Today the question is no longer: Will jobs disappear?

This is a question outdated.
The real, and most pressing, question is: How is work itself redefined?

What I clearly noticed at the “Global Government Summit” is that the world is not heading towards comprehensive unemployment as is sometimes promoted, but rather towards a radical transformation in the structure of jobs and the nature of roles. We are not witnessing the end of work, but rather the end of its old form, and the beginning of a stage in which work is dismantled into tasks and re-engineered again.

This transformation is not led by a single force, but rather by the intersection of five major drivers at a pivotal historical moment:
Artificial intelligence and digital transformation, green transition, demographic shifts, geo-economic fragmentation, and cost of living pressures. Together, these forces do not eliminate work, but they redistribute it, change its content, and impose new skills that were not at the forefront before.

What I came away with is that the real danger does not lie in the disappearance of jobs, but in clinging to an old description of work in a world in which the rules have changed. Whoever understands this shift early will prepare for it. Whoever denies it may find himself out of the game without realizing when everything has changed.

Until 2030, expectations indicate the creation of about 170 million new jobs, compared to the displacement of 92 million jobs, with a net growth of 78 million jobs. A number that sounds reassuring… but it does not hide the most important fact: growth will not be available to everyone in the same way. There are jobs that are accelerating, and others that are eroding silently.

Technical jobs related to data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and renewable energy are growing rapidly. In contrast, routine office jobs that are based more on repetition than thinking are declining. But the irony is that growth, in absolute terms, is not limited to technology; Care, education, and human services are expanding as societies age and their needs change.

However, the real story is not the job titles, but the skills.

By 2030, about 39% of an individual’s skills will change. That is, much of what we are good at today will need to be reformulated or replaced. Analytical thinking, agility and flexibility, leadership, curiosity, and continuous learning are no longer “soft skills,” but survival essentials. The emergence of sustainability as a fast-growing skill sends a clear message: the future is green…whether we want it or not.

More seriously, 59 out of every 100 workers will need training, and 11 of them may not get it. These are not numbers, but humans standing on the verge of transformation without tools.
In this context, the battle is not between man and machine, but rather about the distribution of tasks. We are moving from a world in which humans do most of the work, to a three-way balance: humans, machines, and collaboration between them. Jobs will not disappear, but they will be remade; Humans move towards decision, meaning and communication, and systems towards automation and prediction, while those who use tools best, not those who try to compete with them, excel.

Hence, a “skills-first approach” advances as a practical answer. Certificates and titles are no longer enough, while actual ability is the new currency. This approach opens up the market, accelerates the closing of gaps, and promotes inclusion, but it is not a magic formula; Ethical challenges, verification, algorithmic bias, and worker protection are all questions that must be managed with wisdom, not blind enthusiasm.

The conclusion is both simple and profound for decision-makers: the future of jobs is the future of transformation.

We don’t need to defend yesterday’s jobs, but rather build systems that make skill acquisition, measurement and recognition easy, fair and fast. In a world that requires retraining the majority of the workforce, the real investment is not in the “job”… but in the human being who is able to change without losing his dignity.

*Dr. Saleh Salim Al-Hamouri
Mohammed bin Rashid College of Government