New Economy Skills 2025

Technology is increasingly transforming how such assessment is done. AI-powered adaptive testing can personalize challenges to each learner’s strengths and areas for growth, providing timely, tailored feedback. Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) can simulate complex, high-stakes, lifelike scenarios, like cybersecurity incident response or collaborative product design. Digital platforms can aggregate peer feedback and performance metrics at scale, promoting collaborative evaluation and continuous improvement. Offline or edge AI solutions can remove barriers to access, making sophisticated assessment tools available even in low-connectivity or remote settings. Make it real : Standardized certifications, such as broad-based assessments like CompTIA or vendor- specific credentials like Azure or Google Cloud, facilitate comparability and provide recognized benchmarks across industries. Yet they tend to focus on theoretical knowledge and procedure rather than the agility and problem-solving required of digital skills in real-world contexts. Effective evaluation of digital skills is best achieved through authentic, performance- based assessments such as coding challenges, hackathons and project portfolios, which test not only technical ability but also creativity, teamwork and adaptability. Self-assessment and peer review, including contributions to platforms like GitHub and Kaggle, complement these methods by highlighting collaborative skills and promoting continuous learning. Each method has strengths and drawbacks : hackathons are resource-intensive and only measure skills at a single point in time, while self- assessment can lack fairness and rigour. However, combining standardized certifications with practical tasks and peer evaluation offers a more balanced and reliable assessment system to meet the needs of today’s changing technology landscape. Track thinking, not just results : One-off assessments rarely capture the adaptability and growth essential to digital skill development. Digital portfolios, online platforms and continuous learning records allow individuals to showcase projects, contributions and feedback over time, demonstrating their capabilities and the evolution of their skills. However, challenges around privacy, comparability and access persist and must be addressed to ensure fairness and inclusion. In addition to showcasing tangible results, these tools can also help document how people solve problems, respond to feedback and improve through iteration, offering deeper insights into how a learner adapts to new challenges and integrates feedback into future work. This is invaluable for educators seeking to personalize instruction and for employers aiming to Assessment 1. See the whole human: Use diverse tools to get a 360° view of skills and potential. 2. Make it real: Evaluate skills through authentic, performance-based tasks. 3. Track thinking, not just results: Monitor both progress and thought processes over time to track holistic growth.Credential 7. Set shared standards: Align on clear, consistent ways to recognize skills globally. 8. Prove it in practice: Use portfolios and real-world evidence to show skills application. 9. Badge what matters: Award modular, skill-specific and context-rich credentials, connected to clear career and learning pathways.Development 4. Prioritize new economy skills: Put new economy skills at the heart of learning. 5. Create safe spaces: Encourage growth through feedback, practice and reflection. 6. Fuel purposeful learning: Cultivate self-awareness and encourage hands-on collaborative experiences.Global principles to develop, assess and credential digital skills FIGURE 19 New Economy Skills: Building AI, Data and Digital Capabilities for Growth 30