The high demand jobs of the future guide.
Looking at well-earning and high demand jobs of the future, that will enjoy healthy employment growth in the next ten years, we see the birth of a new job market while many jobs will also disappear.
One thing in the job market is clear: jobs will either be secure and in good demand, or disappear in the next 10 years.
This topic affects people in very predictable ways, and many of us immediately think of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) as a villain to blame when considering why jobs will disappear.
While this is a reasonable thought, one must also consider that the process of automation and AI adds massively to the success of the business and while economies grow, humans are needed to fill many roles and due to automation and AI, they are capable of working more effectively. Companies that grow financially, plus workers that operate more efficiently, result in raised salaries plus further consumption and economic growth .
New high demand jobs of the future opportunities are born directly as a result of AI and many positions are brought about by automation, and sectors created because of AI!
AI is a term used to describe when machines are programmed to mimic actions of humans and reason with human intelligence, such as Chatbots, robotic vacuum cleaners and self-driving vehicles, to name a few. We are often suspicious of AI, because they threatened, or replaced, the security of the previous jobs sectors.
The good news is that the AI professional job sector is actually full of high demand and high-paying career opportunities, and it is poised to enjoy healthy employment growth. These jobs will be very secure and they will firmly stay off the list of jobs that will disappear in the next decade.
Depending on your interest, experience and education, the AI job market offers a variety of different roles and responsibilities for high demand jobs of the future.
However, certain job fields will be very difficult to replace by automation or AI. Where the human touch is essential, such as early childhood education, we still need people dealing with people.
The future will see both tech-savvy and “human touch” jobs in high demand.
Research done by the World Economic Forum shows us jobs that will fall away, and others that will increase by 2025, plus the most desired skills for employability to have by then.
These Positions will be Gone Soon
According to World Economic Forum research, the following positions will for the most part have disappeared by 2025.
Keep the following list in mind when you draw up your 5-year plan.
24 Jobs that are leaving us:
1. Accounting and Bookkeeping
2. Accountants and auditors
3. Admin and Executive Secretaries
4. Administration Managers
5. Bank Tellers
6. Business Services
7. Client information & Customer Service Workers
8. Construction Labourers
9. Data Entry Clerks
10. Door to Door Sales
11. Electronics Installation/ Repairs
12. Factory Workers
13. Financial Analysts
14. HR Specialists
15. Machinery Repairers
16. Material Recording and Stock-Take Clerks
17. Mechanics
18. Operations & General Managers
19. Payroll Clerks
20. Postal Service Clerks
21. Relationship Managers
Sales Rep (wholesale, tech and sci products)
22. Street Vendors
23. Telecoms Installers and Repairs
24. Training Specialists
This is a good time to consider your options.
1. Upskill with a free online course, or volunteer.
2. Study through TVET – your don’t need matric.
Positions that will be high demand in 2025
According to WEF research, these are the career fields that will see Fantastic job increases from 2025.
22 In-Demand Jobs of 2025:
1. Administration Managers
2. Ai and Machines Learning Specialists
3. Big Data Specialists
4. Business Development
5. Professionals
6. Business Services
7. Data Analytics
8. Database and Network Professionals
9. Digital Marketing and Strategy Specialists
10. Digital Transformation Specialists
11. FinTech Engineers
12. Information Security Analysts
13. Internet of Things Specialists
14. Management and Organisation Analysts
15. Organisational Development Specialists
16. Process Automation Specialists
17. Project Managers
18. Risk Management Specialists
19. Robotics Engineers
20. Scientists
21. Software Applications Developers
22. Strategic Advisors
Use this knowledge to get on the right path. List your existing skills and see which of these positions need those skills.
More Examples of future high-paying and high demand jobs (including “human touch” and AI) are:
Accountants and auditors
Ai, computers and machines learning specialists
AI engineer
Artist and handcraft
Big data engineer
Big data specialists
Business development and project management professionals
Business Intelligence (BI) developer
Business services and administration managers
Care providers for the elderly
Computer and information systems managers
Computer user support specialists
Construction managers
Counselors for mental health and behavior disorders
Creative arts
Data analytics and scientists
Data detective
Dentist assistant
Digital currency advisor, Bitcoin, Litecoin, and ether
Digital marketing
Digital transformation specialists
Early childhood to grade 12 education
Electricians
Engineers of FinTech
Engineers of robotics
Financial managers
General and operations managers
Health services and medical managers
Industrial Engineers
Industrial machinery mechanics
Information security analysts
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Machine learning engine to interpret data to design, build, and manage ML software applications successfully
Management analysts
Market research analysts
Marketing and strategy specialists
Natural language processors (for chatbots and virtual assistants)
Network and database professionals
Nurse practitioners
Physical therapist
Physician assistants
Process automation specialists
Project management specialists and business operations specialists
Rehabilitation counselors for substance abuse
Research scientist
Research, computer science and AI
Social workers
Software applications developers
Software engineering
Software quality assurance analysts and testers
Speech-language pathologists
Strategic advisors
User experience experts
Topjobseeker and Info-Desk both updates their job databases daily with quality positions that appear on this list.
If you’re looking to enter the professional world of AI, gain knowledge and experience in some, or one, of the following programming languages:
Python
C/C++
MATLAB
AI jobs skills required most:
Good communication and easy collaborating with others
Python experience and capability (in general, proficiency in programming language)
Digital marketing
If you wonder what degrees will be advantageous in the next 10 years, and support the above high demand jobs of the future, have a look at the following list below:
Accounting
Actuarial science
Applied mathematics
Artificial intelligence, AI
Big data systems
Biochemistry
Biology
Biotechnology
Business
Chemistry
Computer science
Computer science and engineering
Computer science and mathematics
Economics
Engineering, biomedical
Engineering, chemical
Engineering, civil
Engineering, computer
Engineering, computer and electrical
Engineering, electrical
Engineering, electronics and communication
Engineering, industrial
Engineering, mechanical
Engineering, petroleum
Engineering, systems
Environmental science
Finance
Health information technology
Industrial distribution
Industrial psychology
Information technology
International business and finance
Internet of things (IoT)
Management information systems (MIS)
Medical technology
Physical therapy
Sustainability and renewable energy
By 2030, many jobs are expected to either disappear completely or nearly, including:
Administrative and executive secretaries
Assembly and factory workers
Bank tellers:
Certain business services and administration managers
Client information and customer service workers
Data entry clerks
Door to door sales
Electronics and telecoms installers and repairs
Fast Food cooks
In-store cashiers
Legal administration, except lawyers
Material recording and stock-keeping clerks
Postal service clerks
Relationship managers
Waiters
And more.
Best skills to have in 2025
While many people instantly predicts computer science, AI and all things automation to dominate the future, the WEF list may come as a big surprise.
The skills that will put you in high demand by 2025 involve creativity, solution-orientated, analytical thinking and innovation. Many are soft skills.
20 Best Skills for 2025:
1. Analytical thinking and innovation
2. Active learning & learning strategies
3. Calm under pressure
4. Complex problem solving
5. Social and influencing
6. Technology use, monitoring and control
7. Technology design
8. Technology programming
9. Leadership and management
10. Resilient
11. Reasoning
12. Problem solving
13. Innovative
14. Emotional intelligence
15. Creative, original and future thinking
16. Trouble shooting and user experience
17. Service minded
18. Systems analysis and evaluation
19. Persuasion and negotiation
20. Critical thinking
Need to pick up your skills game?
– Take a free course,
– Volunteer,
– Study through TVET or
– Apply for an internship.
We took inspiration from the World Economic Forum research
to better plan for the future. We suggest you do the same.
Change is inevitable, but everyone can be prepared to position themselves in an advantageous way regarding high demand jobs of the future that will be secure or disappear in the next decade.
Read more on high demand jobs of the future – Most hiring jobs in South Africa 2022 – 2023, in demand now