Look back to 2022, in fact, and the difference is notable. Since the advent of ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become a defining topic in conversations around the current and future-state of work.
As a result of these changes, core skills required in today's workplace are largely focused on those related to emotional intelligence and dealing with uncertainty: analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, leadership, and social influence all rank among the most important for employers.
However, according to The Future of Jobs Report 2025, recently published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by the end of the decade.
Though expectations of shifts in core capabilities are often prevalent among employers— 35% of employers in 2016 expected skills to change over the same period—understanding the skills that are expected to become foundational is important for those looking to get ahead or future-proof their careers.
So, what are the essential future skills that employers will be looking for 2030?
Top Future Skills Predicted To Grow Between 2025 And 2030
Essential list of future skills: AI, cybersecurity, and tech
The global number of users of AI tools has more than doubled since 2021, according to Statista. It’s therefore little surprise that employers are recognizing the importance of the rapidly developing technology.
Among employers surveyed by the WEF, 87% said they expected increasing use of AI and big data in the workplace, predicting this to be the skill area that will see the most growth by the end of the decade.
AI and big data outperformed all other skills in this list by a considerable margin. Networks and cybersecurity was the second skill area where employers were expecting to see the most growth, however this sentiment was felt among a smaller 70% of employers. A further 68% felt technological literacy would be on the rise over the next five years.
Technological advances are therefore predicted to be the largest driver of changes in the skills required in tomorrow's workplace. Wider digital access and greater integration of AI and related technologies will likely define this shift, coupled with increased reliance on cybersecurity due to geo-economic fragmentation.
The expected influence of these shifts was further emphasized by the WEF report's findings regarding the key jobs of the future. Among the predicted fastest-growing jobs, key roles such as big data specialists, fintech engineers, AI and machine learning specialists, and software and applications developers were the most prominent.
These changes also impact the skills which are expected to shrink in importance within the workplace. As automation and information processing become more widespread, skills in areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as endurance, precision, and manual dexterity will likely become less crucial, the survey indicated.
Essential list of future skills: Creativity and emotional intelligence
While the most prominent future skills listed in the WEF survey reflected employers’ feelings about cutting-edge technologies, their responses also revealed an expectation that emotional intelligence and human centered skills—sometimes referred to as ‘soft skills’—will retain a key importance in the workplace of the future.
Creative thinking as well as the broader skill area of resilience, flexibility, and agility were both predicted to increase in importance by 66% of employers. For 61% of respondents, curiosity and lifelong learning was also an area where they expected growth. Also listed among the 10 highest-growth areas were leadership and social influence, and analytical thinking.
WEF analysis suggests the prominence of these human centered skills is largely due to the uncertainty caused by geo-economic fragmentation across the globe. Significant factors include the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the imposition of trade barriers between the US and China, the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, and the continued knock on effects of the pandemic on global supply chains.
With crises occurring on a more frequent basis, the importance of resilience and agility is expected to increase. Likewise, economic challenges and barriers to global trade result in the need for creativity and analytical thinking. Underpinning these concerns is an interest in strong leadership, as evidenced by the 58% of respondents who indicated expectations of growth in this area.
Essential list of future skills: Environmental stewardship and talent management
The climate crisis and need to transition towards a greener economy was also raised as a disruptor when it came to the skills that will be heavily required of workers by 2030.
Not only do skills such as creative thinking and leadership play an important part in driving the green transition, achieving shifts in climate adaptation methods, energy solutions, and carbon reduction initiatives are likely to be fundamental to businesses as the decade continues. Environmental stewardship was therefore identified as a growth area by 53% of employers.
The prominence of the green transition was also reflected in the WEF report's predictions regarding job growth, which highlighted expected increases in demand for related jobs such as environmental engineers and renewable energy engineers.
Finally, the report highlighted that talent management would develop into a more prominent skill area for workers over the next half-decade, driven by demographic changes occurring across the world’s developed economies.
A total of 58% of respondents said they predicted talent management would rise in importance between now and 2030. Related skills such as motivation and self awareness (47%), and empathy and active listening (46%) were also highlighted as key skills for the future. These findings reflect a growing belief among organizations that teaching, mentoring, and motivating will become more important as populations continue to age and the proportion of working-age individuals decreases in certain economies.
