February 24, 2026
Reskilling Required: WEF Cautions Workers Against Impacts of AI
As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and workflows, the urgency of workforce reskilling has become impossible to ignore. A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report estimates that, within the workplace, nearly 40 percent of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030 as AI moves from experimentation into everyday business operations.
Added to this, the WEF’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 found that more than one in five jobs could be affected within the same timeframe: “On current trends over the 2025 to 2030 period, job creation and destruction due to structural labour-market transformation will amount to 22% of today’s total jobs.”
The message is clear. If you are fortunate enough to still have work by the end of the decade, there is a good chance that you will need to reskill. Moreover, workers and organisations alike will need to actively identify which capabilities to develop if they want to remain relevant in an increasingly automated economy.
Challenges and Opportunities
Unfortunately, as the Jobs Report last year also highlighted, a huge proportion of workers may not receive the necessary training. If the global workforce consisted of 100 people, it explains, 59 of these would need training by 2030. Of those 59, 11 may receive no reskilling at all, leaving their employment prospects increasingly vulnerable.
For entry-level employees, future uncertainty is also visible. A global survey of 9,394 early career workers by WEF found that job security is their top concern, with just over half feeling very secure in their roles. Reskilling has also overtaken wellbeing as the number one concern for UK HR departments. Many believe that AI will bring changes right from the start of their career, replacing routine tasks while demanding more analysis and adaptability.
Despite the risks, AI is not only a threat. Many of the workers pointed to the immense opportunities that AI brings to creativity and autonomy, as intelligent tools accelerate learning and expand what individuals can accomplish. More than half of entry-level employees said their jobs already allow them to use initiative and judgement, and many expect AI to enhance productivity and innovation further.
Nevertheless, future scenarios depicted in the AI and Talent in 2030 whitepaper elucidate how outcomes will likely depend on reskilling efforts. In one possible future, it imagines widespread training could enable workers to harness the “agentic leap” and collaborate effectively with intelligent systems. In another, automation advances faster than education systems can respond, creating widespread displacement and social instability. One engine powering this automation-heavy future is that it is “significantly cheaper than mass upskilling and reskilling of workers”. This is not always the case, however, as last month Gartner forecast AI customer services costs will soon outweigh those off offshore human agents.
Global Initiatives to Close the Skills Gap
Recognising these risks, the World Economic Forum is working with more than 350 organisations to provide better skills and economic opportunities to one billion people by 2030. The economic case is compelling. Increasing investment in adult lifelong learning could boost global GDP by $6.5 trillion within the decade.
Major corporations are also expanding training programmes. According to a recent WEF impact article, Salesforce aims to reach more than 16 million learners through its Trailhead platform, while Cisco and SAP have committed to training 25 million and 12 million people respectively in digital and AI related skills. Other companies with inclusive skills programmes include Telefónica and JD.com. Mentoring programmes have also been shown to be highly effective.
This isn’t just about the future. Right now, a KPMG and University of Melbourne study found that while 58 percent of people use AI at work, only 47 percent have received training for it, with the majority hiding the fact that they are using it. Workers are, therefore, applying AI without any professional guidance or oversight.
The Modern Workforce Must Adapt
AI will not just change jobs. It will redefine the skills that make work possible. With disruption already underway and core capabilities rapidly evolving, workers who actively reskill will be best positioned to benefit from new opportunities. Organisations need to facilitate this learning if they want to ensure the longevity of their workforces. Those who do not risk being left behind in this rapidly advancing age of AI.
