Companies prioritize AI training over job cuts, WEF study finds
A new World Economic Forum study reveals an interesting tension: while many companies see AI replacing some jobs, they’re betting bigger on retraining than layoffs.
The WEF’s “Future of Jobs Report 2025” surveyed 1,000 companies worldwide. About 41% plan to cut jobs that AI could handle – but a much larger 77% are focused on training their existing workforce to work with AI systems. Keep in mind, however, that these numbers could change drastically and quickly depending on how AI evolves.
This emphasis on upskilling in general spans economic divides. High-income countries lead with 87% of companies prioritizing training, followed closely by higher middle-income countries (84%) and lower middle-income countries (82%).
Process automation ranks as companies’ second choice, though its popularity has actually declined – 73% of companies now focus on automation, down from 80% in 2023. The geographic split is notable: 77% of companies in high-income countries plan to automate, versus just 57% in lower middle-income countries.
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A net gain in jobs by 2030
Despite lofty predictions by some AI enthusiasts that AI will bring the “next leap in prosperity” while making many jobs obsolete, the WEF predicts that new technologies and market shifts will create about 170 million new jobs by 2030 – about 14% of current global employment. While 92 million existing jobs (8%) are expected to disappear, the net result is still 78 million new jobs.
Most companies are planning for this shift – 70% expect to hire workers with future-ready skills, while 51% plan to move employees from shrinking departments to growing ones. The scale of needed training is massive: the WEF estimates 59% of the global workforce will need additional training by 2030 to keep pace with changing job requirements.
The WEF report notes that AI automation has clear limitations. Tasks requiring physical skills, nuanced judgment, or human qualities like empathy and active listening are likely to remain in human hands for now.
“If an increasing amount of a firm’s total output and income is derived from advanced machines and proprietary algorithms, to what extent will human workers be able to share in this prosperity?” the researchers write.
The researchers caution against an over-reliance on automation alone. Instead, they recommend focusing on ways to enhance human capabilities alongside AI. Without this balance, they warn, human contribution to economic value creation could decline too sharply.
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