This report brings together the perspective of over 1000 leading global employers, collectively representing more than 14 million workers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies from around the world (including Australia). It examines how macrotrends impact jobs and skills, and the workforce transformation strategies employers plan to embark on in response, across the 2025 to 2030 timeframe.

Economy, region and industry data profiles provide specific practical information to decision-makers and experts in academia, business, government and civil society. The profiles enable interested companies and policymakers the opportunity to benchmark their organisation or economy against the range of expectations prevalent in their industry or region, including Australia.

The report reinforces the critical and immediate need to reskill workforces and workplaces to meet significant national and global challenges ahead. Funding for and provision of reskilling and upskilling are the two public policies most favoured by employers globally to increase talent availability. A related measure, improvements to public education systems, is similarly favoured.

Key findings

• More than one in five jobs (22%) are expected to be fundamentally changed by 2030 as a result of technology change, the green transition, geoeconomic fragmentation, economic uncertainty and demographic shifts.  
• Broadening digital access is expected to be the most transformative trend.
• Increasing cost of living ranks as the second most transformative trend overall – and the top trend related to economic conditions.
• Climate-change mitigation is the third-most transformative trend overall – and the top trend related to the green transition.
• Two demographic shifts: ageing and declining working age populations and expanding working age populations are increasingly seen to be transforming global economies and labour markets.
• Geoeconomic fragmentation and geopolitical tensions are expected to drive business model transformation in one-third (34%) of surveyed organisations in the next five years.