🌎 World Economic Forum 2025 - Summarized

I watched 9+ hours of talks and read 300+ pages of reports so you don't have to. You're welcome.

Author

Eryn Peters
January 26, 2025

Happy Sunday, pals!

The 2025 World Economic Forum has wrapped in Davos. I picked out all the “future of work” themed content and synthesize over 9 hours of talks and panels and over 300 pages of data and reports to give you the TLDR you deserve. Enjoy! ❤️ 

In today’s issue

  • ⚡️ Lightning List - What I’m reading this week

  • 🇨🇭 Davos TLDR - I watched it all so you don’t have to

  • ⭐️ Community Spotlight - Toptal acquires YouTeam

  • 💰️ Sponsor - Taplio - AI-enabled LinkedIn content

⚡️ Lightning List ⚡️ 

Davos 2025

The 2025 annual meeting landed with a heavy thematic triad: Rebuilding Trust, Reimagining Growth, and Investing in People. Not subtle messaging from a world still grappling with technological whiplash, geopolitical tensions, and economic uncertainty.

The private jet irony continues to write itself - this year's climate discussions were punctuated by a record number of private flights (some flight tracking sources claiming up to a 170% increase). Some traditions, it seems, die hard in the Swiss Alps.

The 2025 agenda broke down into five core tracks:

✨ The TLDR

Let me break down the future of work highlights that caught my attention.

🤖 AI Everything

Artificial Intelligence continues reshaping the global workforce, with the International Monetary Fund now finding that 40% of employment globally is exposed to AI, rising to 60% in advanced economies. But here's the plot twist - Cognizant's research reveals AI is actually having a greater impact on workers in the lower ranks, showing a 35% productivity boost for the bottom 50th percentile compared to just 15% for top performers.

The scale of workforce transformation ahead is staggering. Over the next decade, 1.2 billion people in developing and emerging markets will enter the workforce. Current projections suggest only 400 million jobs will be created, leaving an 800 million gap. The stakes couldn't be higher.

❝

This is a unique technology. It's going to disrupt knowledge workers who do repetitive tasks. And we've never had a situation of that kind. It's a genuine opportunity for us to disrupt the work template which came from the Industrial Revolution.

🤓 Reskilling Revolution

The WEF's Reskilling Revolution has made impressive progress, reaching 716 million people and tracking well toward its 1 billion goal by 2030. But there's a catch - only 24% of global workers feel they have the skills needed to advance their careers in the next three years. Even among those with advanced degrees, that number only inches up to 27%.

The rewards for upskilling are substantial but uneven. ADP Research shows workers see an average 37% pay increase when moving up one skill level. However, the gender gap is stark - men experience a 44% wage bump while women see only 30%. In highly skilled jobs, this disparity becomes a chasm: 44% for men versus 15% for women.

The future of work demands new technical literacy across all roles.

❝

In the future, AI won't take people's jobs, but people that know AI will take the jobs of people that don't... I will not hire a marketer that doesn't know how to code. And I will not hire a finance person that doesn't know how to get computers to do things for you.

💪 Flexible Working & Gigs

The platform economy exemplifies transformation. Food delivery alone now generates $150 billion in annual revenues globally. In Brazil, platform work from iFood represents 0.55% of GDP, having generated 1 million direct and indirect job opportunities and supporting over 400,000 merchants - according to iFood Chief Sustainability officer Luana Ozemela. This is just the beginning of how digital platforms are reshaping traditional employment models.

Remote work has found its post-pandemic equilibrium, with Indeed.com remote US job postings settling at 7% - double the pre-pandemic level. The future isn't just remote versus office - it's about fundamentally reimagining how, where, and when work gets done.

❝

Flexibility is number one for the global workforce. But it's only number eight for employers... Workers want flexibility of their schedules, of their calendar, the autonomy that comes with work, not necessarily location.

Nela Richardson, Chief Economist at ADP

📊 Newly Dropped Reports

There were three key reports released and discussed this week that I think are worth mentioning. I’ve summarized and called out some highlights but if you’re going to read one, read the Future of Jobs report.

This report highlights the complexities and interconnectedness of global risks facing society today, underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts to mitigate these challenges.

  1. State-based Armed Conflict: The report identifies state-based armed conflict as the top global risk for 2025, with 23% of respondents anticipating a significant global crisis. This risk has climbed from eighth position last year, highlighting current geopolitical tensions

  2. Extreme Weather Events: Close behind, extreme weather events are recognized as a severe concern, emphasizing the increasing impacts of climate change and environmental degradation

  3. Misinformation and Disinformation: This risk remains the leading short- to medium-term concern, driven by the proliferation of misleading content, often amplified by technologies like Generative AI. This highlights the interconnectedness of technological and societal risks

  4. Inequality and Societal Fractures: Inequality is viewed as a central risk that exacerbates social instability. Societal polarization and erosion of civic freedoms are also rising concerns, reflecting a theme of deepening societal divisions

  5. Technological Risks: While not considered immediate threats, concerns about the adverse outcomes of AI technologies and other frontier technologies are climbing the rankings for a 10-year horizon, pointing to the need for proactive governance

This report reflects a growing complexity in societal trust dynamics and emphasize an urgent call for institutions to engage with communities constructively to rebuild trust and optimism.

  1. Crisis of Grievance: There is a prevalent sense of grievance globally, with significant numbers indicating feelings of discontent towards businesses, governments, and wealthy individuals. Many express a lack of optimism for future generations, with fears of discrimination reaching all-time highs

  2. Institutional Trust: Business remains the most trusted institution, but the report highlights a significant decline in trust towards various organizations, including government and media. This is coupled with a belief that the wealthy are not contributing fairly to societal needs and that corporations are not doing enough to address critical social issues

  3. Need for Action: Respondents emphasize that businesses must take more significant action to alleviate grievances and contribute positively to society, such as promoting job security and addressing economic inequalities

  4. Economic Fears: Concerns related to job security due to globalization, automation, and economic instability have increased, showcasing a universal anxiety regarding labor market dynamics

Insights from the Future of Jobs Report reflect a labor market undergoing significant transformation, driven by technological advancements and socio-economic shifts.

  1. Job Creation and Transformation: The report projects that structural labor market transformation will result in a net growth of 7% in total employment, amounting to approximately 78 million new jobs. This includes 14% job creation but offset by an 8% loss of current jobs due to technological advancements and changing market need

  2. Emerging Technologies: Roles in technology, particularly related to AI and machine learning, are highlighted as the fastest growing in terms of percentage increase. There is also a significant focus on roles tied to environmental sustainability such as renewable energy and environmental engineering

  3. Human-Centered Skills: Skills such as empathy, active listening, and complex problem-solving are underscored as crucial in the age of Generative AI. The report finds that current technologies have limited capacity for substituting these human-centric skills

  4. Impact of Climate Change: The report identifies climate change as a significant factor driving labor market trends, with an increasing demand for jobs in the environmental sector due to regulatory and market pressures related to sustainability

  5. Demographic Changes: Aging populations in higher-income countries and expanding working-age populations in lower-income countries are influencing job market dynamics, driving demand for investment in talent management and education-related roles

🎙️ Notable Talks

If you want to watch any talks in full, I’d recommend these ones.

⭐️ Community Spotlight ⭐️ 

It’s always big news when mergers and acquisitions happen in the future of work news and this one is no different. This week, YouTeam was acquired by Toptal! 🎉 

Ukranian company YouTeam has seen significant growth as they became a single access point to 500+ vetted tech agencies in LATAM and Europe with over 50,000+ contractors.

Toptal is no stranger to growth by acquisition, having acquired Growth Collective last year to launch their Marketing services among many others (VironIT, We Love No Code, and SkillBridge).

Congratulations to Rita Bodnarchuk, Yurij Riphyak, and the whole YouTeam team!

It’s Official: YouTeam Joins Toptal

It’s Official: YouTeam Joins Toptal 💫 We’re starting the year with a major milestone. From now on, our valued customers will enjoy access to more… | 15 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/posts/rita-bodnarchuk_ive-got-some-exciting-news-to-share-activity-7287408621095690240-qmuj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

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📚️ Term of the Week 📚️ 

Digital Colleague  noun | WORKPLACE TERM

AI-powered tool or system that workers actively collaborate with as part of their daily tasks, treated as a teammate rather than just technology

Related terms: AI augmentation, digital co-worker, machine partnership

That’s all for now, pals. See ya next week.