Skills for the future: what does the job market need in the age of AI?
The world of work is changing faster than schools can keep up. Technological, demographic, and geopolitical transformation is affecting every industry today—and the pace is only going to accelerate. And with it, what employers really expect from candidates is changing.
What exactly are competencies?
Competencies are an integrated combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors that enable effective performance in a specific professional context. Competency = I know + I can + I understand + I collaborate.
HR is no longer just about “skills,” i.e., technical abilities that can be quickly verified. Competencies show how an employee uses these skills in practice—with empathy, responsibility, and as part of a team.
Global and local labor market challenges
By 2030:
- +78 million new jobs worldwide, 22% of which will change as a result of technological transformation
- Poland: 77% of companies cannot find people with the right skills, and 61% say that this gap hinders innovation and development
We don't lack people—we lack skills.
Professions that are growing and… disappearing
The greatest increase in demand will include, among others: programmers, care workers, project managers, and agricultural and construction professions. The decline will include administrative workers, cashiers, auditors, graphic designers, and customer service specialists. This shows one thing: repetitive tasks will be replaced by automation, and what is uniquely human will give us an advantage.
- What skills will determine success?
Organizations in Poland currently need the most: - digital skills
- creativity and problem solving
- communication and cooperation
- self-management – stress, emotions, time
- working in a multicultural environment and language skills
According to the OECD, as much as 39% of professional skills will change by 2030. That is why lifelong learning, flexibility, and technological responsibility are becoming crucial.
AI is changing professional roles, not people.
Artificial intelligence will not take away jobs from professionals, but it will take away some of their tasks.
▪ Tomorrow's recruiters will use AI to select candidates, analyze interviews, and predict turnover—and will devote more time to relationships and assessing potential.
▪ Programmers will focus on architecture and product quality, while AI will take care of code sketches, testing, documentation, and implementation.
We are already seeing examples of this transformation today—in medicine, translation, and office work, AI is taking over tedious processes, while humans make decisions and take responsibility.
What does this mean for organizations?
Companies must recruit for skills, not just experience. Hence the growing investment in reskilling and upskilling, such as the programs offered by Amazon, PwC, and Orange Polska. Because the greatest advantage for business in the future will be the ability of people to learn faster than the world changes.
