The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 convened this week in Davos, Switzerland, under the theme “collaboration for the intelligent age”. This year’s gathering saw over 3000 leaders from around the world – including heads of state, business executives, civil society representatives, and academics, to address the pressing challenges and opportunities of our time. The insights and discussions from this week’s event in Davos offer crucial guidance for organisations. Understanding key themes at the forum and how this impacts a company’s ability to effectively attract and retain top talent – while upskilling existing teams – to meet the demands of the future of work.
Collaboration for the intelligent age
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting this year focused on a number of key themes, with discussions focused on:
- Geopolitical and geo-economic tensions
- Technological advancements and their impact
- Climate change and sustainability
- Social and economic inequality
- Public health and pandemic preparedness
Geopolitical and geo-economic tensions
Ongoing geopolitical conflicts and rising tensions – alongside the increasing fragmentation of the global economy – were among key concerns addressed at this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Leaders explored ways to mitigate risks, strengthen international cooperation, and promote a more stable and equitable global order.
Technological advancements and their impact
Rapid advancements such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum computing were central to many conversations that took place in Davos this week. The forum explored the potential benefits and risks of these technologies, emphasising the need for responsible innovation, ethical consideration and inclusive development. This discussion had direct implications for the future of work, with leaders acknowledging the need for significant workforce upskilling and reskilling to adapt to the changing job market.
Climate change and sustainability
The climate crisis has remained a top priority this year. Discussions are once again focused on accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy, promoting sustainable development and addressing environmental challenges, such as biodiversity loss and pollution. The green transition is expected to create new job opportunities but also necessitate workforce adaptation and the development of new skills in areas like renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation.
Public health and pandemic preparedness
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of global health systems. This year’s forum explored ways to strengthen pandemic preparedness, improve healthcare access and affordability and address emerging health challenges. As we all know, the pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of remote work and flexible work arrangements, which have had significant implications on the way we live and work.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of global health systems. This year’s forum explored ways to strengthen pandemic preparedness, improve healthcare access and affordability and address emerging health challenges. As we all know, the pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of remote work and flexible work arrangements, which have had significant implications on the way we live and work.
The future of collaboration
The topics raised at this year’s World Economic Forum underscored a critical turning point for the European Tech industry – one that focuses on collaboration, highlighting a pressing need for global cooperation to address the above challenges.
Investing in people
The World Economic Forum’s emphasis on investing in people highlights a critical need to adapt our global workforce and education systems to the evolving job market. This involves enhancing human capital by rethinking education to prioritise life-long learning and skills-based training, fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation throughout an individual’s career.
This also highlights the importance of creating quality jobs that are aligned with what people are now prioritising from their carers: meaningful, fulfilling and those which offer fair compensation and safe working conditions.
Investing in people also addresses the challenges posed by automation and technological advancements – though, it was made very clear that these challenges were simply part of a transition period. The call to business leaders was to support workers – whose jobs may otherwise be at risk – through reskilling and upskilling initiatives. Governments and leaders alike were urged to invest in emerging sectors that create new employment opportunities, while implementing measures to protect vulnerable workers to ensure equitable distribution of the benefits of technological progress.
In essence, investing in people is not merely a social responsibility, but an economic imperative. After all, a skilled and empowered workforce is crucial for driving innovation, productivity and sustainable economic growth. This requires a collaborative effort between governments, businesses and educational institutions to address the evolving needs of both individuals and the wider global labour market.
Safeguarding the planet
The Forum’s focus on safeguarding underscored an urgency of continuing to address the climate crisis. Discussions centred on accelerating the energy transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources. This included exploring innovative solutions for energy storage, grid modernisation and the development of clean hydrogen technologies.
There was also emphasis on promoting sustainable practices across all sectors of the economy. This involved discussions on circulate economy principles, resource efficiency and the integration of environmental considerations into business decision making.
Equally, mitigating environmental risks was a key theme. This encompassed efforts to enhance climate resilience, protect biodiversity and address the growing threat of natural disasters. Discussions explored strategies for adapting to the changing climate, such as:
- Investing in resilient infrastructure
- Developing early warning systems
- Promoting sustainable agriculture and forestry practices
Technological advancements
Naturally, the profound impact of emerging technology was discussed in detail. The recognition of their immense potential, alongside the need for responsible development and deployment were key focuses.
AI, with rapid advancements in areas like machine learning and dep learning was a central focus. The potential AI has to revolutionise healthcare and improve efficiency across a wide variety of industries while addressing global challenges – such as climate change – were discussed at length. However, concerns regarding the ethical implications of AI, including issues of bias, job displacement and the potential for misuses were also central focus points.
Biotechnology also garnered significant attention. Advancements in gene editing, personalised medicine and synthetic biology offer unprecedented possibilities for improving human health and addressing global health challenges. However, the forum emphasised the importance of responsible innovation, including robust ethical frameworks and regulatory oversight to address concerns related to safety, equity and potential societal impacts.
Another key area of discussion was quantum computing. The forum explored the transformative potential of quantum computers could have on areas such as drug discovery, materials science and cryptography. Also noted was the potential challenges in the development of quantum computing, including the need of substantial investment in research and development, as well as the potential disruption to existing cybersecurity infrastructure.
The forum emphasised the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to using these technologies for societal good. This included fostering collaboration between governments, business, academia and civil society to develop and implement ethical guidelines, ensure responsible innovation and address the potential challenges and risks associated with these emerging technologies.
Implications for hiring in 2025
The discussions at the WEF 2025 has significant implications for staffing strategies in 2025 and beyond. Key topics discussed were:
- Upskilling and reskilling
- Diversity and inclusion
- Remote and flexible work
- Investing in employee well-being
- Ethical considerations in AI and automation
We go over this in detail in our upcoming Venquis Tech Talent Hiring Trends Guide 2025. To gain early access to the guide before it hits stands in February, follow this link!
