The AI Skills Employers Want, and How to Build Them
What the World Economic Forum's employer survey says about skills to 2030, and practical ways to build and prove them.
Short answer
Employers surveyed by the World Economic Forum expect AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy to be the three fastest growing skills from 2025 to 2030, alongside human skills such as creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, and curiosity and lifelong learning. You do not need to become an engineer: learning to use AI tools well in your own field, and showing results from it, is the most practical first step.
What employers expect to change by 2030
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 is based on a survey of more than 1,000 large employers representing over 14 million workers across 55 economies. Its headline findings for 2025 to 2030:
| Finding | Figure |
|---|---|
| New jobs expected to be created | 170 million (14% of current employment) |
| Jobs expected to be displaced | 92 million (8% of current employment) |
| Net change | +78 million jobs (7%) |
| Share of workers' core skills expected to change | 39% (down from 44% in the 2023 edition) |
| Employers naming skill gaps as a major barrier to transformation | 63% |
Source: World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025 (published January 7, 2025). These are employer expectations, not guarantees.
The fastest growing skills
The report ranks skills by how quickly employers expect them to grow in importance. The top three are all technology skills:
- AI and big data
- Networks and cybersecurity
- Technological literacy
They are followed by human skills that are also rising in importance: creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, and curiosity and lifelong learning. Analytical thinking remains the most widely required core skill today.
What "AI skills" means for most jobs
For most people, AI skills are not about building models. They are about using AI tools to do better work in your own field:
| Level | What it looks like | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| AI literacy | Understanding what AI tools can and cannot do, and their risks | Spotting errors, protecting confidential data, checking sources |
| Applied AI use | Using AI tools to speed up or improve real tasks | Drafting, summarizing research, analyzing spreadsheets, writing code with an assistant |
| AI workflow design | Redesigning a process around AI with quality checks | Automating a reporting process with human review |
| Technical AI skills | Building, evaluating or deploying AI systems | Machine learning, data engineering, evaluation |
There is plenty of room to stand out. In ZipRecruiter's Q4 2025 survey of new hires, 74.2% said they use AI rarely or not at all in their current role, and 55.2% said they do not use it at all.
Fastest growing and declining jobs
The report lists technology roles such as big data specialists, fintech engineers, AI and machine learning specialists and software and application developers among the fastest growing jobs in percentage terms. Roles expected to decline fastest include postal service clerks, bank tellers and data entry clerks. Roles heavy in routine information processing are the most exposed, while roles that combine technical tools with judgment, care or relationships tend to be more resilient.
How to build and prove AI skills
Start with your current job
Pick one recurring task, such as a weekly report, a customer reply template or meeting notes, and try doing it with an AI tool your employer permits. Measure the time saved and the quality, and keep the before and after.
Learn the fundamentals of safe use
Know your employer's AI policy, never paste confidential or personal data into unapproved tools, and always verify facts and figures. Accuracy and judgment are part of the skill.
Take a short, applied course
Choose courses that end with a project in your field rather than general theory. Certificates help most when paired with something you built.
Show it on your resume
Write results, not tool names alone. For example: "Cut monthly reporting time from 6 hours to 2 by building an AI assisted summary workflow with a manual accuracy check." Our guide to ATS friendly resumes explains how to phrase skills so recruiters find them.
Keep the human skills sharp
Creative thinking, resilience and curiosity are growing in importance alongside AI. Prepare interview stories that show them, using the STAR method.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most in demand skills for the future?
According to the World Economic Forum's 2025 employer survey, the fastest growing skills to 2030 are AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy, followed by creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, and curiosity and lifelong learning.
Will AI take my job?
AI is expected to both create and displace jobs. The WEF survey projects 170 million jobs created and 92 million displaced from 2025 to 2030, a net gain. Individual risk depends on how much of your work is routine information processing, and on whether you adapt how you work.
Do I need to learn to code to work with AI?
No, not for most roles. Applied AI use and AI literacy are valuable in almost every field. Coding helps if you want technical AI roles.
How do I show AI skills without job experience?
Complete a small project that solves a real problem, document the result, and add it to your resume or portfolio. Volunteer and freelance projects count.
Sources
- The Future of Jobs Report 2025: Digest, World Economic Forum (January 7, 2025)
- The Future of Jobs Report 2025: Skills outlook, World Economic Forum (January 7, 2025)
- Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future and the skills you need to get them, World Economic Forum (January 2025)
- The ZipRecruiter Survey of New Hires, Q4 2025, ZipRecruiter (2026)
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