In today’s digital era, rapid technological advancements are significantly reshaping career paths, creating new opportunities while rendering other roles obsolete.
This challenge is reflected in Education360’s study, which indicates that approximately 3 million jobs will be vacant by 2028 due to the skills gap in various fields, particularly in the technology field.
The global technological evolution has widened the skills gap, leaving employers struggling to find candidates equipped with the required knowledge in modern technologies.
While technology is beneficial to organizations, the impact of the global skills gap has detrimental effects on individuals who risk being left behind.
As organizations struggle with the shortage of qualified professionals in the tech industry, employees around the world are concerned about potential job losses following the emergence of modern technologies.
Navigating the Technical Skills Gap
The modern job market has compelled many employees worldwide to make critical career-focused decisions. A study by Amadeus, a leading travel technology provider, revealed that 94% of technology professionals pursue career changes and consider leaving their roles if they’re not provided with adequate training opportunities.
According to Pluralsight’s 2024 Technical Skills Report, the most critical skills gap in the technology niche includes cybersecurity, cloud, and software development. This aligns with the increasing demand for technology-related jobs, as highlighted in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ‘Future of Jobs Report’ for 2025.
The report outlined that the fastest-growing jobs are big data specialists, fintech engineers, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) specialists, and software and application developers. Green and energy roles, such as autonomous vehicle (AV) and electric vehicle (EV) specialists, and environmental and renewable energy engineers, are gaining interest as well.
While technology-related jobs are booming, some professions are declining rapidly. Clerical and secretarial jobs are expected to see the largest decline. These include cashiers, postal service and ticket clerks, bank tellers, data entry clerks, administrative assistants, and executive secretaries. Graphic designers, bookkeeping and payroll clerks, transportation attendants, telemarketers, and legal secretaries are also included in the wide array of declining jobs.
Among the employers surveyed by WEF globally, 70% are looking to hire employees equipped with new skills, with 40% planning to axe those with less relevant skills.
As technology develops, job displacement is inevitable; however, this will also present new job opportunities, marking the job market’s positive outlook for the future. The WEF underscored that 92 million jobs worldwide will be displaced in the next five years, with 170 million jobs projected to be created.
Moreover, organizations are also experiencing the impact of the global technology skills gap. Companies are being affected by the rising costs associated with outsourcing experts, as unqualified employees leads to delays in project completion. Designing effective training programs appears to be a struggle in non-technological organizations, making employee retention a challenge.
The fastest-growing jobs are big data specialists, fintech engineers, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) specialists, and software and application developers. Green and energy roles, such as autonomous vehicle (AV) and electric vehicle (EV) specialists, and environmental and renewable energy engineers, are gaining interest as well.
Coveted Skills in the Digital Era
To keep pace with rapid technological advancements, employers are increasingly seeking workers equipped with skills in AI, big data, networks, cybersecurity, and technology literacy. While these technological skills are crucial, the WEF highlighted analytical thinking as the core skill employers are looking for, followed by resilience, flexibility, agility, leadership, and social influence.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) predicted that automation can potentially eradicate existing jobs; however, new opportunities will emerge in the digital technology field, emphasizing the demand for digitally-skilled workers.
Regionally, the World Bank and LinkedIn collaborated to evaluate the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s labor markets. The study revealed that competency in using Microsoft Azure is the most sought after skill by employers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Meanwhile, software and information technology (IT) service companies in countries like Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, are interested in the programming skills required for Bootstrap, Git, JavaScript, and object-oriented programming (OOP).
To keep pace with rapid technological advancements, employers are increasingly seeking workers equipped with skills in AI, big data, networks, cybersecurity, and technology literacy.
Global Upskilling Initiatives
With 39% of employees’ current skills projected to become outdated between 2025 to 2030, necessary upskilling efforts remain significant.
Recently, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) launched the AI Skills Coalition to bridge the AI skills gap across the globe. Supported by 27 organizations, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft, the platform is set to provide AI education, capacity-building initiatives, and accessible skills training to promote inclusive participation.
The ITU Academy was also established, offering over 100 ICT-related training courses, while the ITU’s Centers of Excellence (CoE) program facilitates training for ICT professionals globally, presenting upskilling opportunities in the latest digital technologies, policies, and applications. In 2019, the ITU partnered with Cisco to introduce the ITU Digital Transformation Centers (DTC) Initiative, enhancing the digital capacity of individuals in underserved areas. These ITU initiatives collectively contribute to addressing underrepresented women, the youth, and the disabled in the ICT industry and aim to prepare the global workforce for the digital future.
The Middle East is also accelerating its strategic efforts by bridging the technological skills gap. Saudi-based telecom company, stc, introduced the ‘Talent Incubation Program’ (TIP) to attract and develop fresh graduates by offering an accelerated development program to maximize their capabilities. In 2024, stc also collaborated with Ericsson to provide stc employees with telecommunications training.
In the same year, the Oman Ministry of Labour and Omantel partnered to train 86 university graduates in AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and data science, further developing a skilled workforce to drive Oman’s digital transformation.
Early this year, UAE-based telecom operator and digital services provider, du, launched the Youth Digital Pioneers Program in cooperation with Huawei. Hosted by the du Youth Council, the program aims to upskill participating youths through innovative digital technologies. Moreover, in support of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative, the UAE launched the ‘National Program for Coders’ to train and certify 100,000 coders by 2028.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) launched its ‘Digital Skills Working Group’ to foster digital skills development across its workforce. Aligning with Qatar’s Digital Agenda 2030, the initiative aims to address skill gaps and create a knowledge-equipped labor force. In Bahrain, the ‘Technical Capacity Program’ was launched by stc Bahrain and Huawei to foster talent development. Moreover, Saudi Arabia ranked first among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in employee training, as per the IMD World Talent Report in 2023.
Jordan’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE) is also bridging the technological skills gap, having launched the ‘Digital Skills Association’ (DigiSkills)—the country’s largest digital skills development and employment program—to provide Jordanian graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields with the necessary skills and knowledge.
With 39% of employees’ current skills projected to become outdated between 2025 to 2030, necessary upskilling efforts remain significant.
Interesting Read: Tech Talent: ICT Skills in Demand
Final Thoughts
The rapid pace of technological advancement will continue to revolutionize industries, including global job markets; thus, a multi-faceted approach is essential to address the growing skills gap.
Continuous learning and inclusive upskilling should be paramount, and no one should be left behind in the pursuit for equitable opportunity. Employees will need to personally analyze the current state of the job market to make the right decision, whether it be investing in upskilling their repertoire or seeking new opportunities.
As global digital transformation accelerates, organizations, governments, and educational institutions must collaborate to provide strategic solutions that will equip the global workforce with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the tech-driven market.
Related:
du Champions ICT Careers for Girls
Building the ICT Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities
Huawei Tackles the ICT Skills Gap in the Middle East and Central Asia with Seeds for the Future 2024
