The new year has not brought fresh air to the global labor market. The threat of layoffs is estimated to continue to loom for several years to come, potentially lasting until 2030.
This projection was presented by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which assessed that economic pressure and the massive adoption of artificial intelligence are the main triggers.
In its latest survey, the WEF noted that 41 percent of companies in various countries plan to significantly reduce their workforce by 2030.
This plan emerges as more and more types of jobs can be taken over by automation technology and AI-based robots.
The Future of Jobs Report also shows that the business world is preparing for major changes due to technological disruption.
Of the hundreds of global companies surveyed, 77 percent stated they will focus on retraining and upskilling their existing workforce during the 2025–2030 period so they can work alongside AI.
“The development of AI and renewable energy is reshaping the labor market, driving increased demand for many technology or specialist roles, while reducing the need for other jobs, such as graphic designers,” the WEF stated.
The increasingly broad influence of generative AI across various industrial sectors was highlighted.
This technology allows machines to generate text, images, and other original content based on user commands, thereby changing the way many professions work.
According to the WEF, a number of administrative jobs are predicted to decline most rapidly in the coming years.
Professions such as postal service clerks, executive secretaries, and payroll clerks are said to be under increasing pressure, both due to the utilization of AI and other structural factors.
“The entry of graphic designers and legal secretaries into the top ten list of fastest-declining jobs for the first time in the history of the Future of Jobs report may illustrate the increasing capacity of GenAI to perform knowledge-based work,” the report wrote.
On the other hand, demand for AI-related skills continues to increase. Survey data shows nearly 70 percent of companies plan to recruit new workers with the ability to design and develop AI systems.
Furthermore, 62 percent of companies stated they would add workers with skills to work alongside this technology.
While painting a picture of significant risk in the labor market, the WEF still sees opportunity behind this change. Generative AI is seen not merely as replacing human roles, but also having the potential to strengthen workers’ capabilities through human-machine collaboration, especially for jobs requiring social skills and creativity.
However, on the ground, the impact of AI on the workforce is already beginning to be felt. In recent years, a number of technology companies such as the file storage service Dropbox and the language learning app Duolingo have openly cited the use of AI as one of the reasons behind their decisions to conduct layoffs.
