by 2030, but 92 million jobs around the globe will disappear for a net growth of 78 million jobs, according to a new Future of Jobs Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum.

Fast-growing jobs included those in technology, while the fastest-declining jobs included postal service clerks and administrative assistants.

The report, based on a survey of more than 1,000 companies worldwide, also found the skills gap is the most significant barrier to business transformation today. It was cited by 63% of employers in the survey as the main barrier to future-proofing their operations.

“Trends such as generative AI and rapid technological shifts are upending industries and labor markets, creating both unprecedented opportunities and profound risks,” Till Leopold, head of work, wages and job creation at the World Economic Forum, said in a press release. “The time is now for businesses and governments to work together, invest in skills and build an equitable and resilient global workforce.”

The fastest-growing jobs are expected to be big data specialists, FinTech engineers and AI and machine learning specialists. Overall, the jobs that will see the most growth, though not on a percentage basis, are farmworkers, laborers and other agricultural workers; light truck or delivery drivers; and software and application developers. Nursing is also included in this group.

On the flip side, the fastest-declining jobs are postal service clerks, bank tellers and related clerks and data entry clerks. The jobs seeing the largest overall decline are cashiers and ticket clerks; administrative assistants and executive secretaries; and building caretakers, cleaners and housekeepers.

The Skills Gap

The report also noted that 35% of workers’ skills will face disruption in the coming years. In addition, employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030, though this is down from 44% in a similar survey in 2023. The report noted that skills disruption is not uniform across economies, with industries with lower-middle and upper-middle-income economies and those affected by conflict likely to see greater disruption. High-income economies are likely to see less instability.

Meanwhile, respondents in Egypt expect to see the most skills disruption at 48%, while those in Denmark are expecting to see the least at 28%. The US expects to see 35%, and the UK expects to see 31%.

Respondents also cited the top core skills with analytical thinking on top, cited at 69%, followed by resilience, flexibility and agility at 67% and leadership and social influence at 61%.

The report is based on a survey of chief people officers, chief learning officers, chief strategy officers and CEOs of leading global employers. The survey was taken between May 2024 and September 2024. It had 1,043 unique responses by companies representing 14.1 million employees worldwide.

The full report is available online.