WEF report highlights urgent need for new skills

By Mandla Mpangase Every year the who’s who of the global political, research and business worlds gather together in Switzerland to discuss issues and shape industrial, environmental and social programmes. The annual meeting of the minds, held under the auspices of the World Economic Forum (WEF), took place from 20 to 24 January 2025 in Davos-Klosters. WEF has published a research document called The Future of Jobs Report 2025, ahead of the gathering, highlighting the “technological change, geoeconomic fragmentation, economic uncertainty, demographic shifts and the green transition” that are expected to shape and transform the global labour market by 2030. The report reveals that some 22% of jobs globally will face disruption by 2030. The figures show that 170-million (14% of today’s total employment) new jobs are likely to be created, while 92-million jobs (8% of today’s total employment) will no longer exist within the next five years. The findings are of particular interest to the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) as one of South Africa’s key investment instruments as a special economic zone (SEZ). Known as Africa’s first automotive city, TASEZ focuses on supporting global, regional and local investors in the automotive manufacturing industry. As such, the SEZ is ever aware of ongoing and rapid developments on the automotive manufacturing industry, including the development of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and the associated research and development required for that. TASEZ itself is also impacted by ever-evolving technological changes, the importance of embracing the green transition and the need to address economic transformation within South Africa. The WEF report brings together “the perspective of over 1 000 leading global employers – collectively representing more than 14 million workers across 22 industry clusters and 55 economies from around the world – to examine how these macrotrends impact jobs and skills, and the workforce transformation strategies employers plan to embark on in response, across the 2025 to 2030 timeframe”. A major area of focus is the broadening the digital access which is expected to transform the way business is conducted and includes the use of advanced technologies such as AI and information processing; robotics and automation; and energy generation, storage and distribution. “These trends are expected to have a divergent effect on jobs, driving both the fastest-growing and fastest-declining roles, and fuelling demand for technology-related skills,” the report notes. One of the top trends identified is related to economic conditions; the report notes that businesses expect to see an increase in the demand for creative thinking and resilience, flexibility, and agility skills. Both these elements are important to TASEZ, which has set up a training academy to answer the future demands of the industry as well as to make a significant contribution to changing the economic face of South Africa by making the industry a more inclusive, localised one. “We believe that SEZs can become engines of skills development, as well as training. By focusing on skills development within SEZs, the government, in partnership with international and local businesses, can empower community members and others, create diverse job opportunities, and drive sustainable development,” says TASEZ CEO Dr Bheka Zulu. The Future of Jobs Report 2025 also notes that climate-change mitigation is the third-most transformative trend overall – “climate change adaptation ranks sixth with 47% and 41% of employers, respectively” It is not surprising that the report identifies these trends as “driving the demand for roles such as renewable energy engineers, environmental engineers and electric and autonomous vehicle specialists”. All three roles are in the top five fastest-growing jobs. The skills gap is considered the largest barrier to business transformation, with the need to upskill and reskill the workforce requiring urgent attention. Nearly 60% of the global workforce will require reskilling or upskilling by 2030, according to the report. “If the world’s workforce was made up of 100 people, 59 would need training by 2030. Of these, employers foresee that 29 could be upskilled in their current roles and 19 could be upskilled and redeployed elsewhere within their organisation. However, 11 would be unlikely to receive the reskilling or upskilling needed, leaving their employment prospects increasingly at risk,” the report suggested. The TASEZ Training Academy was set up with a set of clearly defined aims: to understand and respond to industry trends and community needs; to provide easy access to a range of much-needed development programmes; to build strong partnerships within government, the Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs), higher education institutions, research bodies, and industry; and to be the go-to academy for South Africa’s automotive sector. “We want to play a significant role in shaping the future of automotive excellence in South Africa,” Dr Zulu concludes. Image: Media briefing on the Future of jobs report (World Economic Forum 2025)