4 technologies will shape the future job market: AI will dominate, but what about the others?

AI often makes the headlines as the main transformer of office work as we know it. However, a new whitepaper has warned that it’s only one of the four technologies set to reshape the global workforce. Robotics, energy technologies, and advanced networks and sensing systems are also driving change in markets such as real estate, farming, and medicine, and they, too, promise productivity spikes. But it all comes at a price.

In a candidate for the most unsurprising news of the day, AI is leading the charge in transforming work.

According to a new white paper from The World Economic Forum (WEF), 86% of employers expect generative AI to transform their organizations by 2030.

“Some experts believe agentic AI will be the most transformative component of the technology, with AI agents drawing on genAI technology to perform tasks independently with user direction and oversight,” says the report.

Tools such as ChatGPT are already assisting businesses in tasks like maintenance scheduling, fraud prevention, and tailored customer services. In business and management roles, AI could either boost productivity or reduce demand for staff, depending on how companies decide to adopt it.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a company memo this summer that, because of AI, the retail giant will need fewer corporate employees.

The Lufthansa case fits this data even better – the company is set to lay off about 4000 employees by 2030. The company cites its broad AI strategy as the reason for this move, and explains that it’s working on streamlining operations and enabling digital tools. The employees targeted are those in administrative roles.

Except in this example, the company is doing both: boosting productivity and reducing demand for staff. Recent reports state Lufthansa is letting go of the staff whose roles overlap on the group level and, at the same time, trying to cut costs to contribute to its biggest savings plan in years.

In comparison, the logistics and retail markets are seeing AI-driven optimizations in areas such as delivery routes, inventory management, and even drone-based last-mile deliveries, particularly in emerging markets.

“United Arab Emirates, where drone delivery forms part of a smart cities plan, is moving demand away from road vehicle operators towards back-end control of autonomous or semi-autonomous drones,” states the report.

The robotics revolution is transforming factories

In manufacturing, robots step up to cover repetitive or high-volume tasks, thus replacing humans. Thanks to AI, the humans whose expertise is growing in this sector are robotic programmers, maintenance engineers, and systems supervisors.

“These AI incorporations into existing manufacturing processes could transform jobs into higher-productivity roles with higher expertise requirements,” the paper states.

AI-powered robots are increasingly taking on roles such as quality inspections, material handling, and organizing and shipping orders.

For instance, this summer, Amazon introduced "Stow" and "Pick" – robots that automate the processes of storing and retrieving items in warehouses. Although the companyses them as promising, early tests have shown “Stow” and “Pick” are still slower and less successful than humans, and therefore, need to be looked after.

The energy technology sector follows a similar pattern – advances in renewable energy, battery storage, and vehicle electrification are creating new roles in energy management and predictive maintenance. Forty-one percent of employers expect energy technology to transform their organizations by 2030.

“Changing energy demands also lead to consumption changes, such as increases in the use of electric vehicles and demand for new energy to power data centres. These changes could also be disruptive, with significant changes in the types of demanded jobs and skills related to energy use,” the paper concludes.

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