WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2023

availability in the next five years. Roughly equal proportions of companies express positivity and

negativity, and few remain neutral (Figure 5.3). In general, respondents are more positive about the

talent development of the existing workforce than talent retention and talent availability: 39% are

optimistic about talent availability compared to 38% pessimistic, indicating a negligible net 1% positive

outlook; 53% are positive about talent retention and 19% negative, indicating a net 34% positive

outlook; and 77% of survey respondents are optimistic about talent development of their existing

workforce, and 5% negative, indicating a net 72% positive outlook.

When comparing countries’ viewpoints on talent availability when hiring, this report finds that more

than 60% of respondents in Latvia, Sweden and the Netherlands have a negative outlook, while around

60% of respondents in Austria and Saudi Arabia are more positive. Interestingly, more populous

economies such as China and India are more positive than the global average. Looking at sectoral

differences, Research, Design and Business Management Practices are the most optimistic

in hiring talent, while the Energy Technologies and Utilities and the Medical and Healthcare

Services industries are the most pessimistic on talent availability. This finding is supported by a

collaboration with Indeed which reveals that social jobs in the Care, Medical and Education sectors

take longer, on average, to fill than jobs in other sectors (see Box 5.1).

In terms of retaining talent, organizations in the Energy, Technology and Utilities and the Electronics

sectors are less positive than the global average, with more than 30% of respondents having a

negative outlook. By contrast, more than 70% of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing organizations

maintain a positive outlook on retaining their talent.

Contrary to the generally positive perception of talent development at the global level, only three of

five Accommodation, Food and Leisure Services businesses are optimistic, compared with the

global average of almost 80%. The Energy sector is more positive than the global average on talent

development– as all organizations in the Oil and Gas and Mining and Metal sector have either a neutral

or positive outlook. At the country level, Indonesia, China and France sit on the more negative side of

the scale, with Pakistan having the most negative outlook globally, where only 45% of respondents

have a positive outlook for talent development in the next five years. This is in line with the finding that

Pakistan has a lower skills stability, 44%, compared with the global average of 56%.

Talent availability when hiring

Talent development of existing workforce

Talent retention of existing workforce

-100 -50 +100

Share of organizations (%)

0 +50

+0.6%

+72.2%

+33.9%

FIGURE 5.3 Talent outlook, 2023-2027

SourceWorld Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Survey 2023. NoteThe share of companies reporting a neutral outlook is not shown.

Share of organizations surveyed reporting a positive and negative outlook for talent availability, development and retention from 2023 to 2027, and the net difference.

Positive outlook Negative outlook Net difference

Future of Jobs Report 2023 51