External signal·International Monetary Fund·Jan 14, 2026·7 min read
New Skills and AI Are Reshaping the Future of Work
“finding or keeping a job will increasingly depend on the ability to update skills”
Summary
An IMF analysis of millions of online vacancies across six countries finds one in ten job postings in advanced economies now requires at least one new skill, with IT — increasingly AI-linked — accounting for more than half of that demand. Employers pay up to 15% more in the UK and 8.5% more in the US for roles listing four or more new skills, and regions with higher new-skills adoption saw employment rise 1.3% for each percentage-point increase in such postings. Nearly 40% of global jobs are exposed to AI-driven change.
Predictions for the future of work
Predicts AI will keep raising demand for — and the wage premium on — new, often AI-linked skills, with new-skill adoption associated with higher local employment. But it warns the gains are uneven: AI-skill vacancies pay more yet are linked to lower employment in highly exposed, low-complementarity roles, deepening polarization and squeezing middle-skill workers, with nearly 40% of global jobs exposed and youth most at risk.
Originally published by International Monetary Fund · Jan 14, 2026
Read the original at International Monetary Fund