By Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO, Coursera

Today, the World Economic Forum released the Future of Jobs 2025 Report, revealing how shifts in technology, economics, demographics and the green transition will dramatically reshape global labor markets. By 2030, 92 million jobs will be replaced and 170 million new jobs will be created, resulting in a net increase of 78 million. The Coursera data in the report highlights an important trend in emerging technologies: the increasing popularity of generative artificial intelligence around the world is driving a surge in demand for GenAI training.

The report, based on data from more than 1,000 companies, found that the skills gap remains the biggest barrier to business transformation, with nearly 40% of job skills expected to change and 63% of employers citing it as a major challenge. Artificial intelligence and other rapidly evolving technologies are changing business models and driving new requirements for employees to upskill:

• half of employers plan to reposition their operations to address artificial intelligence
• 80% Plan to improve workers’ skills through artificial intelligence training two thirds Plan to hire people with specific AI skills while only 40% They plan to reduce labor as artificial intelligence automates certain tasks.
• 85% of employers plan to upskill their workforce to address the growing skills gap— half of businesses plan to transition employees into increasingly important roles.
• 73% Plan to automate more processes
• 70% Plan to hire people with new skills

The report also shares the fastest-growing and fastest-declining roles, driven primarily by developments in artificial intelligence, robotics and increasing digital access:

Online learning will play a vital role in addressing widespread skills gaps, driving workforce transformation and supporting work transformation. Data from Coursera’s Future of Jobs 2025 report shows significant growth in demand for generative AI training from individual and corporate learners:

• In 2024, of the nearly 7.4 million AI registrants on the platform, more than 3.2 million registrants received GenAI training—an average of 6 registrants per minute (compared to 2 registrants per minute of GenAI content in 2023) . India and the United States lead the way in enrollment.
• Individual learners on Coursera focus on foundational skills and conceptual topics such as just-in-time engineering, trustworthy AI practices, and strategic decisions around AI.
• Corporate-sponsored learners emphasize real-world applications that can immediately improve productivity in the workplace, including AI tools for making Excel more efficient or developing new applications.

The world’s top technology companies and research universities have launched more than 670 courses and instructional programs on Coursera to respond to the world’s growing demand for artificial intelligence. These include the GenAI Enhanced Professional Certificate, which prepares workers without a college degree or prior experience for digital job roles that increasingly require GenAI skills, and the GenAI Academy, which provides organizations and their employees with GenAI literacy, leadership and C-suite skills Education, as well as role-specific training for high-impact job functions.

Coping with these shifts will require more than just individual effort. Companies, governments and educational institutions must work together to identify and develop a workforce with emerging skills. Coursera and our partners are committed to working with institutions around the world to enrich their skills strategies and turn threats into opportunities for inclusive growth.

To learn more about the global skills and job outlook, read the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 Report.