Is AI going to replace you? It’s the question spreading faster than matcha lattes next to a yoga studio.
The answer is – perhaps not. For now, however, you do face some strong competition – in people who will adopt the skills of the future before you. Because those skills are already here and they are about to be in high demand as soon as 2026.
So, what is the job market prognosis for the next 5 years? What are the corporate jobs expected to be in high demand in the next few years?
Which are the future-proof skills worth investing in today, so you can stay competitive in 2026-2030?
Let’s find out.
Hi, my name is Vasil Kostov, and I bring over 15 years of corporate experience in sales, account management, and customer success – driving growth across various digital sectors. In recent years, my focus has shifted to SaaS, cloud, and cybersecurity, where I’ve had a front-row seat to the tech renaissance reshaping how companies operate.
All of us live with the feeling that “everything is changing” these days. And if our social and professional worlds are evolving, it’s only natural that we do too. So in this piece, I will take you on a fact-checked trip to the future of work and show you how you can position yourself for success, despite the volatile job market.
The big takeaways for the next 10 years
By 2030, 22% of current jobs are expected to be reshaped – that’s 14% created and 8% displaced globally, according to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report (2025). In other words:
More than 78 million new jobs will be opened by 2030.
Naturally, new jobs will require a different set of skills. Employers expect 39% of core skills to change in 2025-2030 – with AI/big data, cybersecurity, and tech literacy the fastest-growing skills.
The world goes green
The strongest growth leaders on the job market are healthcare, clean energy and software.
Wind/Solar techs are the #1 and #2 fastest-growing roles in the US.
And here in the EU, solar jobs jumped from ~466,000 in 2021 to ~826,000 in 2023 (+77% in just two years), while wind is projected to employ nearly 1 million people by 2030 (SolarPower Europe 2023).
Other than that, by 2030 renewable energy will be booming – about 5,500 gigawatts newly added, International Energy Agency (IEA) reports. That’s around the same as several thousand large power plants. So it’s expected to create much more new jobs than it replaces. Especially in areas like electricians, grid upgrades, battery storage, electric vehicles, and making buildings and factories more energy efficient.
It seems like going green in tech is not only popular, but also gets you a job in the next decade. And while the clean-energy revolution powers physical infrastructure, the digital one is accelerating just as fast.
Software developers still got it
Have you heard those talks about Software developers being replaced by AI because now it can produce code? This is actually one of the biggest misconceptions today.
Let me debunk that:
Yes, the role of Software developers will shift in the AI era, but No it’s not going anywhere.
On the contrary – AI will automate routine coding tasks and speed up development, but software engineers still remain essential for system design, integration, security and scaling.
Developers aren’t going extinct — they’re becoming the backbone of AI-driven business.
AI is here – and it’s making splashes
Yes, it’s already here and it’s mainstream. A lot of companies and professionals are already implementing AI in their work, but the demand for AI skills is just now about to explode. You and I are on the edge of a transformation so major that some compare it to the invention of the Internet and others call it even bigger than that.
The world’s first comprehensive law on Artificial Intelligence is coming in full effect on August 2nd 2026 in Europe.
It’s called The EU AI Act and it’s huge – it’s practically going to be Europe’s AI Rulebook. Some rules already came into force like one for the General-Purpose AI (GPAI) which covers GPT-like models. So, after 2025, every company deploying AI in the EU will need people who can govern, secure, and audit AI systems.
What that means for the business world is simple: Skill-based hiring will rise. AI skills for positions across various industries will be essential.
And with the new regulations, there will be a surge in demand for roles like AI Governance Officers, AI Compliance Counsel, Model Risk Auditors, AI Security Engineers.
Cybersecurity: Booming Demand, Broken Supply.
In 2024, the global cybersecurity workforce was ~5.5M, but the shortage was ~4.8M unfilled roles — meaning the world would need to nearly double the workforce to meet demand. (ISC² Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2024)
The drivers of that huge gap are a few – regulation and compliance changes, cloud migrations, lack of skilled graduates and mostly – the explosion of cyber attacks. And keep in mind that the average cost of a data breach in 2025 is $4.4M per incident (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025). So security is a top priority even under cost pressure.
Over 75% of European firms expect to become fully digital-first (European Commission forecasts), so if you do the math: More digital services = More cyber attack opportunities -> Demand for Cybersecurity grows.
Cybersecurity isn’t just growing – it’s the biggest gap companies can’t afford to ignore.
And AI is powering up that expansion by both a threat defense tool, as well as a thread multiplier. While security teams can deploy AI anomaly detection, thread intelligence and automation, AI can also generate more realistic deepfakes, spear-fishing and generate malware at a huge scale. And this will also present brand-new career paths like AI Security Engineer and AI Risk Auditor.
Jobs most likely in demand in 2026 – 2030
AI, Data & Software. By 2030, AI & big data are the #1 fastest-growing skill cluster: AI/ML Engineers · GenAI Engineers · AI Product Managers · AI Solutions Architects · AI Agent Specialists · Data/Analytics/Platform Engineers · Software Developers
Green & Infrastructure. Up to 1M solar jobs by 2030: Renewable Energy Engineers · Solar/Wind Technicians · Battery/Storage Specialists · EV Infrastructure Experts · Grid Modernization Engineers
Healthcare & Care Economy: The EU alone could face a shortfall of 4.1 million healthcare workers by 2030.
Cybersecurity & Governance: Cybersecurity Analysts · Cloud Security Engineers · AI Governance Leads · Model Risk Auditors · Compliance Counsel (EU AI Act)
Go-to-Market & Revenue: Customer Success Managers · Sales Engineers · Solutions Consultants · RevOps Leaders
Education & Workforce Enablement: Learning & Development Leaders · AI Coaches/Trainers · Upskilling Program Designers
Future-proof skills to invest in (2025-2027)
- AI collaboration (prompting, workflow design, agent oversight); employers plan to hire for AI skills and re-orient business models.
Data literacy & analytics (SQL/Python, dashboarding, basic ML evaluation).
- Cybersecurity fluency (zero-trust basics, secure-by-design, incident response). Networks & cybersecurity rank among top rising skills;
- Tech literacy & automation (no-code/RPA, API thinking).
- AI governance & risk (policy, model risk, evaluation, audit).
- Change leadership & resilience (driving adoption, org design).
- Customer-facing revenue skills (solutions selling, RevOps, lifecycle growth).
- Green skills (energy efficiency, electrification, lifecycle carbon).
- Compliance, privacy & digital responsibility (DPO/CPO basics, DPIAs, AI impact assessments).
- Operations excellence (process design, quality control, resource mgmt).
They say the future will be written by AI – I believe it will be written by the people who know how to use it.
Yes, AI is the new buzzword and it’s everywhere – everyone has an opinion on it, and every company claims to “use AI,” even when it’s little more than a chatbot.
But regardless of where you stand on AI, the future of work offers endless opportunities for those willing to invest in their skill set. Learn fast, adapt faster, and you won’t just keep your place in the new world of work — you’ll help shape it.
All data and projections cited are based on verified reports from leading global sources, including the World Economic Forum, ISC², IEA, SolarPower Europe, WHO, and Microsoft (latest data as of 2025).
