Upskilling for Shared Prosperity

The report presents an economic case for global upskilling, estimating that closing skills gaps in line with OECD best practices could boost global GDP by $5 trillion to $6.5 trillion by 2030. It highlights that the most significant gains would occur in emerging economies and sectors like business services and manufacturing. The document calls for a systemic shift toward 'good jobs'—work that is safe, fair, and motivating—and urges governments, businesses, and educators to build interconnected ecosystems to normalize lifelong learning and ensure economic inclusion.

• Wide-scale investment in upskilling could increase global GDP by $5 trillion under a core scenario (skills gaps closed by 2030) or $6.5 trillion under an accelerated scenario (skills gaps closed by 2028).
• The highest relative GDP boosts from upskilling are expected in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, with potential increases exceeding 7% by 2030.
• In absolute terms, the largest economic gains from upskilling are projected for China and the United States.
• Upskilling is projected to result in the net creation of 5.3 million new jobs by 2030, shifting the workforce toward roles requiring creativity, innovation, and empathy.
• Business services and manufacturing are the sectors poised for the most significant GDP growth; under the accelerated scenario, 38% of additional GDP would be generated in these two sectors.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the urgency for upskilling by accelerating digitalization and automation, while simultaneously creating a 'lost COVID generation' of young workers facing higher hiring uncertainty.
• The report advocates for a transition to 'good jobs,' defined as work that is safe, paid fairly, reasonably secure, motivating, and leverages human skills to drive productivity.
• Different national strategies for skills are identified: market-oriented systems (e.g., USA, UK) focus on supply-side policies, while social partner models (e.g., Germany, Austria, Switzerland) emphasize collective action and demand-side management.
• Denmark's 'flexicurity' model is highlighted as a successful approach that protects people rather than specific jobs, providing high unemployment benefits (up to 90% of pay) conditional on retraining.

APA

World Economic Forum (2021). Upskilling for Shared Prosperity. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Upskilling_for_Shared_Prosperity_2021.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Upskilling for Shared Prosperity. 2021. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Upskilling_for_Shared_Prosperity_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Upskilling for Shared Prosperity |date=January 2021 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Upskilling_for_Shared_Prosperity_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2021upskilling, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Upskilling for Shared Prosperity}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Upskilling_for_Shared_Prosperity_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }