The pandemic has accelerating technology adoption by businesses and consumers, turbocharging demand for cloud computing and e-commerce services while squeezing companies that can’t serve their customers online. Workers unable to work from home, either because their jobs require face-to-face interaction or because they have limited internet access, have also been severely disadvantaged.
According to the WEF report, a shift in labor division between humans and machines could displace an estimated 85 million jobs by 2025 while giving rise to 97 million new roles. Jobs set to be increasingly redundant include administrative assistants, bookkeepers, and payroll clerks. In contrast, positions in growing demand include those in the green economy, roles at the forefront of data and artificial intelligence, and new jobs in engineering, cloud computing, and product development. An expected increase in jobs in marketing, sales, and content production, as well as roles required for working with individuals from different backgrounds, “showcase the continuing importance of human interaction in the new economy,” the report added.
According to the report, some workers whose jobs are vulnerable may be able to move into new careers, which found that 94% of businesses surveyed expect employees to pick up new skills on the job, a sharp increase from 65% in 2018. Companies are progressively more} investment in training existing employees. The report comes that 1/2 of employees who stay in their roles can get to adopt new skills to perform their tasks effectively in an increasingly machine-driven world. The WEF found a five-fold increase in leader provision of online learning opportunities between April and Gregorian calendar month and a four-fold increase in people seeking out opportunities for learning online through their initiative.
