WEF's Reskilling Revolution initiative aims to boost tech literacy & leadership skills for employees – Here's how

Initiated during the Forum's Annual Meeting in 2020, the Reskilling Revolution is actively implementing public-private initiatives to offer improved education, skills, and economic opportunities to 1 billion people by 2030. 

With current impact and partner commitments, the initiative is poised to benefit over 680 million individuals by the decade's end. Involving more than 350 companies and 20 Country Accelerators, the Reskilling Revolution is making significant strides towards its ambitious goals.

New commitments to the Reskilling Revolution include efforts by the US Department of Education to enhance career preparation in high schools, IBM's plan to train 2 million people in AI skills, and the European Roundtable for Industry's goal to reskill 5 million Europeans by 2030.

Individuals participating in these programs are gaining the necessary skills and knowledge for employment in growing industries. More than half of the ongoing efforts are specifically targeting green and digital jobs, underscoring the importance of integrating skills in both areas to facilitate the green transition. Members of the Reskilling Revolution emphasise that AI and big data, technology literacy, leadership, and social influencing are the skills of utmost priority.

“The rise of global digital jobs is shaping new frontiers of work. With the right investments and policies, this can ensure a dynamic and inclusive future. Thanks to the research done alongside the Forum and with data support from Faethm by Pearson, we can expect over 90 million global digital jobs by 2030,” said Claudia Crummenerl, Managing Director, Capgemini Invent. 

The World Economic Forum announced that over 680 million people are benefiting from improved skills, job opportunities, and education through its Reskilling Revolution initiative. Leaders from the public and private sectors are gathering in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, this week to advance an ambitious agenda aimed at empowering and preparing individuals for the future of jobs. 

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, emphasised the importance of investing in human capital initiatives like the Reskilling Revolution to proactively address disruptions to livelihoods, particularly with 23% of jobs expected to change over the next four years and 40% of work-hours likely impacted by generative AI.

“With 23 percent jobs changing over the next four years and 40% of work-hours likely impacted by generative AI, investing in human capital initiatives like the Reskilling Revolution today is fundamental to getting ahead of disruptions to livelihoods and key to solving the environmental, technological and economic challenges of tomorrow,” said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum.

Several significant announcements were made at this year's Annual Meeting in Davos concerning the jobs and skills agenda:

• The Philippines, Viet Nam, and Qatar have joined a network of 20 Country Accelerators, focusing on education, skills, and jobs.
• Twenty-one companies joined the Good Work Alliance, a coalition across 15 industries aiming to provide good working conditions to about 2.5 million workers.
• The Refugee Employment Alliance, Co-Chaired by UNHCR and Ingka Group, has hired over 54,000 refugees globally in the last 2 years and plans to hire an additional 125,000 refugees by the end of 2027.
• Thirteen new Skills-First Lighthouses were announced, representing public and private initiatives that promote skills-based labor practices, allowing people to leverage their talents regardless of formal qualifications or networks.
• CEO and Ministerial members of the Jobs Consortium endorsed the World Economic Forum's Jobs Initiative to develop lighthouses of Generative AI-driven job augmentation and transitions in 2024, building on the toolkit for responsible AI adoption.
• A new report in collaboration with Capgemini identifies and quantifies jobs most conducive to fully remote work, estimating that by 2030 there will be 90 million global digital jobs, enhancing access to global jobs and talent.