New Economy Skills Unlocking the Human Advantage 2025

Figure 18 highlights where skill demand is expected to grow most by 2030. Creative thinking and resilience emerge as the fastest-growing skills globally, with the steepest increases projected in Latin America and the Caribbean, South- Eastern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Central Asia anticipates stronger growth in multilingualism and teaching and mentoring than other regions, while Europe expects significant gains in curiosity and lifelong learning. In Latin America and the Caribbean, employers forecast rising demand for creative thinking, empathy and motivation, while South-Eastern Asia anticipates growth in analytical thinking, resilience and leadership. Sub-Saharan Africa projects greater need for systems thinking, dependability and foundational skills such as reading, writing and mathematics, alongside stronger emphasis on motivation and self-awareness. Across regions, there is greater emphasis on adaptability and creativity, yet the pace of expected growth differs. Human-centric skill evolution, 2025–2030, by region FIGURE 18 Net difference -100% 100%Analytical thinking Creative thinking Curiosity and lifelong learning Dependability and attention to detail Empathy and active listening Leadership and social influence Motivation and self-awareness Multi-lingualism Reading, writing and mathematics Resilience, flexibility and agility Systems thinking Teaching and mentoring Central Asia Eastern Asia Europe Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and Northern Africa Northern America South-Eastern Asia Southern Asia Sub-Saharan Africa706278495564524652 726774656281657155 335652605261706638 372817233024-1-514 463657472567475526 625065626064576145 564652473356495240 11-82214182652359 11-4-8-13-14 2140-86465695452 796483674859514943 755263422028273046 37334425 Notes: Net difference between the share of employers that consider skills to be increasing and decreasing in importance to their workers, from 2025 to 2030 (%). The share of employers predicting skill stability is not used in the calculation. Source: World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Survey 2024. New Economy Skills: Unlocking the Human Advantage 25