There Cannot Be a Jobs Revolution Without a Skills Revolution

“Despite the fact that it is kind of popular to talk about specific technical skills, high order technical skills, AI, basic education is failing so many children, and there cannot be a jobs revolution without a skills revolution.”

Dr. Michal Rutkowski, Regional Director for Human Development for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank, delivered this message during the Digital Education Council (DEC) Executive Briefing #016: Jobs of the Future.

In conversation with Danny Bielik, President of DEC, Dr. Rutkowski unpacked the global forces reshaping the labour market and how universities, governments, and employers must respond to ensure inclusive, resilient growth.

Four Forces Shaping the Future of Work

Dr. Rutkowski identified four megatrends influencing employment globally: technology, demographics, global integration and geopolitics, and climate change.

He emphasised that the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) will not be evenly distributed. "More than sixty five percent of jobs in high income countries are considered to be exposed to AI, whereas these numbers go below fifty percent or even thirty, forty percent in middle and low income countries."

In parallel, demographic shifts are transforming labour markets through both ageing populations and expanding youth bulges. Economic migration, in particular, is reshaping industries such as health and aged care in Europe.

Climate change, he noted, will require significant reskilling. "We see that more than one in six workers will be affected by the changes in the job market that are related to climate change."

Why Foundational Skills Matter More Than Ever

Dr. Rutkowski challenged the current focus on advanced technical skills, arguing that many education systems are failing to deliver even the basics.

“Despite the fact that it is kind of popular to talk about specific technical skills, high order technical skills, [and] AI, basic education is failing so many children and there cannot be a jobs revolution without a skills revolution.”

He pointed to a global learning crisis, noting that "two out of three children in low and middle income countries cannot read a simple text by the age of ten, a shocking seventy percent — what we call learning poverty rate."

Without strong literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills, he warned, young people risk being locked out of the future workforce.

How Education Systems Must Change

When asked what systems can do to support future jobs, Dr. Rutkowski made a clear distinction between the "what" and the "how."

"What — I think my answer is not surprising. It is first and foremost about investing in the foundational skills, starting early, to eliminate the learning crisis, which is so alarming."

But more money alone is not the solution. "They found that giving schools extra cash, twenty percent increase per student spending, has no impact on student test scores because the problem was not funds, but how schools teach and what is being taught."

He called for outcome-focussed education, regular curriculum redesign, and targeted interventions where needed. "It's about using high dosage tutoring, remedial education, these kind of things"

The Role of Employers and the Changing Nature of Work

Dr. Rutkowski placed strong emphasis on the role of employers in building human capital.

"Employers are critical here and especially in developing countries because people spend much more time at work than they spend in formal education institutions. So what's happening at work, learning at work, increasing human capital at work, really matters a lot."