# Skills Outlook: The Future of Jobs Report 2025

**Publisher:** World Economic Forum  
**Published:** n/a  
**Category:** Global institutions & policy  
**Type:** Report  
**Access:** Free  
**Official source:** https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/in-full/3-skills-outlook  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/3-skills-outlook-the-future-of-jobs-report-2025

## At a glance
- Employers expect 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030, down from 44% in 2023, as disruption stabilises.
- Analytical thinking leads; resilience, flexibility and agility rank second. AI and big data are fastest-growing skills.
- Manual dexterity faces first-ever net decline of 24%; reading, writing and mathematics show slight decline.
- Resilience and programming most differentiate growing from declining jobs; technological change drives disruption.
- 50% of workforce completed training as part of long-term learning strategies in 2025, up from 41% in 2023.

## What the report covers
This chapter from the World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs Report examines expected skill disruption through 2030 using employer survey data. It analyses core skills currently required, anticipated evolution by industry and geography, emerging priorities by 2030, and macrotrends driving change including technological advancement, geoeconomic fragmentation, green transition and demographic shifts. The analysis contrasts skill demands in growing versus declining occupations and includes GenAI substitution capacity research.

## Key findings
Skill disruption has stabilised but remains substantial. Employers expect 39% of core skills to shift by 2030, down from 44% in 2023. Disruption intensity varies by economy: lower-middle, upper-middle-income and conflict-affected nations anticipate greater change; high-income economies expect less instability. Training participation has risen to 50% of the workforce in 2025 from 41% in 2023, consistent across nearly all industries.

Analytical thinking remains dominant, cited by 7 out of 10 companies. Resilience, flexibility and agility ranks second; leadership and social influence, creative thinking and motivation and self-awareness complete the top five. Sector variations are notable: Insurance and Pensions Management values curiosity and lifelong learning at 83% versus 50% globally. Mining and Metals emphasises environmental stewardship at 50%, 2.5 times the global average. Telecommunications prioritises design, user experience and cybersecurity at twice the global average.

Technological skills grow fastest. AI and big data lead, followed by networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy. Creative thinking and two socio-emotional skills—resilience, flexibility and agility, plus curiosity and lifelong learning—rank among top rising skills. Manual dexterity, endurance and precision faces anticipated net decline of 24%, the first net negative decline in report history. Reading, writing and mathematics show small anticipated decline.

Growing jobs demand distinct skills from declining roles. Resilience, flexibility and agility ranks highest in both importance and proficiency gaps. Programming and technological literacy also differentiate. Manual dexterity shows larger proficiency than importance gaps, suggesting growing roles increasingly require technical literacy alongside physical abilities. Service orientation and customer service is the only skill with equal or lesser requirements in growing jobs.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Expected change in workers' core skills by 2030 | 39% | Global employer expectation; down from 44% in 2023 |
| Workforce completing training as part of long-term learning strategies | 50% | Observed 2025; up from 41% in 2023 across almost all industries |
| Companies identifying analytical thinking as core skill | 7 out of 10 | Current baseline |
| Insurance and Pensions Management respondents valuing curiosity and lifelong learning | 83% | Sector-specific; global average 50% |
| Mining and Metals respondents valuing environmental stewardship | 50% | 2.5 times global average |
| Expected net decline in manual dexterity, endurance and precision | 24% | Forecast 2025–2030; first net negative decline in report history |
| AI and big data skill growth in top 10 industries | Over 90% | Respondents expecting increase; lowest 69% in Accommodation, Food and Leisure |
| Skills assessed with very high GenAI substitution capacity | Zero out of 2,800+ | Indeed research; 69% of skills show very low or low substitution capacity |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — Workforce planning must prioritise resilience, flexibility, agility and customer-service skills amid climate adaptation and instability. Environmental stewardship is rising; DMOs should embed sustainability literacy in training. Accommodation and Leisure sectors lag in AI adoption (69% versus 90%+ in peer industries), creating competitive capability gaps requiring targeted upskilling investment.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Core skill demands shift toward agility, creativity and leadership with technological literacy. Manual dexterity shows anticipated 24% decline; operations must invest in digital tools and hybrid roles combining manual expertise with tech. Service orientation shows lesser importance in growing roles, signalling pressure on front-line staff; segments must differentiate through empathy and active listening rather than automation alone.

**Travel tech & distribution** — AI, big data, networks and cybersecurity rank among fastest-growing globally; recruitment must accelerate. GenAI shows moderate-to-high substitution in data mining and text tasks but zero 'very high' substitution—creating demand for prompt-engineering and augmentation roles. Geoeconomic fragmentation drives cybersecurity priority; platforms handling payments and personal data must prioritise security talent and governance frameworks.

## Methodology and limits
Data from the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Survey, using the Global Skills Taxonomy. The source text provided is a chapter summary; full methodological detail (sample size, response rate, weighting) is not disclosed in the publicly available excerpt. Figures represent employer expectations (forecasts) and observed training participation rates. Sector and geography comparisons derive from survey respondent segmentation. GenAI substitution analysis uses external research by Indeed based on GPT-4o self-assessment across 2,800+ granular skills.

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© World Economic Forum for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/in-full/3-skills-outlook