Top 96 jobs which will rule the job market until 2030

These 96 jobs have been grouped into seven professional clusters by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Out of the seven professional clusters, Care Economy which primarily includes jobs related to 'Good Health and Well Being' adopted as Global Goal 3 (SDG3) is likely to lead the job market till 2030. Furthermore, within the healthcare sector, there seems an increased focus on preventive care in the job market in the future job market of the next decade.

In this fast-changing world, the professions, skills, and nature of jobs are changing faster than ever. The much sought after technical and soft skills that are ruling the job market today, may become obsolete after a couple of years. Besides the policy formulation at institutional and government levels, it requires careful planning for contemporary as well as future professionals to remain relevant in the job market.

The World Economic Forum (WEF), in a report titled ‘Jobs of Tomorrow: Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy’ has identified seven professional clusters and related skills which will dominate the job market by at least 2030. This report was released on January 22 in the ensuing WEF annual meet (#WEF 2020) in Davos (#Davos 2020) to be concluded on January 24. These professional clusters and skills, besides helping the policymakers and educators to plan at the institutional level will also help the professionals and youths to plan their careers for future jobs. “Through new data sources, we can gain unprecedented insights into emerging opportunities for employment in the global economy, and granular understanding of the skill sets needed by professionals.

This new data reveals that 96 jobs across seven professional clusters are fast emerging in tandem reflecting “digital” and “human” factors driving growth in the professions of tomorrow. The report also provides the top 10 skills required for each professional cluster. These jobs and skills have also been arranged as descending order of their ranks. In the event, the WEF also launched ‘Reskilling Revolution’ with the help of seven founding governments -  Brazil, France, India, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, UAE, and the US – and seven business partners - PwC, Salesforce, ManpowerGroup, Infosys, LinkedIn, Coursera Inc. and The Adecco Group. These top seven professional clusters in their descending order are as under:

Care Economy: This professional cluster primarily includes 15 job opportunities or professions primarily related to ‘good health and wellbeing’ adopted as SDG 3 (Sustainable Development Goal) with an increased focus on preventive care. They include Medical Transcriptionists, Physical Therapist Aides, Radiation Therapists, Athletic Trainers, Medical Equipment Preparers, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, Exercise Physiologists, Recreation Workers, Personal Care Aides, Respiratory Therapists, Medical Assistants, Fitness Trainers, and Aerobics Instructors, Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, Orderlies, Healthcare Support Workers, and others.

Data and AI: This professional cluster includes 10 kinds of jobs. They are - Artificial Intelligence Specialist, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, Big Data Developer, Data Analyst, Analytics Specialist, Data Consultant, Insights Analyst, Business Intelligence Developer, Analytics Consultant.

Engineering and Cloud Computing: It includes 14 kinds of core technical jobs. They are - Site Reliability Engineer, Python Developer, Full Stack Engineer, Javascript Developer, Back End Developer, Frontend Engineer, Software Developer, Platform Engineer, Development Specialist, Cloud Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Cloud Consultant, DevOps Manager, Technology Analyst.

Green Economy: The 15 most promising jobs related to clean energy and circular economy have been grouped in this category. They include Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians, Wind Turbine Service Technicians, Green Marketers, Biofuels Processing Technicians, Solar Energy Installation Managers, Water Resource Specialists, Wind Energy Project Managers, Chief Sustainability Officers, Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, Sustainability Specialists, Solar Photovoltaic Installers, Water/Wastewater Engineers, Forest Fire Inspectors, and Prevention Specialists, Fuel Cell Engineers and Nuclear Power Reactor Operators.

People and Culture: Information Technology Recruiter, Human Resources Partner, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Business Partner, and Human Resources Business Partner have been groped in this category. They will require soft skills such as - Recruiting, Human Resources, Business Management, Employee Learning & Development, Leadership, Digital Literacy, Project Management, People Management, Compensation & Benefits, and Foreign Languages.

Product Development: Product Owner, Quality Assurance Tester, Agile Coach, Software Quality Assurance Engineer, Product Analyst, Quality Assurance Engineer, Scrum Master, Digital Product Manager, and Delivery Lead. These 9 jobs are also primarily technical in nature.

Sales, Marketing and Content: This includes a maximum of 28 kinds of jobs. They are - Social Media Assistant, Growth Hacker, Customer Success Specialist, Social Media Coordinator, Growth Manager, Sales Development Representative, Digital Marketing Specialist, Commercial Sales Representative, Business Development Representative, Customer Specialist, Content Specialist, Content Producer, Content Writer, Partnerships Specialist, Digital Specialist, Chief Commercial Officer, Ecommerce Specialist, Head Of Partnerships, Commerce Manager, Head Of Digital, Enterprise Account Executive, Digital Marketing Consultant, Business Development Specialist, Digital Marketing Manager, Chief Strategy Officer, Creative Copywriter, Chief Marketing Officer and Head Of Business Development. The top ten skills recommended for these jobs are - Digital Marketing, Social Media, Business Management, Digital Literacy, Advertising, Product Marketing, Video, Graphic Design, Leadership, and Writing.  

The report has predicted that in the coming three years 37 percent of projected job opportunities among the top seven emerging professions will be in the Care Economy. Furthermore,  17 percent will go in Sales, Marketing and Content, 16 percent in Data and AI, 12 percent in Engineering and Cloud Computing, and 8 percent in People and Culture. Current projections for Green professions remain low, with 117,200 openings (1.9 percent) projected for the period spanning 2020–22. According to the report, about 75 million jobs would be displaced due to automation and technological integration. However, this transformation will also create 133 million new jobs with vast new opportunities for fulfilling people’s potentials. If proper training and education facilities are not planned for future jobs, this technological transformation will lead to a large scale unemployment and widening inequality within the boundaries and also at the international and regional levels.

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