90 مليون وظيفة في طريقها للاختفاء.. و170 مليون فرصة تنتظر الكفاءات الرقمية

As the admission season for local, global, and Arab universities begins, high school graduates find themselves faced with a crucial decision that not only involves choosing a major but also shaping the contours of their professional future over the next decade. The job market is no longer what it used to be, traditional jobs are declining, while waves of digital transformation and the green economy are accelerating, under Saudi Vision 2030. Reports from the World Economic Forum (Future of Jobs Report 2025), issued by the World Economic Forum on January 7, 2025, based on data from over 1,000 hiring organizations representing more than 14 million workers across 55 economies, coincided with the annual meeting of the forum in Davos, Switzerland, held from January 20-24, 2025, under the theme "Cooperation for a Smart Era." The report indicates that the world is set to create over 170 million new jobs by 2030, most of which will be in the sectors of technology, clean energy, health, and cybersecurity. In contrast, more than 90 million traditional jobs will disappear. In this context, a number of specializations emerge that represent a "visa to the future of work," especially for those who will enroll in university this year and graduate in 2029. The most prominent future specializations globally include: artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data science and analysis, electrical engineering and robotics, cybersecurity, renewable energy technology, user interface (UX/UI) design, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), nursing and digital health technologies, green economy and environmental sustainability. In the context of future specializations in the Arab region and Saudi Vision 2030, according to the priorities of the Saudi vision and the strategies of Arab countries, the following specializations are considered pivotal to keep pace with economic transformations: renewable energy engineering, smart city management and urban planning, smart supply chains and logistics, food security and agricultural technologies, programming and intelligent systems, sustainable finance and investment, digital economy and e-commerce, and artificial intelligence in education and health.

Dr. Walid Al-Ghasab, a finance professor, told "Okaz": "In this transformation, today, a degree is not enough; what is required is a digital mindset, analytical skills, and cognitive flexibility capable of keeping pace with the changing economy. The student who chooses their major today is not building a job; they are building a long-term investment in themselves and their ability to survive in a competitive market."

Data from platforms like Coursera and LinkedIn show that the demand for skills in artificial intelligence and data analysis has increased by more than 150% over the past two years, and that specializations in cybersecurity and renewable energy are recording the highest employment rates for graduates worldwide.