New Economy Skills: Skills for the Maker Economy

The report defines maker skills as the practical capabilities to construct, operate, and process material resources, which are critical for sectors like manufacturing, energy, and AI infrastructure. It finds that while demand is accelerating due to global investments in clean energy and digital transitions, the talent supply is failing to keep pace due to an ageing workforce, gender gaps, and an education system that undervalues vocational training. The document emphasizes that maker skills are increasingly augmenting with digital and AI capabilities, which correlates with higher wages and lower automation risk. It concludes with five priorities: modernizing vocational pathways, integrating AI into curricula, starting practical learning in early childhood, expanding apprenticeships, and improving the portability of credentials.

• Maker skills are essential for the physical economy and are highly concentrated in specific regions; makers account for over 60% of employment on average in Southern Asia, South-East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demand for maker skills is rising sharply, particularly in sectors linked to AI infrastructure, clean energy, and industrial expansion. Among 28 analysed skills, 'constructing and installing' is the most strongly linked to occupations expected to grow by 2030.
• There is a significant disconnect between the market value of foundational maker abilities (manual dexterity, endurance, precision, and sensory-processing) and employer recognition; few organizations identify these as core competencies despite their importance.
• Higher proficiency in foundational maker abilities is associated with both increased earnings and a lower risk of automation. Occupations with the highest proficiency in these abilities have a predicted automation risk of 19%, compared to 38% for those with the lowest proficiency.
• Digitalization is augmenting maker work, creating a high demand for workers who combine physical and digital skills. A 10 percentage-point increase in digital skills proficiency for makers is linked to an estimated annual wage gain of $3,500.
• The maker talent pipeline is severely constrained by an ageing workforce and a lack of interest among youth. In Asia, Europe, and Northern America, workers aged 55 and above make up 20–35% of makers, while only 13% of boys and 4% of girls expect to work in maker occupations.
• Gender disparity is prominent in the maker workforce; women represent only 30% of makers on average across regions, compared to 49% of other workers.
• Early education systems significantly undervalue practical learning. In OECD countries, practical and vocational learning accounts for only 4.5% of compulsory instruction time in primary and lower secondary education.
• Vocational education and training (VET) is often perceived as inferior to tertiary education by business leaders, with only 15% of countries rating vocational training more highly.

APA

World Economic Forum (2026). New Economy Skills: Skills for the Maker Economy. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Economy_Skills_2026.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. New Economy Skills: Skills for the Maker Economy. 2026. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Economy_Skills_2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=New Economy Skills: Skills for the Maker Economy |date=September 2026 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Economy_Skills_2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2026new, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{New Economy Skills: Skills for the Maker Economy}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Economy_Skills_2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }