The research lays out two possible futures: a "great displacement," in which skills become obsolete faster than people can learn new ones, or a “human renaissance,” in which skills growth accelerates and human creativity takes center stage. Undoubtedly, this is the moment to put people at the center and bring them along on the journey to help them build the skills of the future to thrive.

While some roles will go away, the research shows that many more will be evolved or created, and that’s a massive opportunity for business leaders. The rise of agentic AI—AI systems that can act autonomously to achieve goals without constant human guidance—actually unleashes human potential.

Take the example of implementation consultants—one of the roles set to be the most impacted by agentic AI. By 2030, AI agents could save each consultant about 15 hours per week, giving them time for creative thinking, building relationships, and solving complex problems—work only humans can do.

It’s our job as leaders to inspire our people. Rather than fearing the impact of AI, we can empower our employees to do the uniquely human work that matters so much to our organizations.

This fundamental shift means our strategies shouldn’t just plug talent gaps or focus solely on hiring. We must redesign roles and upskill our workforces. Organizations that invest in reskilling employees today will be ready to navigate tomorrow's workforce challenges.