The Future of Jobs Report 2020 - October 2020 - Global employment and skills outlook for the pandemic economy

Oct 16, 2026

Uploaded by Kurz

The Future of Jobs Report 2020 examines how the 2020 health and economic shocks disrupted labour markets and exposed weaknesses in social contracts. It highlights job and skills shifts driven by automation, the remote and hybrid workforce, and unequal impacts on disadvantaged communities. The report forecasts labour market evolution for 2020–2025, reviews public and private pathways for reviving jobs, and emphasizes global collaboration to reskill, deploy safety nets, and restore fair opportunity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages163

Reading Time6 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Executive Summary

Part 1 Tracking the Future of Jobs

Chapter 1 The Labour Market Outlook in the Pandemic Economy

Chapter 2 Forecasts for Labour Market Evolution in 2020-2025

Chapter 3 Public and Private Sector Pathways to Reviving Labour Markets

Part 2 Country and Industry Profiles

User’s Guide: How to Read the Country and Industry Profiles

Country Profiles

Industry Profiles

Appendix A: Report Methodology

Contributors

Acknowledgements

Survey Partners

The Future of Jobs Report 2020 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0 3 5 7 8 8 9 16 19 26 27 29 35 40 40 45 49 50 53 55 56 66 119 150 157 158 160 Cover: Unsplash/Joel Guerrero Inside: Unsplash/Christina wocintechchat; Unsplash/Faruq Al Aqib; Unsplash/Rob Lambert Contents Preface Executive Summary Part 1 Tracking the Future of Jobs Chapter 1 The Labour Market Outlook in the Pandemic Economy 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Short-term shocks and long-term trends 1.3 The remote and hybrid workforce 1.4 Impact on equality Chapter 2 Forecasts for Labour Market Evolution in 2020-2025 2.1 Technological adoption 2.2 Emerging and declining jobs 2.3 Emerging and declining skills Chapter 3 Public and Private Sector Pathways to Reviving Labour Markets 3.1 From temporary public policy relief to long-term solutions 3.2 From deploying human resources to leveraging human potential Conclusion Notes References Part 2 Country and Industry Profiles User’s Guide: How to Read the Country and Industry Profiles Country Profiles Industry Profiles Appendix A: Report Methodology Contributors Acknowledgements Survey Partners © 2020 World Economic Forum . All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system . The Future of Jobs 2 October 2020 The Future of Jobs Preface Klaus Schwab Founder and Executive Chairman After years of growing income inequality, concerns about technology-driven displacement of jobs, and rising societal discord globally, the combined health and economic shocks of 2020 have put economies into freefall, disrupted labour markets and fully revealed the inadequacies of our social contracts. Millions of individuals globally have lost their livelihoods and millions more are at risk from the global recession, structural change to the economy and further automation. Additionally, the pandemic and the subsequent recession have impacted most those communities which were already at a disadvantage. We find ourselves at a defining moment: the decisions and choices we make today will determine the course of entire generations’lives and livelihoods. We have the tools at our disposal. The bounty of technological innovation which defines our current era can be leveraged to unleash human potential. We have the means to reskill and upskill individuals in unprecedented numbers, to deploy precision safety nets which protect displaced workers from destitution, and to create bespoke maps which orient displaced workers towards the jobs of tomorrow where they will be able to thrive. However, the efforts to support those affected by the current crisis lag behind the speed of disruption. It is now urgent to enact a Global Reset towards a socio-economic system that is more fair, sustainable and equitable, one where social mobility is reinvigorated, social cohesion restored, and economic prosperity is compatible with a healthy planet. If this opportunity is missed, we will face lost generations of adults and youth who will be raised into growing inequality, discord and lost potential. The Future of Jobs Report provides the timely insights needed to orient labour markets and workers towards opportunity today and in the Saadia Zahidi Member of the Managing Board future of work. Now in its third edition, the report maps the jobs and skills of the future, tracking the pace of change and direction of travel. This year we find that while technology-driven job creation is still expected to outpace job destruction over the next five years, the economic contraction is reducing the rate of growth in the jobs of tomorrow. There is a renewed urgency to take proactive measures to ease the transition of workers into more sustainable job opportunities. There is room for measured optimism in the data, but supporting workers will re

FAQs

What core shocks does the report describe as shaping the 2020 labour market?

The report describes combined health and economic shocks that put economies into freefall, disrupted labour markets, and increased risk from recession, structural change, and automation.

What is the report’s main focus for the period ahead?

It tracks how jobs and skills evolve, forecasting changes for 2020–2025 and explaining how technology-driven job creation may still outpace job destruction.

How does the report propose supporting displaced workers and the transition to new jobs?

It calls for reskilling and upskilling, precision safety nets to prevent destitution, and public-private collaboration to accelerate fair and sustainable labour market recovery.

Oct 16, 2026

Uploaded by Kurz