Workers worldwide are under growing pressure to develop new skills as artificial intelligence and digital technologies transform job markets at an unprecedented pace.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva highlighted this in a blog post, citing new IMF research analyzing millions of online job vacancies across both advanced and emerging economies.

According to the Fund, one in ten job postings in advanced economies, and one in twenty in emerging markets, now demand at least one new skill, emphasizing that employability is increasingly linked to continuous learning and reskilling.

The IMF’s analysis of millions of online job vacancies shows that technological change is now affecting all sectors, far beyond factory floors and back offices.

The Fund notes that professional, technical, and managerial positions make up most of the demand for new skills, with information technology driving more than half of these requirements.

“For workers, finding or keeping a job will increasingly depend on the ability to update skills or learn new ones.

“Our latest analysis of millions of online vacancies reveals the scale of the demand for new skills: one in 10 job postings in advanced economies and one in 20 in emerging market economies now require at least one new skill,” Georgieva said.

Demand for sector-specific skills is also rising: healthcare roles increasingly call for telecare and digital health expertise, while marketing positions are placing greater emphasis on social media proficiency.

The IMF also found that workers with emerging skills can command higher pay.

In the United Kingdom and the United States, job postings that require at least one new skill offer wages around 3 per cent higher, while positions demanding four or more new skills can pay up to 15 per cent more in the UK and 8.5 per cent more in the US.