Five shifts in work: what is happening, and what is only a guess

Key facts

• Employers surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) projected in January 2025 that about 170 million jobs will be created and 92 million displaced worldwide between 2025 and 2030.^[1]
• In May 2025 the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that one in four workers worldwide is in a job with some exposure to generative AI, and said jobs changing is more likely than jobs vanishing.^[2]
• Renewable energy was nearly 32% of Malaysia's installed electricity capacity in June 2026, the Energy Transition Minister said.^[3]
• In 2026, 8.4% of people in Malaysia were aged 65 or over. DOSM projects 18.3% by 2060.^[4][5]
• Employers in Malaysia expect 41% of workers' core skills to change by 2030, against 39% worldwide.^[1]

Nobody can tell you which jobs will be "safe" in 2035. You can notice the big forces changing work, and look at how they change the tasks inside a job. That is what Day 1 is about.

Two kinds of statement

Every section below sorts statements into two kinds:

• Observed: something that has already happened and been measured or reported.
• Projected: someone's estimate or target for the future. We always say who made it and when. Projections are often wrong, so treat each one as one view, not a promise.

Many of the projections come from the WEF's Future of Jobs Report, published in January 2025. It surveyed more than 1,000 employers in 55 economies, including Malaysia.^[1] Its numbers are what employers expect, not what has happened. No newer edition had been published by October 2026.

Each shift ends with a counter-example: a fact that makes a quick conclusion harder to hold.

1. AI and digital technology

Observed. In May 2025 the ILO estimated that one in four workers worldwide is in a job with some exposure to generative AI, and 3.3% are in the most exposed group.^[2] "Exposed" means some tasks could be done or helped by AI. The ILO says jobs changing is the most likely result, not jobs disappearing.^[2]

Observed (United States only). Stanford researchers reported in August 2026 that employment of 22 to 25-year-olds in highly AI-exposed jobs was about 19% below where it would otherwise be. In data to July 2025 the gap was 15%. It came mainly from fewer young people being hired, not more being let go. They also found no sign of job losses across the whole economy.^[6]

Projected. In the WEF survey (January 2025), 86% of employers expected AI and information processing to transform their business by 2030.^[1] Malaysia's National AI Action Plan 2026-2030 is led by AI Malaysia Berhad, a Ministry of Digital agency launched in July 2026. The plan aims for 300,000 to 500,000 new AI-related jobs and a place in the world's top 10 for AI readiness by 2030.^[7][8] These are government targets.

A task this shift might change. "Translate a notice into Bahasa Malaysia and English", "summarise a customer complaint", "draft a first reply". AI can make these faster. Checking the facts, making the call and taking responsibility still sit with a person.

Counter-example. Being exposed to AI does not mean a job disappears: the ILO expects most exposed jobs to change, not vanish.^[2] And the Stanford pattern is US data and is not proof: the authors say it describes what happened and does not show that AI caused it.^[6]

Ask a practitioner: "Which tasks in your week has AI changed, and which have you decided not to hand over?"

2. The green transition

Observed. Renewable energy made up nearly 32% of Malaysia's installed electricity capacity in June 2026, up from 31% in December 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Transition Minister Fadillah Yusof said in July 2026.^[3] This is the government's own figure.

Projected. The minister gave targets of 35% by 2030 and 70% by 2050.^[3] The National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) also sets 40% by 2035 and estimates about 310,000 green job opportunities by 2050.^[9] Worldwide, 47% of employers in the WEF survey expected efforts to cut carbon emissions to transform their business by 2030.^[1]

A task this shift might change. "Install solar panels on a roof", "measure how much energy a building uses", "report a factory's carbon figures to an overseas buyer".

Counter-example. Green-job figures are government targets that depend on investment and on policy holding steady. A target of 310,000 opportunities by 2050 is not 310,000 jobs today.^[9]

Ask a practitioner: "Has a green rule or a customer's request changed what you actually do each day?"

3. An older population and the care economy

Observed. In 2026, 8.4% of people in Malaysia were aged 65 or over, up from 8.0% in 2025, and the median age rose to 31.7 years, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).^[4]

Projected. DOSM's revised projections (July 2025) put the share aged 65 and over at 18.3% in 2060, up from 6.8% in 2020.^[5] In OECD countries, people aged 65 and over per 100 people of working age rose from 19 in 1980 to 31 in 2023, and the OECD projects 52 by 2060.^[10] WEF employers expect care jobs, such as nursing professionals and personal care aides, to grow significantly by 2030.^[1]

A task this shift might change. "Help an older patient move safely", "explain a medicine schedule to a family", "redesign a service for customers who do not use apps".

Counter-example. The ageing figures for 2060 are projections. They are DOSM's revised projections, and changes in births, deaths and migration can move them again.^[5]

Ask a practitioner: "How has the age of your customers or your colleagues changed the way you work?"

4. A more divided world economy

Observed. Malaysia holds an estimated 13% of the global market for chip assembly, testing and packaging, MIDA said in July 2026.^[11] That makes its factories part of supply chains that other countries are trying to protect or move. Under the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), 22,849 people had been trained by the third quarter of 2026, the trade minister told Parliament in October 2026.^[12]

Projected. In the WEF survey (January 2025), 45% of employers in Malaysia expected restrictions on trade and investment to transform their business by 2030, above the global average.^[1] The New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) targets a manufacturing median salary of RM4,510 by 2030, up from RM1,976 in 2021.^[13] The NSS aims for 60,000 highly skilled engineers by 2030.^[12]

A task this shift might change. "Check a shipment against another country's rules", "test chips before they are shipped", "find a second supplier when one is cut off".

Counter-example. Industrial targets can be missed or revised. By the third quarter of 2026, 22,849 people had been trained against the 60,000 target, and the government said it was still collecting data on how many were placed in the industry.^[12]

Ask a practitioner: "When a country changes its trade rules, whose job in your company gets busier?"

5. Skills over certificates, and learning for longer

Observed. Employers in the WEF survey reported that 50% of their workers had completed some training, reskilling or upskilling, up from 41% in the 2023 edition.^[1]

Projected. The WEF says that if the world's workforce were 100 people, 59 would need training by 2030.^[1] In Malaysia, 35% of employers said they plan to consider short courses and online certificates when assessing job candidates, more than twice the global average of 14%.^[1] The OECD says that bringing more women and older people in good health into work could largely offset the slowdown that ageing brings, which points to longer working lives.^[10]

A task this shift might change. "Learn a new design tool", "show a portfolio at an interview", "teach a younger colleague a skill you picked up on the job".

Counter-example. Degrees and licences still matter for regulated jobs. In Malaysia, for example, only electricians licensed by the Energy Commission may connect a solar system to the power supply.^[14]

Ask a practitioner: "What would a 19-year-old need to show you to convince you they could do this work?"

What this means for you

• Think in tasks, not job titles. Every shift changes some tasks in a job long before it changes the whole job. The guide "Tasks, not job titles" shows you how to look inside one.
• Ask "who said it, and when?" A projection from employers in 2025, or a government target, is useful but can be wrong. If you cannot find who made a claim and when, treat it as a guess.
• The shifts reach every career area. Care, trades, energy and factory work are changing too, not only office work.
• Expect to keep learning. Whatever you choose after SPM, plan to learn new tools several times. Something you can show, like a project or a short course, counts alongside your certificate, but it does not replace a licence where the law asks for one.
• Uncertainty is normal. Nobody can promise you a "safe" job. A good choice is one you can explain and adjust when the facts change.

If you want to try AI skills now

The government's AI untuk Rakyat programme, announced in August 2026, targets 100,000 Malaysians aged 18 to 30 until 2027. You register on rakyatdigital.gov.my, and if you pass six modules you get a free three-month subscription to selected AI tools.^[15][16] Check the current terms before you sign up.

Your next step

1. Before Day 1, think of one change in how work is done that you have seen yourself (a shop that only takes QR payments, a clinic that sends WhatsApp reminders). Write which shift it belongs to, and whether you saw it or heard about it.
2. On Day 2, ask one practitioner the question under your shift. Add their answer, their role and the date to "The future" in your Future Map.