# Workforce Strategies: 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/4-workforce-strategies  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/4-workforce-strategies-the-future-of-jobs-report-2025

## At a glance
- Skill gaps cited by 63% of employers as primary barrier to transformation, up from 60% in 2023.
- Only 29% of businesses expect talent availability to improve by 2030, down from 39% in 2023.
- Upskilling planned by 85% of employers; process automation by 73%.
- Employee well-being jumped to top talent-attraction priority from 9th place in 2023.

## What the report covers
This World Economic Forum chapter examines workforce strategies employers plan to adopt through 2030. It analyses barriers to organizational transformation, talent availability outlook by geography and income level, planned workforce practices including upskilling and automation, diversity initiatives, wage dynamics, skills assessment methods, and public policy interventions. Data derives from the Future of Jobs Survey supplemented by ADP Research analysis on employee perspectives and wage premiums by skill level.

## Key findings
Skill gaps in local labour markets remain the dominant transformation barrier globally. Sixty-three percent of surveyed employers cite this constraint for 2025–2030, up from 60% in 2023. This challenge ranks first across 52 of 55 surveyed economies and 19 of 22 sectors. Organizational culture and resistance to change ranks second at 46%, while regulatory concerns rank third at 39%.

Talent availability outlook has deteriorated significantly. Only 29% of businesses expect talent availability to improve over 2025–2030, down from 39% in 2023, while 42% anticipate decline, producing a net negative outlook of -13%. Regional variations are pronounced: employers in Egypt, Morocco and Bahrain express high optimism for hiring improvement, while European economies anticipate increasing challenges. Talent retention expectations also declined: 44% expect improvements, down from 53% in 2023.

Upskilling emerges as the universal workforce strategy, planned by 85% of employers. Process and task automation ranks second at 73%, declining from 80% in 2023. Complementing the workforce with new technologies is planned by 63%. For workforce composition, 70% plan to hire staff with emerging skills, 51% intend internal transitions, and 41% foresee reductions due to skills obsolescence.

Supporting employee health and well-being has become the top business practice to increase talent availability, cited by 64% of employers—a dramatic rise from 9th place in 2023. Effective reskilling and upskilling rank second at 63%, with talent progression third at 62%. Tapping into diverse talent pools now engages 47% of employers, up substantially from just over 10% in 2023. Remote work flexibility and caregiving support are priorities for 27% and 26% respectively.

Diversity, equity and inclusion implementation has accelerated. Eighty-three percent of surveyed employers have implemented such measures, up from 67% in 2023. Fifty-one percent plan diversity training, 48% plan targeted recruitment initiatives, and 42% plan to set diversity goals and quotas—up from 25% in 2023. Women remain the highest priority group at 76%, followed by workers with disabilities (56%) and Gen Z youth (52%).

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Employers citing skill gaps as primary barrier to transformation | 63% | 2025–2030 forecast; up from 60% in 2023 |
| Businesses expecting talent availability to improve | 29% | 2025–2030 outlook; down from 39% in 2023 |
| Employers planning upskilling as workforce strategy | 85% | 2025–2030 period |
| Employers planning process and task automation | 73% | 2025–2030 period; down from 80% in 2023 |
| Organizations citing employee well-being to increase talent availability | 64% | 2025–2030 forecast; rose from 9th to 1st place since 2023 |
| Employers planning diversity goals, targets and quotas | 42% | 2025–2030 planned implementation; up from 25% in 2023 |
| Employers emphasizing tapping diverse talent pools | 47% | 2025–2030 period; up from just over 10% in 2023 |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — Declining talent availability and persistent skill gaps directly threaten destination competitiveness in visitor economy employment. As 85% of employers prioritize upskilling and 64% emphasize well-being, DMOs must partner with local hospitality operators to support workforce development. Regional imbalances—strong in MENA, constrained in Europe—signal where recruitment pressures will intensify and reshape labour availability across destinations.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Hospitality faces acute talent challenges: 42% of employers expect declining availability through 2030, while 63% struggle with skill gaps. The sector's emphasis on employee well-being (64% of employers), combined with upskilling adoption (85%) and flexible work policies (27% remote flexibility), have become essential competitive tools for attracting and retaining staff across operational and management levels.

**Travel tech & distribution** — Workforce automation acceleration—73% of employers planning this strategy—creates opportunities for technology providers. Skills-based hiring adoption (48% using skills assessments) signals demand for talent-matching platforms bypassing traditional credentials. Remote work flexibility priorities (27%) and well-being focus (64%) favour platforms enabling distributed workforce management and development delivery.

## Methodology and limits
The Future of Jobs Report 2025 draws on the Future of Jobs Survey across 55 economies and 22 sectors. ADP Research complements this with employee perspectives on job satisfaction and wage-premium analysis using O*NET occupational data from the United States. The report compares 2025 results directly with the 2023 edition. This brief is based on the publicly available chapter text; complete methodology and full sample specifications are not included in the source extract.

---
© 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/4-workforce-strategies