Future-Proofing the Workforce: Key Takeaways from the Future of Work 2025 Report

Earlier this week, the World Economic Forum published the Future of Jobs Report 2025, outlining the most transformative trends affecting the future of work.

Digital access features as the most transformative trend across the board, having an unprecedented effect on demand for technology-related skills with AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity dominating the list of fastest growing skills.?

The increasing cost of living comes in second and climate-change mitigation third. The demand for roles to address the growing needs in these domains is rising at a greater rate than ever before and nations are – once more – expected to up their game to meet demand.

According to the report, technology-related roles such as Engineers, Big Data Specialists, AI and ML Specialists, Green and Energy Transition roles, are the fastest-growing in percentage terms.

Frontline job roles?(e.g. Farmworkers, Salespersons, teaching and social care staff) are predicted to have the greatest growth volume-wise. while at the same time administrative roles are expected to see the largest decline in absolute terms. ?

Overall, 170 million jobs are projected to be created and 92 million jobs to be displaced, a net employment increase. Skills for these jobs are of course of essence.

Workers can expect that 39% of their skills will be transformed or become outdated in the next five years: a mismatch viewed by two-thirds of employers as a fundamental challenge to business transformation in the coming years.

For European companies in particular, skills gaps and talent shortages remain a major barrier, with 54% expecting conditions to worsen, a percentage well above the global average.

Given the evolving skill demands, the scale of workforce upskilling and reskilling expected to be needed is impressive.

According to the Report,?if the world’s workforce was made up of 100 people, 59 would need training by 2030!

Along with demographic shifts, most notably the aging and declining working age populations and expanding working age populations, these insights are making one thing clear: investing in talent is no longer just an option; it is the only viable way forward for nations worldwide. To me it looks like the global competition for talent will heat up, even more!

Cyprus’s R&I strategy 2024-2026 places people at the forefront with a dedicated pillar empowering researchers and entrepreneurs to act as drivers of growth. It underlines the significance of initiating early interventions and creating programmes that develop skills of the future, nurture an entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial culture and a more cosmopolitan mindset in young talent. A pivotal priority, is the support of upskilling and reskilling of the existing workforce, ensuring that the country’s dynamic ecosystem thrives on innovation and productivity. ??

RIF’s actions to implement the strategy are well underway. Schemes such as Post-Doc and PhD in Industry nurture young talent and provide ample opportunities for Cypriot companies to recruit PhD holders and PhD students respectively. At the same time, companies can also make use of the schemes to upskill current staff by empowering them to undertake a PhD or postdoctoral research in a field aligned with their company’s activities. In recent years, RIF has supported 61 post-doctoral researchers and 313 PhD students through these schemes as well as others, with more funding opportunities yet to come. These include a PhD in Industry Call for Proposals that is currently open, and a forthcoming Post-Doc Call.

At the same time, RIF implements actions to onboard the younger generation, soon to be leading the workforce. We do our best to ensure that they have the right mindset to take on the challenges coming their way. To this end, we announce various student competitions as well as an R&I Internships scheme, providing students with opportunities to work for innovative companies over the summer period, thus allowing the leaders of tomorrow to get a first glimpse of what R&I can offer them as a career option whilst at the same time addressing the ongoing as well as the anticipated skills gap. Over the past three years, 119 university students have completed internships across 59 different innovative companies. Such tools help us ‘connect’ demand with supply and address skills mismatches.

Beyond these actions, many more are yet to unfold; each one taps into a different segment of the good talent the country boasts with a view to shaping a future-ready workforce.