Top 20 Jobs That Will See Higher Demand Post Pandemic, Automation

If automation wasn't already a threat to existing jobs, the COVID-19 outbreak accelerated the decline in demand for certain front-end jobs.

In its the "Future of Jobs Report 2020", the World Economic Forum studied the effects of pandemic related disruptions and highlighted the expected outlook for technology adoption, jobs and skills in the next five years.

The report aggregates the views of chief executives, chief strategy officers and chief human resources officers in 15 industry sectors and 26 advanced and emerging countries.

"The adoption of cloud computing, big data and e-commerce remain high priorities for business leaders, following a trend established in previous years. However, there has also been a significant rise in interest for encryption, non-humanoid robots and artificial intelligence," the WEF report said.

Automation and COVID-19: The Double Whammy

Automation amid COVID-19 induced recession has destroyed work opportunities for many. Apart from the economic contraction caused by the pandemic, technological adoption by companies will transform tasks, jobs and skills by 2025, according to the "Future of Jobs Report 2020."

43 percent of businesses surveyed said they are set to reduce their workforce due to technology integration, 41 percent plan to expand their use of contractors for task-specialized work, and 34 percent plan to expand their workforce due to technology integration.

By 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal. Changes will also be made to locations, value chains and size of the workforce due to factors beyond technology.

Number of jobs created to be larger than jobs lost

As per WEF's survey, by 2025, increasingly redundant roles will decline from being 15.4 percent of the workforce to 9 percent (6.4 percent decline), and emerging professions will grow from 7.8 percent to 13.5 percent (5.7 percent growth) of the total employee base of company respondents.

WEF estimates that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labour between humans, machines and algorithms.

Top 20 Jobs to see an increase in demand

1. Data Analysts and Scientists
2. AI and Machine Learning Specialists
3. Big Data Specialists
4. Digital Marketing and Strategy Specialists
5. Process Automation Specialists
6. Business Development Professionals
7. Digital Transformation Specialists
8. Information Security Analysts
9. Software and Applications Developers
10. Internet of Things Specialists
11. Project Managers
12. Business Services and Administration Managers
13. Database and Network Professionals
14. Robotics Engineers
15. Strategic Advisors
16. Management and Organization Analysts
17. FinTech Engineers
18. Mechanics and Machinery Repairers
19. Organizational Development Specialists
20. Risk Management Specialists

Top 20 Jobs to see a decrease in demand

1. Data Entry Clerks
2. Administrative and Executive Secretaries
3. Accounting, Bookkeeping, Payroll Clerks
4. Accoutants and Auditors
5. Assembly and Factory Workers
6. Business Services and Administration Managers
7. Client Information and Customer Service Workers
8. General and Operations Managers
9. Mechanics and Machinery Repairers
10. Material Recording and Bookkeeping Clerks
11. Financial Analysts
12. Postal Service Clerks
13. Sales Rep., Wholesale and Manuf., Tech and Sci. Products
14. Relationship Managers
15. Bank Tellers and Related Clerks
16. Door-to-Door Sales, News and Street Vendors
17. Electronics and Telecoms Installers and Repairers
18. Human Resources Specialists
19. Training and Development Specialists
20. Construction Labourers

Top skills and skill groups to rise by 2025

Skill groups

• Critical thinking and analysis
• Problem-solving
• Self-management skills like active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
• Working with people
• Management and communication of activities
• Technology use and development
• Core literacies
• Physical abilities

Top 15 skills for 2025

1. Analytical thinking and innovation
2. Active learning and learning strategies
3. Complex problem solving
4. Critical thinking and analysis
5. Creativity, originality and initiative
6. Leadership and social influence
7. Technology use, monitoring and control
8. Technology design and programming
9. Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
10. Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation
11. Emotional intelligence
12. Troubleshooting and user experience
13. Service orientation
14. System analysis and evaluation
15. Persuasion and negotiation